A simple flow chart caught my eye this week.
There is a bit of truth in that; isn't there?
Personal Development
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Are You Happy?
A simple flow chart caught my eye this week.
There is a bit of truth in that; isn't there?
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Delivering Happiness
I've been reading a pretty good new book that is an interesting mix of stories, life-lessons, and business content. It combines a behind the scenes peek into the situations, emails, checklists, sample interview questions, and "Happiness Framework" that led to some surprising results.For example, here are Zappos' Core Values from which they develop their culture, brand, and business strategies:
- Deliver
WOW Through Service - Embrace
and Drive Change - Create
Fun and A Little Weirdness - Be
Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded - Pursue
Growth and Learning - Build
Open and Honest Relationships With Communication - Build
a Positive Team and Family Spirit - Do
More With Less - Be
Passionate and Determined - Be
Humble
Why Should You Care?
In 1999, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an adviser and investor, and eventually became CEO.
In 2009, Zappos was listed as one of Fortune magazine's top 25 companies to work for, and was acquired by Amazon later that year in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.
So, you might guess that he learned a few things about what worked, and what didn't.
In his first book, Tony shares the different business lessons he learned in life, from a lemonade stand and pizza business through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Ultimately, he shows how using happiness as a framework can produce profits, passion, and purpose both in business and in life.
Here is a video of Tony Hsieh on Delivering Happiness.
Zappos is Famous For Their Culture. Here's a Taste of It.
Here is Tony's BigThink video explaining his company's culture and belief that managers should "hang-out" with staff after work.
Other Resources.
- Here is a link to the book Delivering Happiness.
- Here is a link to the Delivering Happiness Blog site.
- Here is a link to other Delivering Happiness resources.
- Deliver
-
Delivering Happiness
I've been reading a pretty good new book that is an interesting mix of stories, life-lessons, and business content. It combines a behind the scenes peek into the situations, emails, checklists, sample interview questions, and "Happiness Framework" that led to some surprising results.For example, here are Zappos' Core Values from which they develop their culture, brand, and business strategies:
- Deliver
WOW Through Service - Embrace
and Drive Change - Create
Fun and A Little Weirdness - Be
Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded - Pursue
Growth and Learning - Build
Open and Honest Relationships With Communication - Build
a Positive Team and Family Spirit - Do
More With Less - Be
Passionate and Determined - Be
Humble
Why Should You Care?
In 1999, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an adviser and investor, and eventually became CEO.
In 2009, Zappos was listed as one of Fortune magazine's top 25 companies to work for, and was acquired by Amazon later that year in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.
So, you might guess that he learned a few things about what worked, and what didn't.
In his first book, Tony shares the different business lessons he learned in life, from a lemonade stand and pizza business through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Ultimately, he shows how using happiness as a framework can produce profits, passion, and purpose both in business and in life.
Here is a video of Tony Hsieh on Delivering Happiness.
Zappos is Famous For Their Culture. Here's a Taste of It.
Here is Tony's BigThink video explaining his company's culture and belief that managers should "hang-out" with staff after work.
Other Resources.
- Here is a link to the book Delivering Happiness.
- Here is a link to the Delivering Happiness Blog site.
- Here is a link to other Delivering Happiness resources.
- Deliver
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A Father’s Day Investment Guaranteed to Pay Dividends.
My kids are getting older. So Father's Day looks a little different than it used to.
But as I look back, there is an investment I made that paid-off in a big way, and I want to share it with you.
Like many parents, I wanted to teach my children that, to a large extent, they control what happens to them. One of the first ways I did that was to set up a "compensation system" for them to earn video games.
Some parents try to limit the amount of time their kids spend watching TV or playing video games. I tried something different. Instead, my kids earned their games by reading books. Here is a photo from way back then.
Paid With Play.
Here's how it worked. When they were younger, 10 books was enough to earn a small game. When they finished a book, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the bookstore for us to pick up the next book together. Likewise, when they finished the requisite number of books, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the computer store or game store for them to choose any game they wanted.
When they finished hundred books, they got a bonus of earning the next game system. That meant if they had a Nintendo, they could now also get a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.
How Can You Encourage a Jump to the Next Level?
There came a point when I wanted one of my sons to start reading grown-up books. He was comfortable reading a certain type of book, and didn't want to read the kind of books that I read. So, I created a bonus system that counted a particular book as three books. I didn't force him; I just let the easier path to a reward "whisper" in his ear what to read. Once he finished that, he never went back to teen fiction.
It Is a Great Way to Learn About Your Kids.
I also used the bookstore visits to get a sense of how the boys were doing. For example, I might say "I notice that you read five books in that series, maybe you'd like this book". Or, "That sure is a lot of science fiction; what was the last biography you read?" For the most part, though, I didn't care what they read. The key was to get them to want to choose certain books for their own reasons. Ultimately, their preference meant they were learning to love reading.
It Puts Them In Control of Their Destiny and Rewards.
My younger son likes competition. He also broke or misplaced many things. So, in order to earn back the Game Boy unit that he lost, I challenged him to read five books in five days. These weren't easy books either. It was designed to stretch him, and also to teach him that he could read a book a night. The bet was that he either finished all the books in the allocated time, or none of them counted towards games or Game Boys. On the other hand, if he read a book a night for two weeks, not only would he get to have his Game Boy back, the books would count towards a game too. It worked like a charm, and we were both happy.
So, Who Got the Better Bargain?
As they started to get into their teenage years, I needed to up the ante a little. So, 500 books meant they got a laptop of their choice. Both boys cashed in, and probably felt like they were taking advantage of their dad.
I got what I wanted, though; both my boys love reading, and know that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to … one step at a time.
That's an investment that will pay dividends for a long time.
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A Father’s Day Investment Guaranteed to Pay Dividends.
My kids are getting older. So Father's Day looks a little different than it used to.
But as I look back, there is an investment I made that paid-off in a big way, and I want to share it with you.
Like many parents, I wanted to teach my children that, to a large extent, they control what happens to them. One of the first ways I did that was to set up a "compensation system" for them to earn video games.
Some parents try to limit the amount of time their kids spend watching TV or playing video games. I tried something different. Instead, my kids earned their games by reading books. Here is a photo from way back then.
Paid With Play.
Here's how it worked. When they were younger, 10 books was enough to earn a small game. When they finished a book, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the bookstore for us to pick up the next book together. Likewise, when they finished the requisite number of books, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the computer store or game store for them to choose any game they wanted.
When they finished hundred books, they got a bonus of earning the next game system. That meant if they had a Nintendo, they could now also get a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.
How Can You Encourage a Jump to the Next Level?
There came a point when I wanted one of my sons to start reading grown-up books. He was comfortable reading a certain type of book, and didn't want to read the kind of books that I read. So, I created a bonus system that counted a particular book as three books. I didn't force him; I just let the easier path to a reward "whisper" in his ear what to read. Once he finished that, he never went back to teen fiction.
It Is a Great Way to Learn About Your Kids.
I also used the bookstore visits to get a sense of how the boys were doing. For example, I might say "I notice that you read five books in that series, maybe you'd like this book". Or, "That sure is a lot of science fiction; what was the last biography you read?" For the most part, though, I didn't care what they read. The key was to get them to want to choose certain books for their own reasons. Ultimately, their preference meant they were learning to love reading.
It Puts Them In Control of Their Destiny and Rewards.
My younger son likes competition. He also broke or misplaced many things. So, in order to earn back the Game Boy unit that he lost, I challenged him to read five books in five days. These weren't easy books either. It was designed to stretch him, and also to teach him that he could read a book a night. The bet was that he either finished all the books in the allocated time, or none of them counted towards games or Game Boys. On the other hand, if he read a book a night for two weeks, not only would he get to have his Game Boy back, the books would count towards a game too. It worked like a charm, and we were both happy.
So, Who Got the Better Bargain?
As they started to get into their teenage years, I needed to up the ante a little. So, 500 books meant they got a laptop of their choice. Both boys cashed in, and probably felt like they were taking advantage of their dad.
I got what I wanted, though; both my boys love reading, and know that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to … one step at a time.
That's an investment that will pay dividends for a long time.
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A Reminder of Simple Truths
Here is a link to short video by Mac Anderson of Simple Truths.
It is a collection of quotes and simple truths set to music. Hope you have a good week.
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The Illusion of Focus and Meaning
Recently, the concept of "Focus" keeps coming to mind when I try to
make sense of what's happening in the markets.As I review
stories, news, and data, I'm trying to be more aware of where the bias
is (even if it is unintentional).Focus,
Bias and Perspective.The photo series, below, is an
example of how our perception can be easily shaped. The far left
version looks violent. The far right version looks compassionate. It
could be both (or neither).
Each
of us perceives the world through our own filters. It is as if we're
producing a film (which could be edited into a comedy, drama, or
thriller … based on what we focus on, highlight, or ignore). Except
that we often don't know it's just a film, edited by an amateur …
Instead, we
perceive it as truth because it is what we perceive.The point is
that perspective matters. -
The Illusion of Focus and Meaning
Recently, the concept of "Focus" keeps coming to mind when I try to
make sense of what's happening in the markets.As I review
stories, news, and data, I'm trying to be more aware of where the bias
is (even if it is unintentional).Focus,
Bias and Perspective.The photo series, below, is an
example of how our perception can be easily shaped. The far left
version looks violent. The far right version looks compassionate. It
could be both (or neither).Each
of us perceives the world through our own filters. It is as if we're
producing a film (which could be edited into a comedy, drama, or
thriller … based on what we focus on, highlight, or ignore). Except
that we often don't know it's just a film, edited by an amateur …
Instead, we
perceive it as truth because it is what we perceive.The point is
that perspective matters. -
Ted Talk About the Building Blocks of Business Success: Autonomy, Mastery & Purpose
This video provides a peek into the science of human motivation.
There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business
does.And what's alarming here is that our business operating system —
think of the set of assumptions and protocols beneath our businesses,
how we motivate people, how we apply our human resources — it's built
entirely around these extrinsic motivators, around carrots and sticks.
That's actually fine for many kinds of 20th century tasks. But for 21st
century tasks, that mechanistic, reward-and-punishment approach doesn't
work, often doesn't work, and often does harm.Here is the direct link to the video on Ted's site.
Here is an excerpt from the talk.
Too many organizations are making their decisions, their policies about talent and people, based on assumptions that are outdated, unexamined, and rooted more in folklore than in science. And if we really want to get out of this economic mess, and if we really want high performance on those definitional tasks of the 21st century, the solution is not to do more of the wrong things. To entice people with a sweeter carrot, or threaten them with a sharper stick. We need a whole new approach.
And the good news about all of this is that the scientists who've been studying motivation have given us this new approach. It's an approach built much more around intrinsic motivation. Around the desire to do things because they matter, because we like it, because they're interesting, because they are part of something important. And to my mind, that new operating system for our businesses revolves around three elements: autonomy, mastery and purpose.
- Autonomy, the urge to direct our own lives.
- Mastery, the desire to get better and better at something that matters.
- Purpose, the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.
These are the building blocks of an entirely new operating system for our businesses.
