2-3-4 Friday
‘Seeking to spark the most potential within you per word of any online newsletter’
1 thought
Here’s an interesting question.
How has Amazon managed to dominate the online retailing market?
More importantly, are there lessons from Amazon that we can use for our personal life?
Jeff Bezos once said this, which I quote verbatim (hat-tip to Morgan Housel, who pointed this out in his book Same as Ever), on this.
I very frequently get the question: 'What's going to change in the next 10 years?'
And that is a very interesting question; it's a very common one.
I almost never get the question: 'What's not going to change in the next 10 years?'
And I
submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two -- because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time.
In a world where we are tempted to jump on everything that’s changing, such as the AI bandwagon, Bezos encourages us to look at what doesn’t change.
In our retail business, we
know that customers want low prices, and I know that's going to be true 10 years from now.
They want fast delivery; they want vast selection.
It's impossible to imagine a future 10 years from now where a customer comes up and says, 'Jeff I love Amazon; I just wish the prices were a little higher,' or 'I love Amazon; I just wish you'd deliver a little more slowly.'
Impossible.
In the people development world, what doesn’t change? 3 things:
- We live in an imperfect, broken world
- We live with imperfect people
- Without human intervention, problems will be worse
off.
If this is the case, then what can we do to position ourselves to make the best of what doesn’t change?
My approach is to think about how we can solve problems and reach desired outcomes faster.
It’s not just a speed (which is how fast) game, but it’s realising that when there
are problems, there needs to be velocity (which is how fast you’re moving in the right direction) in how it’s solved.
I think it’s to realise that each of us has a very unique set of strengths that cannot be replicated.
Knowing those strengths is the first part. That can come through simple assessments like the Strengthsfinder, which I still find as one
of the better gauges of what one is good at.
Developing those strengths is second.
1 talk
Think: 'What's not going to change in the next 10 years?'
How might I work to capitalise on what doesn’t
change?
1 tip
How do you know you’re improving as a practitioner?
It’s first recognising that you’re a craftsman, whether you’re a social worker, counsellor, or engineer.
Your skill is your
craft.
Growing that means being deliberate about practice. Know what you’re aiming to grow in, and then systematically practice and develop it.
One of the most important ways I’ve found is just taking time to write down a weekly reflection about
- What I want to grow in
- How I will grow that
- How that will be expressed (the indicators of success)
Example:
I want to be better at counselling.
Input Key result 1: I spend 30 minutes a week reading an academic article and using the
tips for my practice.
Output Key result 2: My clients demonstrate a satisfaction score of above 90%.
Maybe that will help better.
John
Live Young, Live Well - Work Your Love
Think others might benefit? I’m counting on you. Forward this on.