A Moment Of Decision: The Lesson I Learn From Their Lies

I have lots of conversations about stories. Late last week I was talking with somebody about rags to riches stories. They certainly do happen. In fact, I had commented about that terrific series of TV programs on the Men Who Built America. Some of those men went from rags to riches. A few of them went back to rags…proving that old adage about going from shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves in 3 generations.

The world of business has dominated my adult life. Effective selling is comprised of a whole lot of listening, asking great questions and telling terrific stories. Not lies. Stories. I learned those things before I graduated from high school. That was in the era of Watergate – which certainly had an impact on my cynicism. It was proof that things aren’t always what they seem.

Unfortunately, marketing and sales often involve corrupt practices. That includes making up tales that sound great, but aren’t true. The Internet makes it easier than ever to lie. Plenty of people do it.

But…

While I was preparing to go inside the gym to workout, I fired up my iPhone and shot this short video.

Because I don’t care if the stories are true. It’s not the facts of the story that really matter in the context of the conversation we were having about rags to riches tales. What matters is the moment of decision. Most often they’re described in vivid detail to compel listeners to understand the depths of despair…the low point from which the person can climb to find success. It makes the rise seem more spectacular. It makes us think, “Man, if they could overcome that — surely I can overcome my problems.”

So what if it’s not true? I argued that doesn’t diminish the strength of the point – that sometimes we don’t decide until our back is against the wall. Sometimes we neglect to make the best decision until we’re forced to by circumstances that seem so dire we conclude, “What do we have to lose?” Or, we grow so tired of the despair we conclude, “I’m not going to live like this any more.”

Yes, truth matters. No, I don’t want to deal with or engage people who lie in order to get business or promote themselves. But, there are still important things we can learn – even from the most made up stories.

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Episode 186 – When In Doubt Use A Pile Driver, Or Mumble

When-In-Doubt-Mumble
1. When in charge, ponder. 2. When in trouble, delegate. 3. When in doubt, mumble.

Winston Churchill once said, 

If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time – a tremendous whack.

When-In-Doubt-Mumble-Price
A 1972 price tag

In 1972 I stumbled onto a terrifically dry, witty book by James Boren, When In Doubt, Mumble. Dry. Witty. Funny. I instantly liked it and it’s among many books I’ve held onto for a long time.

As a lifelong student of communication, Boren’s message resonated with me, especially within a few years after it was released. America had a small scandal called Watergate that resulted in congressional hearings. I admit it was my first foray into congressional hearings and the mumbling that goes in our nation’s capital.

Prior to that I just thought Boren was a funny guy mocking the bureaucrats. I had no idea he either taught the master class in mumbling or he was just so incredibly observant as to capture the true essence of it. It was remarkable communication and I was fascinated at the skill required to talk for so long – many of these hearings went on for months and years – and say absolutely nothing. Most congressional hearings accomplished even less — a feat that defies logic and the laws of science. Our government is truly extraordinary!

This week, as the United States government went on hiatus, I started thinking about Boren’s book again. Naturally, that sparked thoughts about our communication skills and styles. Which, in turn, sparks today’s podcast.

Randy

Mentioned in today’s show:

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

Genesis record of Adam & Eve blaming each other

Leaning Toward Wisdom, the episode I reference is 4005

Breaking Bad (like all things, it’s morphs into, “Now what?”)

• Kaizen

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A Little Less Talk, A Little More Action Please!

Less Talk, More Action

I love the Elvis song, but picking up chicks isn’t quite what I’ve got in mind today. Or any other day for that matter. I’m happily married.

How do you feel about these topics?

• Work flow

• Systems

• Processes

• Schedules

• Calendars

• Deadlines

• Standard Operating Procedures

I confess. Some days I embrace and love all these things. Other days, they plum evade me!

For me, it comes and goes in spurts. Some spurts last a long time. Others, not so much.

This week I had some big technology challenges – most notably Internet issues thanks to my ISP (Internet service provider). Since my wife and I both work from home offices and our work relies heavily on the Internet, it wasn’t a terribly productive week. Even when the Internet issues were repaired, I found myself completely discombobulated due to the disruption.

Does that ever happen to you? I imagine it happens to everybody.

It’s not a good sign when you start out a week having to cancel some online appointments. Things went downhill from there.

Oh, I was busy. But I wasn’t productive. So yesterday I Tweeted a message to help myself try to get back on track and salvage what’s left of the week.

I’m not busy but I’m productive.

No, it wasn’t a statement (Tweet) of fact. It was a statement (Tweet) of what I needed to do. I needed to stop being busy and start being productive.

That’s when Elvis entered my head singing, “A little less talk, a little action please!”

But, too much talk isn’t the cause of my current failures. It’s a confluence of factors that have converged on me in recent days. It happens.

Unexpected things. Expected things. Things just come up and knock our wheels off, making it hard to keep going down the track.

I admit it. Those are just excuses. Good ones, but still excuses!

I need to be more disciplined. That’s what the Elvis song means to me today. I need to get my butt in gear and start making meaningful progress. I need to stop talking, stalling and putting things off. It’s time to dive in and get after it.

You can chase getting things done, or you can let your work chase you! I’d rather chase than be chased.

Here are some things I’ve going to resolve to do:

– Release the podcast on a specific day of the week at a precise time. No, I’ve not settled on exactly when yet – but I’m working on it.

– Create an editorial schedule, too. I write a lot. Every day. I just don’t post a lot. I’d like to publish one post a week.

– Get back to my block scheduling – something I’ve almost always done, but I’ll allowed it to slip this year. And I can’t explain why. It just happened. Proof that if you don’t pay attention, things don’t improve.

– I’m almost always creating work flow, schedules, processes and systems for clients. It time for the cobbler to build himself some shoes.

– I’m getting back into chase mode. I’m always in chase mode when it comes to business, but I’ve allowed the work to chase me lately. I don’t enjoy being chased by work. I’d much rather do the chasing and hunt it down, tackle it and get it in a choke hold. So WORK, you’d better start running ’cause I’m coming. And I’m armed and dangerous.

Randy

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