Failure as an Asset

Failures & shortcomings can be assets

I'm sitting at a lunch counter having a cup of coffee. Next to me is a teacher. He likes to talk. Here is his story.

The opportunity came up for a one week skills improvement seminar...wait for it....in Hawaii. All they had to do was to write an "essay" on why they should be chosen to attend.

He tells me, all the other teachers got it wrong. They wrote about their skills and successes. He did not.

He wrote about how he, [for the purposes of discussion only]

Lacked classroom organization skills.

Needed to improve his communication skills.

Needed help in finding and using resources to teach lessons.

You get the idea

He was chosen to attend

I can't help but thing that states & cities competing for the Amazon HQ or the Apple HQ could learn the lesson

Instead of telling what wonderful things they have to offer, they might have appealed to the corporate need to develop and environment better suited to their needs

They could work together to attract skilled employees instead of forcing the corporate giants to compete for them

Develop housing that would appeal to skilled employees the corporate giants want to attract

Develop a program to attract the sort of businesses that would both benefit from and provide support to the corporate giants

Just saying....

Regards,

Slim.

Box 33

Pen Argyl, PA 18072

Copyright © 2019 Bob Asken  

All rights reserved

And the Winner is....

Apple.  Google.  Microsoft.  Facebook. 

Circa 2030

And the winner is....

I already wrote an article "Beware the Datum" about the manipulation of information, or data, or statistics.  

"Figures don't lie, but liars figure." Unknown.

I am not going to reinvent the wheel.

Slim Fairview's Four Rules of Communication:

Precision

Concision

Enumerate

Specify

The Concepts:

Apple:

Gadgets and gizmos.  Maybe content.  Talked about i-TV and home control systems. Rumors about an Apple Car.

Google:

The ultimate search engine.  So much a part of the fabric of online activity that Google has become a verb. Not unlike Xerox(R)  Also involved in devices, R&D and Social Eugenics.  Hope is a plan.  Came up with the idea of implementing an ill-considered name change to Alphabet.  Analogy: Did Apple change its name to fruit cocktail to reflect the many different activities the company is engaged in?

Microsoft:

You can talk for a thousand years. Microsoft is a high-tech, okay, a very high-tech stationery store.  A digital ream of paper. 25 (million) column accounting paper. Calendars and appointment books. A digital DayTimer®  And an "outsourced" office management system.

"There is no cloud. It's just someone else's computer." Unknown.

Each launch of a new system seemed to be a failed attempt to improve on Windows 98 2nd Edition.  More bells and whistles. More loud noises, bright colors, and shiny things. Nonetheless, A virtual Staples®

Facebook:

Metaphorically speaking, "literally a virtual world."  A global community.  Of the 7.3 Billion people on the Earth  1.8 billion people are on Facebook.  

"When we stop calling it social media and start calling it business media, we will better understand the medium" ~Slim Fairview.  

This is where life will happen. This is where life is happening:  Business, Entertainment, Communications, Content, Movies, Television, Telephone, Telegraph, Camera, Photo Album, Yellow Pages®, you name it, it's Facebook.

A Three Legged Table 

Just as a three-legged table can't wobble because all three legs sit in one plane, technology needs three legs.  Device, Content, Audience.

For the purpose of this discussion, 

Apple provides the ultimate receptor:  the i-Pad.

Facebook provides the ultimate audience in addition to a vital element.  The ability to analyze market segmentation.  Vast, diverse, interested, global.

Content:

Here, the keyword is flexibility.

Case in point: One reason it is so difficult to succeed in the restaurant business is that the population has increased 3-fold, but real-estate has not.  Land demand drive up the rent.

The second reason is that the market has changed.  What is that change?  The change is that the market changes. Quickly.  Fads come and go and at an accelerated and accelerating rate.

• You don't know what the next fad is until it's upon you.
  

• You don't know how long the new fad will last.

• You don't know when the current fad will end.
  

• You don't know what the next fad will be.

• And investors have money to invest.

Just as many people (Slim included) believe that MTV shortened the attention span with music videos that offered 2-second pic-bites, "Social Media" has created a society of cocoons.  And remember:

"A caterpillar becomes a butterfly in a cocoon. Not under a microscope."

~Slim Fairview.

In a rapidly changing world, filled with uncertainty, there is a primal need safety and that safety comes in the form of control. Even if only over one's own life. Therefore, people are building firewalls.

The Experts

People never see change coming.

For those who are too young to remember, and those who are too old to remember, the reality is this simple:

Despite the fact that research has shown that people don't want more choices, people want closure, the store will stock sweaters in 14 colors not 4.  And this does not touch on market segmentation.

When I grew up, television had channels: 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13.

Today? 150 Channels? 500 Channels?

You can see how dividing the market will cut ratings, cut ad revenues, cut profits, put some out of business, cause others to merge and/or acquire, and create a desperate quest for ad revenues. Ad revenues mean the company stays in business.  No money, no TV.

Today, when content exceeds the demand, a company like Facebook, with a bit of data, and only a nodding glance at analysis, can tell the advertisers who are watching what, where they live, what their interests are, what they buy, how much they spend, and who should buy ad time.  Also, how to capture the attention of the audience.

I already wrote about the Observer Effect and Observer Bias.

It is short, metaphorical, E-Z 2 understand.

Experts:

Talkies

"Folks don't want to listen to all that chatter. They want to see real acting.

Television

"Folks don't want to squint at that tiny screen. Folks want to see the Big Screen.

The Motor Car:

"Noisy, smelly, toy for the rich.  It'll never replace the horse."

The Airplane:

If God wanted me to fly, there'd be an airport in every city in the country. Do you see any airports?

Vinyl to 8-track. 8-track to cassette. Cassette to CD.  CD to Napster, to i-Tunes, to streaming music.

VHS v. Beta.  VHS to DVD. DVD to Video on Demand.  Video on Demand to Streaming.

All the people who head up what's hot in technology have these in common:

The refusal to see what's coming.

The refusal to accept what's coming.

The denial of what's coming.

Justifying the status quo.

This brings us to our original question.

Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook.  Circa 2030.

And the winner is......

Which company will lead the pack?  Which company will be the also-ran?

The keywords are adaptation, co-operation, flexibility.  

Moonshots and marketing won't pay the bills for long.

The Definitions of Slim Fairview:

Advertising: convince the consumer to buy what you want to sell. 
E.g. Every day low pricing.

Marketing: Sell what the consumer wants to buy. (Find a need and fill it.) 
E.g. Discounts and coupons.

11 February 2013 I posted the article

Idea: Apple + Facebook should buy AOL, Time Warner, CNN.

Word on the street. Folks inside Apple floated the idea of buying TWX.

The Receptor

The Audience

The Content

The mechanism of Facebook allows people--globally--to make their demands known. And the information provided by consumers will allow the content providers to give the customers what they want and give the advertisers the information they need to give the consumers the information they need to make informed decisions when purchasing

goods and services.

This is called "on the pulse of the market".

It changes faster than Mr. Blandings can keep up with even after he finishes building his dream house.

Sincerest regards,

Slim Fairview

If you find anything here to be  helpful, please don't hesitate to send me a really tricked out Mac Book and to tuck a  few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note.  Sincerely, Slim.

Box 33
Pen Argyl, PA 18072

LinkedIn Profile

Copyright (c) 2017 Bob Asken

All rights reserved.

Teamwork is for Teams

"A team is not a committee.  A committee is not a team.  Teamwork is for teams.  

Committees do not solve problems, they create them." ~ Slim Fairview

I do not like sports analogies. However, as we are discussing teams, we must use them.  Also, I do not like long introductions.  Therefore:

Here is the metaphor:

The Giants have 11 men on the field. For the purposes of  this discussion they are:

One Center

Two Guards,

Two Tackles

Two Ends

One Quarterback

Two Halfbacks

One Fullback

Each player plays a position. (A Job Title)

Each position has a job description.

Each player has some degree of discretion within the parameters of his assignment which he may exercise as different situations present themselves, at the time they present themselves, and in the way that they present themselves.

If a defensive lineman decides not to break through the line, the tackle must decide whether and how to change his approach--to handle his assignment.  Others must make adjustments accordingly.

"The joke is in the way I say it, not in what I say." ~ Slim Fairview.

The Tackle does not call a time out, walk across the field and say to the Receiver, "Listen, you missed that last pass, how about I run down field with you in case there is another problem?"

The Halfback does not stroll over to find out what is going on.

If there appears to be a dispute, the QB does not go over to implement some conflict resolution.

The Coach does not come out onto the field to suggest that the tackle head up a committee of back fielders and receivers to look into the problem.

Human Resources doesn't not go out onto the field to suggest bringing in a consultant who might hold a training session where everyone will have the opportunity to play different positions in order to become more sensitive to the other players feelings.

A fan does not come out onto the field to represent stakeholder interests and suggest we need a field 200 yards long to expand the market and six downs per play for revenue enhancement.

A second stringer does not go out onto the field to suggest increasing the number of players on the field to 15 or 20 so more people get to play.

There are a few things to consider though.

The team already has a shared vision

The team already has a defined goal

The team members already have their assignments

The team members already have their job descriptions.

Also there are other similarities

The opposing team presents a set of  knowns and a set of unknowns.

The offensive team knows the strengths and weaknesses of the defensive team. They do not, however, know which members of the defensive team will present the problem--or where.

If that defensive lineman decides to go around the offensive line rather than through it, then the Tackle must made a decision--on his own--"do I pull back or not?"  That decision will influence the action of, say, the Fullback. He may now be forced to move to protect the QB from being sacked.

In the same manner, the defensive line must also respond to situations and changing situations as a team.  That means each player has a degree of autonomy to make decisions within the parameters of his assigned position.

"As a team" means each individual doing his own job--not someone else's job.

A defensive lineman must decide where to go, depending on which offensive player is carrying the ball and in which direction he is heading.

You won't win many football games if you tell your defensive linemen, "Don't worry about where the ball is going.  Let me worry about that. That's my job.  If you want to be helpful, just do what I tell you to do.  If I want you to do something else, I will tell you." (Right in the middle of the play, eh?  That comment is pretty much what I was told on at least two occasions by a boss who made a serious error in judgement.  That according to many bosses.) 

Back to Congress

Everyone is entitled to an opinion.  True!

Everyone is entitled to express that opinion.  True!

The right to an opinion does not confer value upon that opinion.

"Opinions are like hemorrhoids.  Sooner or later almost every Congressman has one."  ~ The Quotations of Slim Fairview.

Case in Point:

Congress has 535 members.

Congress has a 5% approval rating.

You can't put 535 Congressmen into a 5% bag.

Back to football

Credentials:

Each football player has credentials.  Each team has a record.

Players have training, ability, experience and a track record.  Teams have a record of wins and losses, over and against which teams, and the analysis of the reasons why.

For example: Both Quarterbacks have a record of passes, pass completions, yards gained and lost, runs, yards, gained, sacks, and wins and losses.

Still, one QB wins and one loses.  Obviously, no one wins or loses on his own. Each has 10 other players on his team.  Each player doing his job. And only his job. Each team has a coach who writes plays (strategic planning) and a coach who replaces players who get tired, makes too many mistakes, or fails to perform to the (measurables) standards of the team.

When was the last time you replaced someone on your team? As they say across the pond--"Dropped for not scoring."

GET THE MESSAGE?

Teamwork is for teams.  A team is not a committee.  A committee is not a team. Committees do not solve problems, they cause them. 

Replace your committee with a team.  

Be sure your team is in compliance with the paradigm of a team.

There are those who believe that a committee is the best way to deal with a problem.  I will now refute, repudiate, disparage, and debunk their delusions with one word--Congress.

Einstein (The Physicists) said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  I assume he meant better results. 

"I am no Einstein.  I know nothing about physics." ~ Slim Fairview.

"Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting better results." ~ Slim Fairview

From, The Quotations of Slim Fairview (c) 2013

Einstein also said, "You don't measure the intelligence of a fish  by its ability to climb a tree."

Slim Fairview said, "If you want someone to climb a tree, you hire a cat."

"If you want to know something, Google it.  If you want to understand something, ask an old person." ~ Slim Fairview.

If anything herein has helped guide you toward clear thinking and solid action, please do not hesitate to send me a really tricked out Mac Book and to tuck a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note.

or

GoFundMe

Warmest regards,



Slim.


Robert Asken Box 33 
Pen Argyl, PA  18072

LinkedIn Profile 


slimfairview@yahoo.com

Copyright © 2013 Robert Asken 

All Rights Reserved.

Google Cooks Apple

Apple is pursuing gadgets when content will prevail.

"Content is the new technology" The quotations of Slim Fairview.

Google (owns the Android market) and will pursue content to go with tablets, and may even buy into my suggestion of teaming up with Facebook to leverage 1 billion users globally--heretofore suggested as a possible Apple strategy.

Alas, not to be.

Google can handle Big Data! If i-TV were to have prevailed....or even i-Radio, ponder about this:

Every radio station plays its own programming. Jazz, Blues, Talk, Sports, but every radio plays all the stations.

With Apple's boutique statues, well....it is like the old cassette or a CD. You can only hear what you buy, what you play!

App writers will go for the Global Gold--and go with Google, while Apple will appeal to the boutique crowd.  You heard the comment about innovation, no doubt.

Keep those fancy gadgets coming.

Regards,

Slim

More to read: links below.

Slimfairview@yahoo.com

Copyright (c) 2013 Slim Fairview

If you find anything here to be helpful, please do not hesitate to send me a really tricked-out laptop and to put a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note. Slim

www.linkedin.com/in/slimfairview/

More to Read

 Apple ought to buy AOL Time Warner CNN

 Newton's AAPL

Cook or Sell Apples
 

TeamWork or a Team?

This is true.  However, witness a football team.

When the Quarterback get the ball from the Center, there is no consensus building. Each member of the team has a job to do.  Each member of the team does his job, not someone else's job.

The Guards guard.  The Tackles tackle.  The QB decides whether to pass, run, or hand the ball off to someone in the backfield.

There is no discussion, shared vision, visioning process, concern about group-think, or consensus building.

There is a goal.  Sometimes things are too obvious for people to see them.

The actions of the QB are based on rapidly changing conditions.  There is no discussion and certainly no committee.

Corporate America has spent Millions on Team Building

And how is it working out for America?

Millions invested....and a vested interest in protecting their turf.

Consensus does not take place in the huddle. Before the huddle, each member of the team has a job to do. That individual responds to the conditions he is confronted with and whatever the QB said in the huddle becomes irrelevant.  More on this in a moment.  After we discuss...

Trust

Trust is important.  However, this goes to the underlying basis of that trust.

You may trust me completely, however, if I am a bad football player, an opposing team member will get past me and tackle you. There must be a basis for that trust and in football as in business that basis is the ability to do the job.

Back to the individual having a job to do. His job to do. This is Delegation of Authority. The quarterback does not stand there directing you:  Watch out, watch him, block them.  Again, the delegation of authority is based on the ability of that team member to do that team member's job.

Back to the millions spent by corporations on team building.

America has spent millions, if not billions, over the decades on diet books, get-rich-quick books, and self-help books.  On that basis we should all be skinny, rich, and well-adjusted.  We are not.  We are fat, poor and dysfunctional.  [Well, except perhaps for the people who don't buy diet books, get-rich-quick-books, and self-help books.]

The basis of millions if not billions spent, the credentials of those authors writing those books, and the reception of the public has not justified the pursuit or the expense.

We no longer use the empirical method of scientific inquiry.  Now, we come up with a theory and seek data to support it.  We write a book, prey on gullible people, and use credentials, bogus science, and financial success as compurgation, justification, and validation

Now, how is America doing?  How are the EuroCrats doing?  Perhaps it is time we abandon the Process.  Change the Process.  To start:

Everyone who goes around with consensus on his lips should be boiled in his own pudding....!  The same goes for the word Committee.

If you want team building in your company, buy the book, How to Play Football.  Start a company football team, and build a lot of good will among your employees.  If you want to succeed in business, run your team like the football team on the field.

As Yogi Berra once said, "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."

Watch what happens on the football field.  That is what is going on in the business world.
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If you find anything here to be helpful, please don't hesitate to send me a really tricked out Google Pixelbook and to tuck a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note.  Slim.


Sincerest regards,


Slim

Copyright (c) 2011 Bob Asken
All rights reserved.

slimfairview@yahoo.com