Keeping IT rolling smoothly means paying attention to everyone, not just the best and the brightest. You can read more here:
The 'Big Brown' Syndrome in IT
The 'Big Brown' Syndrome in IT
Aug 21, 2008
Aug 19, 2008
Law of unintended consequences
This weekend I met someone who made me wonder about the long lasting impact we have on people, often without our realizing it.
I attended a festival in my hometown of Sherbrooke, Québec. As I was watching a dance show, someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey Whodini, how are you?”
I looked at the young man sporting mirrored shades and replied, "I'm doing fine thanks."
"You don't remember me do you?"
"Can't say that I do, sorry."
"Remember back in the 80s you used to work in a video arcade? Whenever you worked, you always played a lot of rap and hip-hop in the arcade. We loved it and you were the only guy we knew who listened to that kind of music and you made us a tape. Today I have a large collection of rap and hip-hop records, and it keeps on growing. For the past 16 years, my friend and I have been hosting a hip-hop radio show every week."
I was a bit taken aback that someone I had no contact with, other than seeing him once in awhile during a part-time job, would remember me almost 20 years later. I was even more surprised that a little gesture that I had forgotten about had had such an impact for so long.
I never would have known about this, had I not bumped into him quite accidentally. Then it got me to thinking: how many other people have I unwittingly affected, for better or for worse?
If I had to make a complete list of all of the people I have met, and had to evaluate all of the results of those interactions, what would the conclusion be? Would it be overwhelmingly positive? Negative? Somewhat positive? Or would I mostly have left them indifferent?
If you've ever read the book “Freakonomics”, you've heard about the law of unintended consequences. It's the law that says that any action will have some sort of unexpected outcome, such as what happened above.
I've been fortunate enough to know of (now) two unintended consequences of my actions. Someone else once told me that I had showed him what software I used to balance my chequebook. From there, he developed an interest in money management and today he has his own business. Who knew?
A more notable example is Facebook. It was originally developed to help a few college buddies keep in touch after school. Today, Facebook is the darling of the Internet and putting one's profile on site has much more impact than it used to.
How have you been impacted by unintended consequences? Or how have you impacted others in ways you did not expect?
Aug 11, 2008
Telemarketing III
I'm not even sure this is telemarketing or not. Maybe it's just a bad case of customer service.
As a member of Alan Weiss's mentor program, I am constantly being reminded that I need to follow up consistently. This lesson came to mind as soon as I received a call from a company that will remain nameless... because I don't remember what it was.
They called me around 10 pm and... well, instead of telling you, how about taking you LIVE to the phone call I received just moments ago. Roll tape!
(Phone rings)
Me: Hello?
Them: Hello Mr. Duperval, my name is So-N-So, how are you tonight?
Me: (Uh oh! Cialdini at work) I'm fine thanks.
Them: I'm calling from SomeCompany.com. On January 4th you sent a query through our Web site and I am following up. I don't have the question in front of me but I'll be glad to answer if you let me know what it was.
Me: ...
Them: Sir?
Me: Are you serious? That was seven months ago! How on Earth do you expect me to remember what I asked you?
Them: I understand sir. I just wanted to let you know that we have received your query and that we are following up. I apologize for the delay in responding. You may be interested to know that we have a new download of the software available and I invite you to get the latest copy. Do you have any more questions sir?
Me: Dude, I didn't have any questions to begin with!
Them: Fine, well thank you for your business and have a great evening! Goodbye!
Me: .....
Well, at least it gave me a good laugh.
As a member of Alan Weiss's mentor program, I am constantly being reminded that I need to follow up consistently. This lesson came to mind as soon as I received a call from a company that will remain nameless... because I don't remember what it was.
They called me around 10 pm and... well, instead of telling you, how about taking you LIVE to the phone call I received just moments ago. Roll tape!
(Phone rings)
Me: Hello?
Them: Hello Mr. Duperval, my name is So-N-So, how are you tonight?
Me: (Uh oh! Cialdini at work) I'm fine thanks.
Them: I'm calling from SomeCompany.com. On January 4th you sent a query through our Web site and I am following up. I don't have the question in front of me but I'll be glad to answer if you let me know what it was.
Me: ...
Them: Sir?
Me: Are you serious? That was seven months ago! How on Earth do you expect me to remember what I asked you?
Them: I understand sir. I just wanted to let you know that we have received your query and that we are following up. I apologize for the delay in responding. You may be interested to know that we have a new download of the software available and I invite you to get the latest copy. Do you have any more questions sir?
Me: Dude, I didn't have any questions to begin with!
Them: Fine, well thank you for your business and have a great evening! Goodbye!
Me: .....
Well, at least it gave me a good laugh.
Aug 4, 2008
Seven ways Your E-Mail Can Get You Fired
US News and World Report has an article about using email in a way that
can be detrimental to your job. I was quoted as part of the article.
You can find it here:
7 Ways Your E-mail Can Get You Fired
Interestingly enough, I was working on a larger document discussing the pitfalls of electronic communication. I will let you know when that document is ready.
7 Ways Your E-mail Can Get You Fired
Interestingly enough, I was working on a larger document discussing the pitfalls of electronic communication. I will let you know when that document is ready.
Jul 25, 2008
Sometimes, being good just isn't enough
I am comforting my wife who is lamenting the loss of Will on "So You Think You Can Dance." The general sentiment is that Will was the best dancer of the lot, and many (including the judges, I believe) expected him to win the competition.
Yet tonight, he was kicked off the show. His talent, his grace, and his good looks did not save him.
Personally, I think it's a shame because I thought he was much better than Mark. But that's just me. Evidently, I was the minority. Plus, I didn't vote.
The results of the show are a mirror of what occurs in a number of situations in real life:
At one my son's recent soccer games, we were saddled with an incompetent referee. He made many bad calls and, surprise, surprise, the calls went against my son's team. At some point, the parents became loud and began yelling and cursing at the referee. He had to interrupt the game to let us know: "If you keep yelling, I will stop the game."
We had no control over what was happening on the field. We had to make a choice: if we kept complaining, the kids' game would be stopped and the coach would be fined. If we shut up, the situation would probably not change but the kids would be able to play their game and the coach would be off the hook. We shut up.
To some, such an attitude is a sign of weakness. To some, we should have continued to voice our disapproval because "the ref was wrong."
This response shows that the wrong criteria are used to evaluate the parents' reaction. The right criteria is: what is best for the kids?
You may have heard this before: you can be happy or you can be right. Too often, our ego gets in the way and we try to be right just for the sake of being right. Sometimes, it's worth the battle but sometimes it's just a waste of energy.
In business, the person who gets the promotion is judged on criteria tat may have nothing to do with their current job. The person who has the highest salary is probably bringing more value to the company, even if the job may not seem as hard. The person with the most talent probably doesn't have the best marketing vehicle.
In "So You Think You Can Dance" the votes didn't go toward the most talented dancer, probably because the criteria used to vote was something other than "best dancer," however you define it.
Some people have decided to stop watching the show because they disagree with the voting. Meh. I'll still watch it when I can, because I enjoy dancing and I think the kids on the show dance very well.
Plus, I gotta see it this is going to end up being a train wreck.
Yet tonight, he was kicked off the show. His talent, his grace, and his good looks did not save him.
Personally, I think it's a shame because I thought he was much better than Mark. But that's just me. Evidently, I was the minority. Plus, I didn't vote.
The results of the show are a mirror of what occurs in a number of situations in real life:
- the most competent person is not necessarily the one that gets the promotion;
- the one with the toughest job doesn't have the highest salary;
- the one with the most talent doesn't have the most recognition.
At one my son's recent soccer games, we were saddled with an incompetent referee. He made many bad calls and, surprise, surprise, the calls went against my son's team. At some point, the parents became loud and began yelling and cursing at the referee. He had to interrupt the game to let us know: "If you keep yelling, I will stop the game."
We had no control over what was happening on the field. We had to make a choice: if we kept complaining, the kids' game would be stopped and the coach would be fined. If we shut up, the situation would probably not change but the kids would be able to play their game and the coach would be off the hook. We shut up.
To some, such an attitude is a sign of weakness. To some, we should have continued to voice our disapproval because "the ref was wrong."
This response shows that the wrong criteria are used to evaluate the parents' reaction. The right criteria is: what is best for the kids?
You may have heard this before: you can be happy or you can be right. Too often, our ego gets in the way and we try to be right just for the sake of being right. Sometimes, it's worth the battle but sometimes it's just a waste of energy.
In business, the person who gets the promotion is judged on criteria tat may have nothing to do with their current job. The person who has the highest salary is probably bringing more value to the company, even if the job may not seem as hard. The person with the most talent probably doesn't have the best marketing vehicle.
In "So You Think You Can Dance" the votes didn't go toward the most talented dancer, probably because the criteria used to vote was something other than "best dancer," however you define it.
Some people have decided to stop watching the show because they disagree with the voting. Meh. I'll still watch it when I can, because I enjoy dancing and I think the kids on the show dance very well.
Plus, I gotta see it this is going to end up being a train wreck.
Jul 18, 2008
How strong is social pressure?
Guy Kawasaki's recent post, How to Change Someone's Mind, triggered a long-forgotten experience I had in college. Kawasaki mentions Robert Cialdini's book "Influence". One of the six components of influence is what Cialdini calls "Social Proof". Social proof is when you act in certain way because others around you are doing the same thing.
This reminded me of an experiment in social pressure that I conducted in college. It was a simple experiment to see how others' reactions affected our own reactions, especially when we knew they were wrong. The experiment wasn't original, but I don't remember who did the original research on the subject.
The setup: We had fifteen cardboard sheets which had three geometrical shapes on them. We corralled a team of seven participants and one test subject.
The experiment: We gathered the team and the subject in a room and sat them in a semi-circle. The subject was at one of the extremities of the semi-circle. We showed all of them one of the cardboards and asked them: "Which of the shapes is smallest?" We started with the team members and the subject was always the last to answer.
The twist: For ten of the fifteen cardboards, the team was instructed to give the wrong answer. Sometimes the difference between the smallest object and the answer given was subtle. But other times the difference was so large as to be absurd. For example, we had a small triangle, a medium one and a large one. You could easily fit four small triangles in the largest one. Yet, the team was instructed to say that the largest one was the smallest one.
The result: to our surprise, of all the subjects we tested, only one went against the crowd every time. We saw such looks of bewilderment on the subjects' faces that we had to work very hard not to laugh. I remember one subject staring wide-eyed as the other people said that the largest triangle was in fact the smallest one. He even interrupted the process to verify his understanding: "You want to know which is the smallest one, right?"
We stopped finding the experiment as funny when one of our subjects agreed with the team on all fifteen answers. After the subject left the room, we felt the energy being sucked out of the room; none of us could believe it and we felt bad.
How have you seen social pressure affect performance and behaviour in your workplace?
This reminded me of an experiment in social pressure that I conducted in college. It was a simple experiment to see how others' reactions affected our own reactions, especially when we knew they were wrong. The experiment wasn't original, but I don't remember who did the original research on the subject.
The setup: We had fifteen cardboard sheets which had three geometrical shapes on them. We corralled a team of seven participants and one test subject.
The experiment: We gathered the team and the subject in a room and sat them in a semi-circle. The subject was at one of the extremities of the semi-circle. We showed all of them one of the cardboards and asked them: "Which of the shapes is smallest?" We started with the team members and the subject was always the last to answer.
The twist: For ten of the fifteen cardboards, the team was instructed to give the wrong answer. Sometimes the difference between the smallest object and the answer given was subtle. But other times the difference was so large as to be absurd. For example, we had a small triangle, a medium one and a large one. You could easily fit four small triangles in the largest one. Yet, the team was instructed to say that the largest one was the smallest one.
The result: to our surprise, of all the subjects we tested, only one went against the crowd every time. We saw such looks of bewilderment on the subjects' faces that we had to work very hard not to laugh. I remember one subject staring wide-eyed as the other people said that the largest triangle was in fact the smallest one. He even interrupted the process to verify his understanding: "You want to know which is the smallest one, right?"
We stopped finding the experiment as funny when one of our subjects agreed with the team on all fifteen answers. After the subject left the room, we felt the energy being sucked out of the room; none of us could believe it and we felt bad.
How have you seen social pressure affect performance and behaviour in your workplace?
Jul 17, 2008
More telemarketing
Today I received another call from telemarketers. Yes, I know I can get on a no call list, but as long as it gives me material to write about...
This call was different. I realized, from the start, that it was a sales call but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
She did a lot of things right:
This call was different. I realized, from the start, that it was a sales call but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
She did a lot of things right:
- She asked me "How are you?" Seems innocuous enough, but it can turn out to be a very important question. That question triggers the consistency and commitment response that Robert Cialdini explains in his book on influence. Simply put, if you ask someone how they feel, and the answer "fine" or "good," that alone increases your chances of closing a sale;
- She pronounced my name correctly.
- I gave her two minutes to make her case. After that time, she told me "It's been two minutes, may I go on?" Nice.
- When I told her why I wasn't going to buy, she actually shut up and let me speak for about two minutes. The last time I had such a discussion with a telemarketer, the woman at the other end constantly tried to interrupt me to let me know how wrong I was.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
