Most of the people who have mentored me tell me that it’s not always the right answers that help – it’s asking the right questions. There was a discussion a few months ago on whether being small had its advantages – agility, speed etc. My response then was that it all depends and I stick… Continue reading
Date Archives → November 2005
Ways to distinguish yourself – #69 Balance home runs with small wins
Always focusing on small wins has one danger – that you might be in a Continuous Spiral Syndrome trap. It feels like you are winning in the short term but in the long run you may be losing out. On the other hand, just focusing on home runs (big wins) also has a danger that… Continue reading
Ways to distinguish yourself – #68 Generalize (very) slowly
We are smart and we know that if we generalize anything it means that it is applicable at all times. Right? What we practice, though, is very different. Most people don’t need a lot of proof to make far reaching conclusions and generalizations. Have you heard someone say “He’s always late”, “He’s mean”, “She is… Continue reading
Ways to distinguish yourself – #67 Understand the 3T rule
There is one rule that is hard to break and it’s called the “Things Take Time” (3T) sometimes rule. During the initial days at CIGNEX (back when I co-founded the company in late 2000) I wish I had practiced the 3T rule. Those of us in the technology world know that those times were tough… Continue reading
Ways to distinguish yourself – #66 Keep "Your story so far.." ready
Here is a common scenario. 1. You meet someone – talk weather, politics, current events and sports and slowly develop friendship. 2. It takes a while before you start talking about something personal. 3. After a while, you both exchange your stories – the good, the bad, your hopes and your dreams. 4. After this,… Continue reading
Ways to distinguish yourself – #65 Be grateful
In several cultures across the world, a common ritual is to pray silently for a few seconds before the meal. The prayer is usually to say “Thank You” to GOD for that meal. It does make a lot of sense when you think of millions of people in the world that are struggling to get… Continue reading
Ways to distinguish yourself – #64 Smile!
Yes, that’s right. It can be as simple as that. You can stand out from the crowd just by boosting up your smile a bit and spreading cheer wherever and whenever you can. Quick. Try to think of someone in your workplace that is always smiling and happy. I am sure one or two people… Continue reading
Quotes worth recording – C.K.Prahlad
Picked this up from Sandhill.com‘s newsletter (by MR). None of us have unlimited resources. This little quote reminds us that what we need is a way of making the most of these limited resources to succeed. “Strategy is about stretching limited resources to fit ambitious aspirations” – C. K. Prahlad, co-author of Competing for… Continue reading
Speaking at a Guerilla Marketing Association Conference call – Wed Nov 23 at 4pm PST
I will be speaking at a conference call hosted by renowned Roger Parker for the Guerilla Marketing Association on November 23, 2005 at 4pm PST. More details can be found at Link: Roger’s events website Phone Number: 404-920-6610 PIN: 192304# I will be speaking about my book and my series on “Ways to distinguish yourself.”… Continue reading
Strategy simplifed – 3 questions (Courtesy: Don Schmincke)
I had the privilege of attending a TEC talk by Don Schmincke (author of The Code of the Executive) a few days ago. The talk was phenomenal and had a ton of “take home value.” One of the key things that I remember very well was the answer to the question – how do we… Continue reading