Just gimme a faster horse

As thinkers, inventors and entrepreneurs we hear a lot of clichés.  “Find a need and fill it.”  “The customer is always right.”  “Winners never quit; quitters never win.”  And so on.  But as entrepreneurs we recognize that common clichés are often not true at all – as with those just mentioned.

If you wait for your customers to tell you what they want, you’re going to be too late.  You’ll go the way of universities that “teach” business practices that have already been used for 5 years by the brightest and best in real business.

What did customers in Henry Ford’s day want – not the Model T; they wanted faster horses.  Giving customers what they want will force you to be playing catch-up with competitors.  Steve Jobs doesn’t give customers what they want – he creates innovative and unheard of products and then wows people into wanting them.

If you provide the service your employer wants you will get a paycheck and two days off a week (feed the nice horsey).  What would happen if you provided an idea or service that would transform your company?

Taking Action or just getting ready?

Henry Ford was once confronted by a group of university professors.  They wanted to prove once and for all that Ford was just an idiot.  So they began asking him questions:  “When was titanium discovered?”  And Ford would pick up the phone and ask one of his aides the question.  “Who was the first man to climb Mt. Everest?”  Again, Ford would pick up the phone and find the answer.  The professors objected – “As we suspected, you don’t really know much at all.”  Ford responded, “Why would I fill my mind with all these trivial facts.  I can hire your students to give me any facts I need.  I need to keep my own mind clear for Thinking.” 

So what do you think about the popularity of TV shows like Jeopardy and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.  Would these contestants really be able to run a business or even add great value to an existing one?  What is the application of having a mind full of stagnant facts?  What is required for innovative, creative thinking that carries you into the future?  I am convinced that productive thinking skills are different than the skills of trivial cataloguing. 

Knowledge is not wisdom – only potential wisdom.  At some point getting more knowledge diminishes in value; action must be taken.  Be a Henry Ford – grab the needed facts as you need them but don’t get stuck in inaction.

Think You Can?

This week in an interview the host asked me what were the three things I wanted listeners to remember.  This is what I gave her:

1. Expect Change.  The workplace is going to remain volatile and unpredictable.  Our only choice is to decide how we will respond.  If you make those decisions in advance you will reduce the uncertainty and vulnerability.

2.  Look inward for your best ideas and solutions.  85% of the process of having confidence about your career direction comes from looking inward first.  Define your unique skills and abilities – then 15% of the process is the application.

3.  You are not in a “recession” unless you think you are.  The old Henry Ford adage is true – “Whether you think you can or think you can’t; either way you’re right.

Get Paid to Leave Your Job?

In this morning’s news Ford has announced they will offer buyouts and early retirement packages to 54,000 workers.  Obviously they are attempting to cut more jobs and replace those highly paid workers with those making about half the pay.

So the question is:  Are there any losers in this deal or can everybody win?  One of the stories I tell in No More Mondays is about a gentleman who said he hated his job for 17 years, and then was offered a $140,000 buyout.  And he was having a major struggle in making his decision.  My response was essentially – YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!”  How often do you get the opportunity to be paid $140,000 to leave a job you hate?  Take the money and run.  Surely you can figure out something to go TO with that kind of start-up capital. 

There are too many options for fulfilling, meaningful and profitable work all around us to settle for anything less.  If you “fired yourself” today, would you choose to apply for the same job you have now?  How much of a buyout would it take for you to walk away from your current job?