November 21st 2008
Did I do something wrong here?
This is the biggie. Use it when you have put a lot of work into the proposal—and you feel as though the prospect has, too—but you’re suddenly running into a brick wall that has no name or description, and didn’t seem to exist yesterday. Continue Reading »
November 21st 2008
The questioning ideas will help you identify what’s really going on in just about any selling situation that involves a sales obstacle or challenge. Of course, you may wish to target your questions more specifically.
Below, you’ll find some more narrowly focused questions for specific challenges you may face. Continue Reading »
October 6th 2008
Most personality traits are present to some degree in all of us. ‘Impulsivity’ is one such trait — the degree to which we have difficulty refraining from acting on our impulses. If your Other has a history of impulsive violence, then she may be unable to tolerate the stress of the Dialogue without violent outburst. You may not wish to risk provoking physical violence. In particular, people who have been physically injured by their spouses or another individual in the past should probably not use the Method with that person. Instead, counselling and/or legal remedies are advised. Continue Reading »
October 6th 2008
The Clashes arising from differences in most relationships can be managed satisfactorily by this Method. Some conflicts, however, lack certain requirements necessary for success.
When involved in ‘personality clashes’, we often conclude that the conflict is irresolvable due to the Other’s personality — the Bad-Person Illusion. In truth, certain personality factors can indeed impinge on the Method, making it less effective. So, some relevant personality factors will be mentioned as we list the eight prerequisites. Continue Reading »
September 29th 2008
Many managers make a distinction between talent and drive. They often find themselves counseling someone by saying: “Look, you are very talented. But you need to apply yourself or that talent will go to waste.”
This advice sounds helpful. More than likely it is well intended. But fundamentally it is flawed. A person’s drive is not changeable. What drives him is decided by his mental filter, by the relative strength or weakness of the highways in his mind. His drives are, in fact, his striving talents. Continue Reading »
September 29th 2008
Now that you know the difference between skills, knowledge, and talents, you can use these terms to throw light on all the other words used to describe human behavior—words like “competencies,” “habits,” “attitude,” and “drive.” At present many of us assume that they all mean virtually the same thing. We use phrases like “interpersonal skills,” “skill set,” “work habits,” or “core competencies” so naturally that we rarely question their true meaning. Continue Reading »
September 29th 2008
Guided by their own beliefs, and supported by recent scientific advances, great managers can now dispel two of the most pervasive management myths.
There is nothing very special about talent. If talents are simply recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior, then talents are actually rather commonplace. Everyone has certain recurring patterns of behavior. No one can take credit for these talents. They are an accident of birth, “the clash of the chromosomes,” as the ethologist Robert Ardrey described them. However, each person can and should take credit for cultivating his unique set of talents. Continue Reading »
September 21st 2008
Here are some guidelines for directing your thinking about television.
Rule 1. Keep it simple. Use your micro-creativity. Get inside your visual and maximize it. One idea explored in depth is more effective than superficial exploration of a dozen visual ideas.
Rule 2. Make your first scene audience-involving. You have four seconds or less to capture your viewers’ attention. If you haven’t accomplished it, your competition will.
Rule 3. Be larger than life. Exaggerate. Get as close to your product and the action as you can. If you stand back at a medium distance, you never really come in contact with your product. And neither does your audience. Continue Reading »
September 16th 2008
Many managers say they would like to define the right outcomes and then let each person find his or her own route, but they can’t. Some outcomes, they say, defy definition. And if you can’t define the right outcomes then you have to try to define the right steps. It’s the only way to avoid chaos, they say.
From some angles this perspective is actually quite sympathetic. First, some outcomes are indeed difficult to define. Sales, profit, or even student grades lend themselves to easy measurement. But customer satisfaction doesn‘t, nor does employee morale. Yet both of these are critical to excellent performance in many roles. Continue Reading »
September 4th 2008
So, you have selected for talent and you have defined the right outcomes. You have your people, and they have their goals. What should you do now? What should you do to speed each person’s progress toward performance?
Great managers would offer you this advice: Focus on each person’s strengths and manage around his weaknesses. Don’t try to fix the weaknesses. Don’t try to perfect each person. Instead do everything you can to help each person cultivate his talents. Help each person become more of who he already is.
This radical approach is fueled by one simple insight: Each person is different. Each person has a unique set of talents, a unique pattern of behaviors, of passions, of yearnings. Each person’s pattern of talents is enduring, resistant to change. Each person, therefore, has a unique destiny. Continue Reading »
