We were at a conference to meet with some specialty lending divisions within the company. I wanted to meet with a specific business line manager because I was having a hell of a time getting something done for a client. Basically, there was a threshold value that had to be met on this particular line … Continue reading How’d It Get To Be That Way?
Tag: design
Reprogramming Our (Human) Hardware, Firmware, and Software
How many times have you wanted to reprogram a frustrating part of your brain? 10? 20? 200? How about so far today? Ugh. Here’s a helpful thought - what if we think about ourselves, as Daniel Jefferies puts it, in terms of hardware, firmware, and software? Hardware is hard to change. I’m just shy of … Continue reading Reprogramming Our (Human) Hardware, Firmware, and Software
The Feeling Of Uncertainty Sucks
Do you have any idea what it feels like to be right? Of course you do. It’s pretty awesome isn’t it? Now, what about to feel… not right? What about confused, like when you can’t quite follow what’s going on? That sucks. Turns out this feeling of knowing is a big deal. It impacts when … Continue reading The Feeling Of Uncertainty Sucks
Emotions Come First, Logic Comes Second
You don’t have to (re)create the logical proof of why you’re right, you just have to create the emotional feeling of it being right. This is why so many smart salespeople start by building rapport. If someone feels like a friend, then whatever they’re offering will (usually) feel less candy-from-a-stranger-y. It’s a move and it … Continue reading Emotions Come First, Logic Comes Second
Invention Versus Innovation
Charles Townes, the Nobel prize-winning inventor of the laser, liked to tell this joke to explain the difference between invention and innovation: There’s a beaver and a rabbit looking at the Hoover Dam and the beaver says to the rabbit, “No, I didn’t build it, but it is based on an idea of mine.” Invention … Continue reading Invention Versus Innovation
The Two Types Of Leverage Every Professional Needs To Understand
There are two types of leverage every professional needs to understand if they want to work smarter and not harder: operational leverage and organizational leverage. Let’s take a quick look at leverage itself and then each type. When we think of leverage we want to think of a lever we might use to move something … Continue reading The Two Types Of Leverage Every Professional Needs To Understand
One-Size-Fits-All Or One-Off?
Some businesses run on very standardized, one-size-fits-all products and services. They control for costs and pursue volume to have an advantage. Their incentive is for all of the square pegs to perfectly fit into all of the square holes with no deviation. Other businesses run on highly customized, one-off type products and services. They are … Continue reading One-Size-Fits-All Or One-Off?
Podcast Of The Week: Making (Applicable) Sense of NFTs
Sometime soon I hope to be sharing some thoughts on Non-Fungible Tokens, aka NFTs, and how they might actually be applicable to creators, artists, and makers (and not just those Lebron James highlight reels that are simultaneously on YouTube and worth a bajillion dollars in NFT form). If there’s a better way for creators to … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Making (Applicable) Sense of NFTs
Grow The Puzzle Around You
For all of the time we spend thinking about how we fit into the situations around us, we should also think about how we can architect those situations too. Here’s Y Combinator cofounder Jessica Livingston on the idea: You are a jigsaw puzzle piece of a certain shape. You could change your shape to fit … Continue reading Grow The Puzzle Around You
Win-Win Versus Win-When
Win-win’s are the gold standard of deal-making. We all want to do business where everyone is getting something valuable out of an interaction. The problem is every deal isn’t a win-win. We need to able to dissect the good from the bad and understand how to navigate them in real-time. Whether it’s a complicated business … Continue reading Win-Win Versus Win-When