Image Credit: deannashrodes
Posted by: Albert Weng
People tend to feel and express in a way that they don't know a new thing and waiting for someone to rescue, to teach or even, to feed? This is a quite passive attitude that ruins the opportunity to make the process of learning a thing productively. I personally struggled in such situation for quite a long time and suffered from not having the right mind set to learn effectively as I expected, which was then resulted in a situation that forced me to catch up things quicker to avoid being considered a fool!
Over the time I try to learn how people learn effective about approaching or preparing to approach a new thing, or any given new domain of a topic, then a few years ago, I found SACK. A very productive and simple concept to practice and internalize for anyone, especially when you're just about to say to others, or even yourself about "I don't know". Now with SACK, alternatively, you'd probably say, "well, this is something just a little as I know so far, so what's your input?", confidently.
1) Search
Search the Internet, try Google for a different mix of key phrases and read through those more popular or relevant info. This is the first thing you can do yourself to collect the basic idea and input about the subject and summarize those pieces to help the next step, ask for references.
2) Ask
Ask someone who might know or have the experience over the subject, this is not to get the "answer", instead, is to build references of the thing, which is very helpful that you might be able to make your own comment from a kind of expert feedback, and then, to move to the next critical step, check if it's true or false, or maybe, something else.
3) Check
Check for what has learned and summarized, try to verify also if there's missing link/ content, or possible conflict from the data and number against the expert's input. Quite often, this checkup process is the most critical step to really "build" your own knowledge on that subject.
4) Know
Least but not last, know there's always some more to learn by not assuming you already "know" the stuff, even after the above steps you spent. One saying, "the more you learn, the less you'll find yourself actually knowing." This is really the case. By knowing this could be only the first small step into the big new world of that subject, you're then being more open and will be even more keen to learn to become an expert down the road, as I assume myself at all time.
Did you SACK today?
Image via Doug Belshaw
Image Credit: unwire.pro
Posted by: Albert Weng
Life is comprised by each moment, which then makes the streaming kind of memory. What best describe this is as below:
The moment = snapshot
Time = memory/ life = video clips (from streamlined snapshots)
Time is Everything and the Moment, is the Only Thing
How we seize and utilize the every moment, which would then make our life. Therefore, it's a lot easier to judge a person from what he/ she is doing right now, instead of listening to his/ her history or future. Trust me, this really works, and much more objective at all time. People who are accountable to themselves, are also consciously focus on almost every moment in their life. They know what they want and what to do at that particular moment with a strong belief about "no second chance, or, no better chance." Maybe to act, or even to act nothing could both be seriously considerate and consciously perform.
APPLE Bite, Thinking Backward, Acting Forward
How to seize the moment in a general concept that could help one could consciously view and act on a thing? Here to share my experience that works out very well, especially for those moments that're not well defined and planned. It's ELPPA, in procedure (forward), but as APPLE, in concept (backward). Here's what it is and how to bite the APPLE.
1) Exploration
Bring an attitude with curiosity about the moment, try to observe, monitor and take notes about what you have seen or experience. The mind of exploration helps a lot by keeping a proactive dynamics from sensing and receiving the signals and info from the surroundings, this is a critical step for the following advancement.
2) Learning
The exploration opens up the media channel to access the external signal and info, then the learning process help create a framework and structure to digest those lessons learned in a refreshed way to internalize, therefore, in order to build the relevant competency about a knowledge or a skill set.
3) Professional
After the open to the outside from exploration, and build the competency in the inside from learning, one then wish to make it a professional level of gain. This requires thoroughly checking through the area of domain about how to build the professional. It'll require an extensive exposure to those who already has the professional, thus the one who wish to build their professional, will require a lot observations on those would-be counterparts. For example, if you want to become a charismatic presenter, not only those knowledge and skill set shall be learned are important, but also those on how other charming guys doing this job is even more critical. Because you'll need to "shape" your own style among them to become charismatic, but not just another attractive presenter.
4) Performance
In the business world, performance is not a one-time-sensation, regardless of luck or coincidence. Performance is something that's accountable to be repeated at the same if the case is similar, which requires a strong support from its professional (know-how, skill set, solid experience to those unexpected, etc.). When paying off a conscious attitude at the moment, thinking about, in the end, there's a chance to build the professional while delivering the performance as common than ever, this could be encouraging for one to strive for, isn't it?
5) Achievement
We then all need the achievement to realize what we have spent in our time/ life. Keep a bigger goal/ vision of what you're heading to, thus to spend the time, mostly aligned in the same direction and objectives. The realization will be reached easier. Here is a quick check list:
- What is the achievement you desire for?
- What is the performance that could support this achievement?
- What is the professional that will help make those performances?
- What should you learn to build those professional?
- What you could open to explore, in order to learn better for the above?
Being Backward, Actually is Being Forwarded
Put the above 5 steps backward, it makes ELPPA as APPLE as below.
- Achievement
- Performance
- Professional
- Learning
- Exploration
Create the vision about the ultimate goal and always keep that in mind will create a vivid path and more importantly a strong encouragement down the road, especially when encounter some unexpected. An apple a day, keeps the doctor away. An APPLE at the moment, keeps yourself all in. Want to bite?
Image Credit: guardian
Posted by: Albert Weng
("Competition Is for Loser", a new article written by Peter Thiel, cofounder of Paypal and first outside investor of Facebook, who posted this article on Wall Street Journal, which share a similar perspective)
Competition is a temporary situation one has with others given the conditions that define the battle. However, quite often, if the conditions were changed, intentionally or unintentionally, the situation may change from the competition to the cooperation, immediately. And seriously, this is something one should learn and leverage to build a better world "together". Here shares how I see this agenda and what suggestions for the ones who wish to get out of the competition, in order to enjoy and build a lot more beautiful moment in the world.
What Wikipedia Says?
"...It arises whenever at least two parties strive for a goal which cannot be shared or which is desired individually but not in sharing and cooperation."
The digest from their content that says, "competition is not in sharing and cooperation." Don't you feel this is counterintuitive? We all been taught at school to share and cooperate with others, in a belief that people can work together to build something greater than what an individual can achieve. The core issue of the conflict is, "do we share and cooperate with competitors?" And then, the key factor of this question is, "how do you define the competitor to yourself?" Something in the past and what's happening now and for the future has dramatically redefined what competition really is, for you and for everyone. Take a fresh look here, in a way to build a new landscape of a world with "no competition".
Past, Know the Market Less, the Fight has been on Just the Product
The visibility of any given market in a business was much less discovered in the past (maybe divided as before the Internet came to commercialization, somewhat before 1990). The most common way to know a market was about conducting regional and local survey and research, which limited the quantity and also the quality of the sample size for a sound research and analysis. Therefore, the majority of what a business can outperform was not looking out of the market, but to focus on what's inside with much accessible, visible to check and improve, which was the product, and very likely just the product. In this case, the business focused on making a better product than ever day after day, year after year, and the benchmarking was normally, better than the old product, or better than the competitor's product (sustaining innovation, see also disruptive innovation). A kind of arms race, but not exactly making a justifiable business case from the entire effort to the organization.
Now, Know the Market Much Better, the Fight shall be on the Customer
Thanks to the digitalization wave in the past two decades that help bring countless data and numbers accessible to the public, also the many advanced market research institutes have conducted tremendous research, survey and analysis with a lot easier format to further study the market. All business now has greater visibility about the market (unless ones who are not able to perform such market research effectively and professionally, and well, this is another topic though). Given the reality of higher visibility about the market, the focus lies on customers, the ones who, in the end, make their own decision to spend their own money on what you offer, "to them". A key point here, it's not what you offer, it is what you offer "to them". By doing the latter one, the concept of "addressing the target customers", the seller (Mfg, dealer, etc.), shall cover at least something as below:
1) Know who are the target customers (profile) that want or need the offerings (products, services, or a mix of the two in different form)?
2) Why will the target customers buy?
3) How will they use and then benefit from the offerings?
4) What's the approach to reach out to the target customers that make good sense to them?
Doesn't something mention a common practice out there? Not likely, people still concentrate way too much about the competition, but not customer. An easy test you can try, for all those sales and marketing efforts, the one focus on product's highlight, especially advantage eyes on the competition. In the other hand, one that lean against a customer's problem or pleasure comes with the care of the customers, those who they're targeting to address.
Choice, not Comparison, from the Customer's Mind
Frankly speaking, customers only buy what they want or need, but not simply what's better. Period. The majority of marketing effort emphasizes too much about advantage, or so-called competitive advantage that attempts to degrade others. However, deeply from the customer's point of view, they just don't care about this unless there're be someone, a smart enough salesperson or marketer comes out to help make the choice among the several options. That is to say, the salespersons and marketers shall be able to approach the customer in a way to stick to their problem or pleasure (customer insight) as engaged and enjoyable as possible, then try to suggest the right product for the customer in order to address their respective concern, that help make the choice of purchase. In this way, comparison is just one step in the whole process to help check the matchmaking for the customer, instead of perceiving the competition is the whole process of making the sales/ business. We make our life by choices, not competition, isn't it?
What could be Even Better?
Everything from what a company made for a business activity is one of the accumulation of human asset. If, we can see competition as an opportunity to learn for our own growth, therefore, all competition and their activities become an exciting chance to learn, similar to reading a book from others (competitors?). Open our mind, the world is now much wider and accessible, learn to make unique effort to create the self-defined marketplace (the blue ocean strategy), and share to inspire others to make them better. We'll benefit from these positive cause-and-effect endeavor, eventually.
Image Credit: dynamicbusiness
Posted by: Albert Weng
How do you like "learning"?
In the past, students learned and accessed most of the advanced info and knowledge from getting into a good school and learn from a resourceful teacher. Nowadays, thanks to the social era by Internet that brings almost all info, relatively and equally open for everyone than any given period of time the access, and moreover, the ability to use and share, and more importantly, at almost no cost.
Then the question comes to, if in the past, students went to school for such info or knowledge that they have no access, but now the access is available, at all time, why students need to go to the school (if they can learn by themselves by the access)? Or to be more specific, what can students gain more than just info and knowledge transferring by the teacher, and in what new approach or model shall the school education also been transformed to adapt this new era. In addition, what may be useful in the workplace given the same impact?
Rethink the Teaching and Learning (from Respective Side's Point of View)
Teachers normally think they know much better than the students on the course (yes, very likely this is the case), therefore, they tend to prepare everything (scope) to teach from A to Z of a course. On the other end, students normally think they know nothing about the course they are attending to, therefore, they're kind of passively wait to be fed during the course.
This is so-called teaching and learning scenarios at school, do you agree? There's one fundamental assumption which is totally wrongly put in the present educational place. "Education is to inspire for better, not making a copy of a similar work/ output."
Examples of How it is Today, and What shall it be Tomorrow
When people talk and think about teaching, normally the following steps will be involved:
Teaching = Scope, Lecturing, Reading, Summarization, Test, Grade
(First two steps by teacher, last three by student)
The teacher has identified the scope of a course and to give a lecture on it, then student got to read and make summary (if any) from the above sessions, took a test and got a grade to determine the learning result of that course. But the fact is, the student doesn't really learn that subject thoroughly from such process. Does it? Apparently, we need a better new way.
As believed, in the new era, there's one model that's shaping the education by the buzzword of "sharing", here's the example of its new process.
Sharing = Topic, Discovering, Touring, Unboxing, Insight
(First three by teacher, latter one by student, and last one by teacher)
The teacher briefs the topic (right, no precise scope anymore, which is more close to the reality, isn't it), and to discover the possibilities and interests of the present group of students, which aim to create the many meaningful connections to the topic and its implication to the students (the more the better, anchor effect).
After this association then built-up, then the teacher gives a tour like a tour guide from storytelling and give useful references for those students who intend to further their result gained. During the course, give a proper chance to make the students an unboxing moment (similar to an essay question, but "unbox" is more friendly use nowadays, and more fun to adopt though), encourage students for more idea with sound supporting facts from the references.
Last but not least, the teacher gives insight from what has discovered from the progress of each student and advices in order to advance to the next. This process is more complicated, but, is more human centered, and inspirational, considering we're dealing with a human being for better, not a machine for the same.
Sharing? Or Teaching?
Did I say that sharing is the new teaching, instead of a replacement for teaching? Yes, as the title. Sharing is more acceptable for everyone now and if you share, people appreciate and are interested in learning more, since less pressure from this friendly session of sharing, instead of classroom type experience of teaching and learning.
When a student is ready (to learn), the teacher then will appear (to guide and inspire), and it doesn't matter if it is by teaching or sharing, but just to make a better tomorrow from making others better.
"Sharing is the new teaching, do you agree?"
---Note:
MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is on its rapid growth that leads the trend to openly share on the purpose of teaching (as defined in the old-school way, whatever). Here're some profound ones:
1) Udacity (Stanford, etc.)
2) Coursera (Stanford, Duke, Princeton, etc.)
3) edx (MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, Cornell, Boston, etc.)
Image Credit: cerasis
Posted by: Albert Weng
Dividing functional job is an outdated discipline, both in academic and workplace, we need more "integrated collaboration" to a joint force of the ever challenging marketplace. And this is the greatest thing in human life, because that's the way a human being originally is, here's why.
Notice: There're two major categories of marketing functions in an organization, the corporate marketing, and business marketing. The marketing I refer to here is the latter one, the business marketing.
Factory-like Organizational Design in a Business Unit
In organization design, the structure is divided by departmental functions, pretty much like what a factory was built in the early days. Mainly because the focus is on the operation of a factory. However, we have less factory's operation as the major competitive advantage, but keen for a much customer engaged organization that could touch, sense and engage with the customer in a greater way that sustain and extend the business. Therefore, dividing function is out (dated), integrated function is the only way to drive the business preferably.
Sales & Marketing is One Unit, Not TWO
How often you see the sales department and marketing department were set up in two units? In most of the organizations are doing so after the so-called startup stage. Why? They consider they've scaled up and need specialization in their organizational structure. Also, they may have more "executives" that need a bigger title to compensate? Wait a minute, the fundamental function of sales is to generate revenue (making money), and of marketing is to execute the budget (spending money), try to think like the owner (boss) of the company, if these two forces don't join together seamlessly on how each penny was spent on the activity to generate the expected return, isn't it a kind of stupid, or fooling someone/ something?
How to Make Sales & Marketing Working as ONE
A few quick advises, and would love to have your feedback.
1. Transparency
Openly discuss the sales plan and marketing plan, and try making a connection for conversion rate.
2. Hire a Salesperson for Marketing Head, Vice Versa
Marketing is a kind of specialty, the PR, art design, marcom are a kind, but definitely not the head of marketing. Therefore, hire someone with solid sales experience to head up the marketing department could enjoy a better protocol in communicating the conversion from marketing to sales.
3. Turn Marketing into Sales Force
When you then know to run the marketing more associated to sales, it's better to make it part of the sales force, but not a supporting function to a sales force. This also mean, the sales head shall be able to manage and develop the marketing effort to help sales/ business directly. Did you find it difficult to have a sales head to run also the marketing job well? Well, all the sales head shall advance themselves to be a business head, which cover also marketing nowadays, since the competition and demand change every day, the smaller the decision making circle, the better the response time and thus the advancement made. Try to train and change your sales head with another head on marketing, otherwise, try to hire one with both.
In a new era of social media for almost everything, the more info the customer accessed, the more challenge a business shall be able to manage and respond quickly and correctly. Less functional deployment will ease the receiving and understanding circle, then speed up the strategy formulation and its response circle from the decision making. Did I say that we need a new type of professional that could run more things than in the past, YES.
