Several years ago a friend of mine offered the following analogy for the way our republic operates:
"What if Coke and Pepsi were allowed to have a complete market monopoly, first one and then the other? Consumers could vote every 4 years to decide which brand would be available for the next duration."
"It would be all out war, wouldn't it?" I replied.
"Exactly," he nodded. "During the time when Pepsi owned the market, Coke would be doing everything they could to destroy Pepsi's reputation in hopes that they would be voted out of the market."
"Brutal." I mumbled thinking of the unpleasant environment it would create.
"That's how our political system operates now." He pointed out. "It is brutal and will ultimately lead to our country's demise."
I have never forgotten that conversation.
He's right you know. And with house and senate elections taking place every two years and with a world that has been sped up by technology, a mudslinging party that used to take place every 4 years is now ongoing.
Of course, we could all complain about how things are not as we would like them to be. That does little to solve the problems so the question is what is the solution?
This is after all a blog about cooperation and collaboration in business. It's not too big of a stretch to include our political climate which often has as much to do with the success of our businesses as how we actually operate them. If the economy tanks because of poor government policy it certainly impacts profits.
I belong to an organization, as do many of us here at The Connectory, called IBI Global. It is an elite membership organization for entrepreneurs offering them education, contacts and much more, in an environment that really accelerates their businesses. A big part of what accelerates member businesses is the "technology of cooperation" that is pervasive at all IBI events.
While there is much to learn about this technology, one piece that stands out, is the concept of plusing. Plusing is a relatively simple concept that offers huge results.
When speaking of another's business or ideas for business we never offer constructive criticism. Instead we offer plusing. It's a way of making sure that our intentions both held and expressed are only to inspire and uplift. When negative or selfish intent is not allowed to flourish, it contributes to an atmosphere that accelerates results.
Imagine for just a moment that you had never heard a discouraging word. What kind of a difference would that have made in your life and in the ease of your accomplishments?
If you have not experienced this technology at work then you might wonder how it is both introduced and enforced and how it might be applied to our political system.
The answer is coming in my next blog. Stay tuned...
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=423 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Posted: 8:13 AM, Oct. 12, 2005 in <%EntryCategory%>
Well it's been a wild few weeks for weather and politics. While hurricanes Katrina and Rita pointed out our government's failed attempt at preparedness it illustrates a very necessary point. Simply put, you cannot buy cooperation.
The billions spent on "Homeland Security" have done much to enrich those who manufacture all kinds of products, from fire trucks to gas masks and bullets, but it has done little to insure cooperation among governmental agencies. Studies have proven that cooperation is easy to inspire against a common enemy, however neither a faceless terror threat nor a future natural disaster offer sufficient motivation to insure cooperation. Further, it's likely that the huge amounts of money (failed FEMA leader Michael Brown referred to a "boatload of money") may actually discourage cooperation among departments and agencies that compete for "terror" dollars.
What we are left with is a federal bureaucracy prepared to spend nearly $200 billion ( LOS ANGELES TIMES NEWS SERVICE, Thursday, September 15, 2005)to rectify the damage along the gulf coast, which previously denied a request for $15 billion that would have prevented much of the worst damage.
I think we would all agree that it's time for a new approach...
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=390 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Posted: 9:08 PM, Oct. 3, 2005 in <%EntryCategory%>
Certainly the attention of this nation in the last 10 days has been focused on the people and families whose lives have been devastated by hurricane Katrina and the resulting floods. Even if you are not directly affected through a family member or friend who resides in the area, you can't help being drawn in by the pictures and the pleas for help.
First, I would like to recognize all of the heroes, who have risked their own lives to rescue and comfort people. There are many stories of individual heroics that will be long told for sure.
Second, I want to acknowledge the amazing response from citizen America. We have organized, even created ways to respond and help that are truly inspiring.
All in all, this enormous disaster has demonstrated both the worst examples and the best examples of cooperation.
As entrepreneurs hard at work bringing new ideas and new products to the world market, we might have a tendency to wonder how important our daily work can be compared to the scope of human suffering displayed hourly on our televisions. How can building a better olive stuffer or developing a new online marketing service help those who need so much?
Truth be told, we as entrepreneurs are performing some of the most important work of this country and with people in so much need we can't stop now. When all of the day to day rescue is complete there will be literally hundreds of thousands of employable citizens out of work. Now more than ever it's up to us, the entrepreneurs, as it always has been, to innovate and stimulate our ongoing economy.
Now more than ever we need to learn to cooperate and collaborate in business to accelerate results for ourselves and for all of the others who so desperately need us.
While our hearts go out to those in need, and we open our checkbooks to help, let's not allow the work of building our businesses to stall for even a moment.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=314 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Posted: 6:38 PM, Sep. 7, 2005 in <%EntryCategory%>
2. When we stand firm in our principles (for example, our desire to work cooperatively rather than competitively with other businesses), new opportunities are revealed to us.
4. Cooperation is ultimately better for child development than competition, improving feelings of self worth. Children who grow up in more cooperative circumstances generate their self worth from within, rather than becoming dependent on external stimuli to let them know what they are worth.
Pretty heady stuff to say the least. Questions left unanswered might be: How does this impact my business right now today? What does this say about the American culture of winning at all costs, and our business culture of dog eat dog?
All questions to be answered for sure as we mine more nuggets from past and present experts in the "new" emerging field of business cooperation.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=280Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=280 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Posted: 9:12 AM, Aug. 28, 2005 in <%EntryCategory%>
I recently blogged about my first impetus toward cooperative business, and how I was inspired in this direction some 35 years ago. Truth is lots of others have been involved in bringing the notion of cooperative business to the forefront.
Today you can find classes on business cooperation in many college and university catalogues, but long before collaboration in business was vogue, others were hard at work.
Allow me to introduce you to Jim Deacove of Family Pastimes. As near as I can determine, Jim received the same nudge from the universe that I did some 35 years ago. (just a quick aside: someone once told me that God gives more than one person the same idea at the same time, because not all of us know what to do with it.)
The difference between Jim and me is that he was more than a one game wonder. Jim has designed a whole series of cooperative-play games, that have received rave reviews. Today, his company is home to many other game designer's products, many of who specialize in cooperative-play.
Check these games out before you buy another competitive family game maybe you'll opt for a different choice.
"Competition is to self-esteem as sugar is to teeth. Most people lose in most competitive encounters, and it's obvious why that causes self-doubt. But even winning doesn't build character; it just lets a child gloat temporarily. Studies have shown that feelings of self-worth become dependent on external sources of evaluation as a result of competition: Your value is defined by what you've done. Worse -- you're a good person in proportion to the number of people you've beaten.
"And then there are John Nash, BJ Dohrmann, and more... ... all subjects of future blogs for sure.
Clearly, many others have long stood against the prevailing notion of competitive behavior as a superior strategy. To give credit to the newcomers only would be unfair. We must thank all of those who have dedicated their lives to this new paradigm of business that insures better results both inside and out.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=263 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Posted: 1:48 PM, Aug. 22, 2005 in <%EntryCategory%>
It's truly funny how life works. Here I am at 55 (mere days away from 56) writing about cooperation, when at age 20 I was already thinking about cooperation in business.
While I was a student at the University of Iowa and knee deep in a Business Management course, I presented a unique idea for my final exam. The University of Iowa in the late 60's worked hard at innovation. In this class it took the form of designing your own business project that would count as the final.
It was actually a bonus to me, that I was allowed so much freedom, as I held a full time job, that sometimes conflicted with my class schedule. The job and tuition payments came first and class second.
My final exam grade became all important to me for this class, as I had already missed a couple of graded pop quizzes.
"... a game that requires cooperation for anyone to win," I explained to the professor, already far from his good graces.
"Interesting.." and a long silence was the response. Finally, after an agonizing quiet, he pulled his hand away from his chin, nodded at me, and instructed, "Now I will want to play this game, you understand. This has to be more than theory. But I like the idea. I like it a lot."
Turns out that he really liked it, enough to give me one of the rare A's I made on the way to a "seat of my pants" 3.0 average. The game, which we played in class, had the look and feel of Monopoly, so it was tempting to play it the same way. If everyone did, however, someone might make some temporary gains, but ultimately, everyone failed. It was only by planning a strategy, that required forming alliances, and sacrificing for the good of the whole, that anyone could win.
Many moves later, and many boxes, I don't know where the game is. I can't really remember if it was all that engaging. But I do remember the A and the idea that came to me some 35 years ago that cooperation in business was a better idea.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=260 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Posted: 1:02 PM, Aug. 21, 2005 in <%EntryCategory%>
"Put your heart into it." It’s not just another cliche’. There’s hard science to support the notion that the more we engage our hearts in business, the better business results we see. It’s like applying a new, intuitive band-width to our daily interactions. It turns out that the heart is not just a muscle. It is also a sophisticated information processing center, as well as an especially keen sensory organ.
When we engage the intuitive intelligence of the heart, we perceive everything differently. We are more aware of our own thoughts, and the moods and reactions of others. We tend to get caught up in that notorious babble loop less often, as our ideas and inner dialog are open ended and more hopeful. Our creativity is heightened, making solutions easier to find and implement, and we develop more adaptability and resilience. In short, things get simpler.
And the beauty part is, there are no drugs involved. . . no second-mortgage-level workshops to afford. . .no Kool-Aid to drink.
All you have to do is think about your heart.
According to Doc Lew Childre, founder of the HeartMath Institute, the heart doesn’t exert is magic on autopilot ~ it’s quickened by our conscious intention. Simply by giving your heart your undivided attention for a moment or two, you will reap these results: positive effects on autonomic nervous system balance, improved cardiovascular efficiency, and reduced secretion of the stress hormone, cortisol. Oh yes, and a greater increase in cognitive functioning.
No wonder The Powers That Be at Hewlett Packard, Shell, Sony, Boeing, and GlaxoSmithKline are using HeartMath for stress management. Even better, a federal pilot grant is funding HeartMath in nine school districts, based on preliminary findings that it increases standardized test scores.
What do you say? Let’s all put our hearts into it!Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=240Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=240 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Posted: 5:53 PM, Aug. 14, 2005 in <%EntryCategory%>
A story is told about a college sociology experiment about the powers of perception. Students were told to pay close attention to the number of times a particular player dribbled the ball before each free throw, and so intent were they that they missed the streaker who bounded across the floor during the fourth period.
Entrepreneurs have likewise been conditioned to compete and do not see the opportunities available through the new technology of collaboration. They sit across the endless networking breakfast tables, amassing business cards and seeking the newest competitive edge to take business away from the folks they break bread with.
They miss the hidden doors that lead to a new paradigm of business ~ a paradigm of cooperation. What would happen if entrepreneurs shifted their focus from buying a bigger ad in the yellow pages or hiring that trendy spokesman for a one-shot holiday spot, to find ways their businesses compliment each other. What would that look like?
Suppose Joanna and Frank, both owners of established, but competitive, dry cleaning businesses, make a radical decision at their monthly Chamber breakfast. Joanna, for example, is an accomplished tailor who loves to work on formal gowns and does a wonderful job with them. Frank hates the things, but accepts the business because he thinks he needs it. He, on the other hand, has the finest leather cleaning facilities in three counties, and is proud of his suede and leather cleaning services. Joanna jobs her leather out.
What if they referred their least desirable work to each other, instead of buying expensive publicity? What if they created a cooperative relationship that not only supports what they do best, but also serves their customer better, too?
That is the hidden door, the new technology of collaboration. And it works!
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=187Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=187 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Posted: 6:20 PM, Jul. 22, 2005 in <%EntryCategory%>
There's more to cooperation than just powering up your business. There's a real good, feel good reason to help each other.
I recently ran accross a very interesting gentleman. Dr. John H. Lienhard, author and voice of The Engines of Our Ingenuity is the M.D. Anderson Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and History at the University of Houston. In one of his delightful radio broadcasts (aired bi-weekly from KUHF-FM Houston and carried on public radio across the nation) Dr. Lienhard referred to a study done on human cooperation at Emory University.
"...Now the novel part of the study: One player from each pair was subjected to an MRI brain scan while she played. And here surfaced a far more basic reason for cooperating than mere profit. Each cooperative win-win play released dopamine. It, in turn, lit up the same pleasure centers as, say, eating chocolate does. Cooperation turns out to be an authentic physical pleasure." Complete Radio Transcript
Collaboration: Like chocolate for business but no calories and no carbs. Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Posted: 8:55 AM, Jun. 23, 2005 in <%EntryCategory%>
Several years ago a friend of mine offered the following analogy for the way our republic operates:
"What if Coke and Pepsi were allowed to have a complete market monopoly, first one and then the other? Consumers could vote every 4 years to decide which brand would be available for the next duration."
"It would be all out war, wouldn't it?" I replied.
"Exactly," he nodded. "During the time when Pepsi owned the market, Coke would be doing everything they could to destroy Pepsi's reputation in hopes that they would be voted out of the market."
"Brutal." I mumbled thinking of the unpleasant environment it would create.
"That's how our political system operates now." He pointed out. "It is brutal and will ultimately lead to our country's demise."
I have never forgotten that conversation.
He's right you know. And with house and senate elections taking place every two years and with a world that has been sped up by technology, a mudslinging party that used to take place every 4 years is now ongoing.
Of course, we could all complain about how things are not as we would like them to be. That does little to solve the problems so the question is what is the solution?
This is after all a blog about cooperation and collaboration in business. It's not too big of a stretch to include our political climate which often has as much to do with the success of our businesses as how we actually operate them. If the economy tanks because of poor government policy it certainly impacts profits.
I belong to an organization, as do many of us here at The Connectory, called IBI Global. It is an elite membership organization for entrepreneurs offering them education, contacts and much more, in an environment that really accelerates their businesses. A big part of what accelerates member businesses is the "technology of cooperation" that is pervasive at all IBI events.
While there is much to learn about this technology, one piece that stands out, is the concept of plusing. Plusing is a relatively simple concept that offers huge results.
When speaking of another's business or ideas for business we never offer constructive criticism. Instead we offer plusing. It's a way of making sure that our intentions both held and expressed are only to inspire and uplift. When negative or selfish intent is not allowed to flourish, it contributes to an atmosphere that accelerates results.
Imagine for just a moment that you had never heard a discouraging word. What kind of a difference would that have made in your life and in the ease of your accomplishments?
If you have not experienced this technology at work then you might wonder how it is both introduced and enforced and how it might be applied to our political system.
The answer is coming in my next blog. Stay tuned...
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=423 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Well it's been a wild few weeks for weather and politics. While hurricanes Katrina and Rita pointed out our government's failed attempt at preparedness it illustrates a very necessary point. Simply put, you cannot buy cooperation.
The billions spent on "Homeland Security" have done much to enrich those who manufacture all kinds of products, from fire trucks to gas masks and bullets, but it has done little to insure cooperation among governmental agencies. Studies have proven that cooperation is easy to inspire against a common enemy, however neither a faceless terror threat nor a future natural disaster offer sufficient motivation to insure cooperation. Further, it's likely that the huge amounts of money (failed FEMA leader Michael Brown referred to a "boatload of money") may actually discourage cooperation among departments and agencies that compete for "terror" dollars.
What we are left with is a federal bureaucracy prepared to spend nearly $200 billion ( LOS ANGELES TIMES NEWS SERVICE, Thursday, September 15, 2005)to rectify the damage along the gulf coast, which previously denied a request for $15 billion that would have prevented much of the worst damage.
I think we would all agree that it's time for a new approach...
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=390 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
Certainly the attention of this nation in the last 10 days has been focused on the people and families whose lives have been devastated by hurricane Katrina and the resulting floods. Even if you are not directly affected through a family member or friend who resides in the area, you can't help being drawn in by the pictures and the pleas for help.
First, I would like to recognize all of the heroes, who have risked their own lives to rescue and comfort people. There are many stories of individual heroics that will be long told for sure.
Second, I want to acknowledge the amazing response from citizen America. We have organized, even created ways to respond and help that are truly inspiring.
All in all, this enormous disaster has demonstrated both the worst examples and the best examples of cooperation.
As entrepreneurs hard at work bringing new ideas and new products to the world market, we might have a tendency to wonder how important our daily work can be compared to the scope of human suffering displayed hourly on our televisions. How can building a better olive stuffer or developing a new online marketing service help those who need so much?
Truth be told, we as entrepreneurs are performing some of the most important work of this country and with people in so much need we can't stop now. When all of the day to day rescue is complete there will be literally hundreds of thousands of employable citizens out of work. Now more than ever it's up to us, the entrepreneurs, as it always has been, to innovate and stimulate our ongoing economy.
Now more than ever we need to learn to cooperate and collaborate in business to accelerate results for ourselves and for all of the others who so desperately need us.
While our hearts go out to those in need, and we open our checkbooks to help, let's not allow the work of building our businesses to stall for even a moment.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=314 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
2. When we stand firm in our principles (for example, our desire to work cooperatively rather than competitively with other businesses), new opportunities are revealed to us.
4. Cooperation is ultimately better for child development than competition, improving feelings of self worth. Children who grow up in more cooperative circumstances generate their self worth from within, rather than becoming dependent on external stimuli to let them know what they are worth.
Pretty heady stuff to say the least. Questions left unanswered might be: How does this impact my business right now today? What does this say about the American culture of winning at all costs, and our business culture of dog eat dog?
All questions to be answered for sure as we mine more nuggets from past and present experts in the "new" emerging field of business cooperation.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=280Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=280 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
I recently blogged about my first impetus toward cooperative business, and how I was inspired in this direction some 35 years ago. Truth is lots of others have been involved in bringing the notion of cooperative business to the forefront.
Today you can find classes on business cooperation in many college and university catalogues, but long before collaboration in business was vogue, others were hard at work.
Allow me to introduce you to Jim Deacove of Family Pastimes. As near as I can determine, Jim received the same nudge from the universe that I did some 35 years ago. (just a quick aside: someone once told me that God gives more than one person the same idea at the same time, because not all of us know what to do with it.)
The difference between Jim and me is that he was more than a one game wonder. Jim has designed a whole series of cooperative-play games, that have received rave reviews. Today, his company is home to many other game designer's products, many of who specialize in cooperative-play.
Check these games out before you buy another competitive family game maybe you'll opt for a different choice.
"Competition is to self-esteem as sugar is to teeth. Most people lose in most competitive encounters, and it's obvious why that causes self-doubt. But even winning doesn't build character; it just lets a child gloat temporarily. Studies have shown that feelings of self-worth become dependent on external sources of evaluation as a result of competition: Your value is defined by what you've done. Worse -- you're a good person in proportion to the number of people you've beaten.
"And then there are John Nash, BJ Dohrmann, and more... ... all subjects of future blogs for sure.
Clearly, many others have long stood against the prevailing notion of competitive behavior as a superior strategy. To give credit to the newcomers only would be unfair. We must thank all of those who have dedicated their lives to this new paradigm of business that insures better results both inside and out.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=263 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
It's truly funny how life works. Here I am at 55 (mere days away from 56) writing about cooperation, when at age 20 I was already thinking about cooperation in business.
While I was a student at the University of Iowa and knee deep in a Business Management course, I presented a unique idea for my final exam. The University of Iowa in the late 60's worked hard at innovation. In this class it took the form of designing your own business project that would count as the final.
It was actually a bonus to me, that I was allowed so much freedom, as I held a full time job, that sometimes conflicted with my class schedule. The job and tuition payments came first and class second.
My final exam grade became all important to me for this class, as I had already missed a couple of graded pop quizzes.
"... a game that requires cooperation for anyone to win," I explained to the professor, already far from his good graces.
"Interesting.." and a long silence was the response. Finally, after an agonizing quiet, he pulled his hand away from his chin, nodded at me, and instructed, "Now I will want to play this game, you understand. This has to be more than theory. But I like the idea. I like it a lot."
Turns out that he really liked it, enough to give me one of the rare A's I made on the way to a "seat of my pants" 3.0 average. The game, which we played in class, had the look and feel of Monopoly, so it was tempting to play it the same way. If everyone did, however, someone might make some temporary gains, but ultimately, everyone failed. It was only by planning a strategy, that required forming alliances, and sacrificing for the good of the whole, that anyone could win.
Many moves later, and many boxes, I don't know where the game is. I can't really remember if it was all that engaging. But I do remember the A and the idea that came to me some 35 years ago that cooperation in business was a better idea.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=260 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
"Put your heart into it." It’s not just another cliche’. There’s hard science to support the notion that the more we engage our hearts in business, the better business results we see. It’s like applying a new, intuitive band-width to our daily interactions. It turns out that the heart is not just a muscle. It is also a sophisticated information processing center, as well as an especially keen sensory organ.
When we engage the intuitive intelligence of the heart, we perceive everything differently. We are more aware of our own thoughts, and the moods and reactions of others. We tend to get caught up in that notorious babble loop less often, as our ideas and inner dialog are open ended and more hopeful. Our creativity is heightened, making solutions easier to find and implement, and we develop more adaptability and resilience. In short, things get simpler.
And the beauty part is, there are no drugs involved. . . no second-mortgage-level workshops to afford. . .no Kool-Aid to drink.
All you have to do is think about your heart.
According to Doc Lew Childre, founder of the HeartMath Institute, the heart doesn’t exert is magic on autopilot ~ it’s quickened by our conscious intention. Simply by giving your heart your undivided attention for a moment or two, you will reap these results: positive effects on autonomic nervous system balance, improved cardiovascular efficiency, and reduced secretion of the stress hormone, cortisol. Oh yes, and a greater increase in cognitive functioning.
No wonder The Powers That Be at Hewlett Packard, Shell, Sony, Boeing, and GlaxoSmithKline are using HeartMath for stress management. Even better, a federal pilot grant is funding HeartMath in nine school districts, based on preliminary findings that it increases standardized test scores.
What do you say? Let’s all put our hearts into it!Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=240Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=240 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
A story is told about a college sociology experiment about the powers of perception. Students were told to pay close attention to the number of times a particular player dribbled the ball before each free throw, and so intent were they that they missed the streaker who bounded across the floor during the fourth period.
Entrepreneurs have likewise been conditioned to compete and do not see the opportunities available through the new technology of collaboration. They sit across the endless networking breakfast tables, amassing business cards and seeking the newest competitive edge to take business away from the folks they break bread with.
They miss the hidden doors that lead to a new paradigm of business ~ a paradigm of cooperation. What would happen if entrepreneurs shifted their focus from buying a bigger ad in the yellow pages or hiring that trendy spokesman for a one-shot holiday spot, to find ways their businesses compliment each other. What would that look like?
Suppose Joanna and Frank, both owners of established, but competitive, dry cleaning businesses, make a radical decision at their monthly Chamber breakfast. Joanna, for example, is an accomplished tailor who loves to work on formal gowns and does a wonderful job with them. Frank hates the things, but accepts the business because he thinks he needs it. He, on the other hand, has the finest leather cleaning facilities in three counties, and is proud of his suede and leather cleaning services. Joanna jobs her leather out.
What if they referred their least desirable work to each other, instead of buying expensive publicity? What if they created a cooperative relationship that not only supports what they do best, but also serves their customer better, too?
That is the hidden door, the new technology of collaboration. And it works!
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=187Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=187 Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
There's more to cooperation than just powering up your business. There's a real good, feel good reason to help each other.
I recently ran accross a very interesting gentleman. Dr. John H. Lienhard, author and voice of The Engines of Our Ingenuity is the M.D. Anderson Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and History at the University of Houston. In one of his delightful radio broadcasts (aired bi-weekly from KUHF-FM Houston and carried on public radio across the nation) Dr. Lienhard referred to a study done on human cooperation at Emory University.
"...Now the novel part of the study: One player from each pair was subjected to an MRI brain scan while she played. And here surfaced a far more basic reason for cooperating than mere profit. Each cooperative win-win play released dopamine. It, in turn, lit up the same pleasure centers as, say, eating chocolate does. Cooperation turns out to be an authentic physical pleasure." Complete Radio Transcript
Collaboration: Like chocolate for business but no calories and no carbs. Gale Connell President, CEO IBI Colorado Don't Just Dream It. Do It!
