Are We Wigging Out And Losing Out?
focus too much on the end goal and you'll miss the opportunities along the way
In today's edition of Burke's Bits:
Focus On A Goal Is Great - Until It Isn’t
Marketing Tip
From the Research Files
Pun of the Day
=============================
Focus On A Goal Is Great - Until It Isn’t
I had the pleasure of listening to this podcast this morning: Kenneth Stanley: Set The Right Objectives [The Knowledge Project Ep. #148]
Kenneth Stanley co-wrote a book with Joel Lehman, Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective, about questioning the value of objectives, which revealed a surprising paradox: objectives are good when they’re modest, but things get more complicated when they’re ambitious.
One of the deepest facets of our culture is that we think of accomplishment and achievement and discovery in terms of setting an objective and then pursuing it.
It turns out that in the course of obtaining that objective the approach to achievement has some serious flaws.
Because while we are actively doing the tasks and gathering the data we often experience what could be called "effective serendipity" - this is what happened when penicillin was discovered, when the transmission of sound through a wire happened.
What would have happened if in 1928, Alexander Fleming returned to his lab after a 2 week vacation, saw the mold that had developed on an accidentally contaminated staphylococcus culture plate...and threw it away? To cover up his carelessness in the lab? To stay on course with the objective to discover the inner workings of the influenza virus?
What would it be like if Alexander Graham Bell were alive today, wasn't homeschooled but instead went through traditional school then on to study science at a university? Likely he would not have been allowed to deviate from the objectives set forth in each experiment and we would not have:
The metal detector: Bell initially came up with this device to locate a bullet inside of assassinated President James A. Garfield.
Photophone: The photophone allowed transmission of speech on a beam of light (paved the way to fiber optics)
Graphophone: This improved version of the phonograph could record and play back sound.
Audiometer: This gadget was used to detect hearing problems.
As Ken Stanley points out in this podcast, modest objectives are fine in life and business. They keep us on track to get things done in a day. It's when things get more complicated that being rigorous about staying on point with attaining an objective is harmful.
The core problem with the ambitious objectives is that in many cases trying harder won’t help you achieve the outcomes you’re seeking. And sort of a follow onto that, you can’t be so tied to your vision of accomplishment that you’re not open to the unexpected and unplanned.
My takeaway is this: If we are hyperfocused on the objective, we aren't open to the unexpected and unplanned. And that's where many of the best solutions and best ideas happen.
=============================
Marketing Tip
A tip for every business to offer their subscribers and buyers:
Develop guides.
Pretty much every subscriber (lead) you get has questions about your niche.
Which means you’re answering similar questions over and over and providing the same resources to help each person.
You can solve this by creating your own branded downloadable (or printable) guide.
In it you'll want to include information about processes, expectations, and resources.
Use an online program, Canva, to create a guide that reflects your style.
Why Canva?
It has free templates and images so you don't have to invest anything except a bit of time.
First, get organized.
Gather your answers to the Frequently Asked Questions you get from your leads.
Gather the resources you share with most of your prospects.
Copy/paste or type the information into a template on Canva.
Add interesting and fun, colorful images (your own or free from Canva).
Remember to have your contact information at the top and the bottom of every page of the guide.
Download your project as a PDF.
Now you have something you can offer as a download on your site.
=============================
From the Research Files
aka random bits of info you may or may not be able to use in your life
The call sign “Air Force One” was first used when Dwight D. Eisenhower was in office in 1953. There was an incident during one of President Eisenhower’s flights where the aircraft he was on entered the same airspace as another aircraft with the same call sign (one was Eastern Airlines 8610, his plane was Air Force 8610). In order to avoid this problem in the future, the unique call-sign of Air Force One was assigned to the President’s plane when the President is aboard.
=============================
Pun of the Day
My kid dreams of one day living in the attic.
He has lofty ambitions.
With Gratitude,
Charlene Burke
Let's Connect
“Opportunities will come and go - if you do nothing about them, so will you.”
― Richie Norton … The Power of Starting Something Stupid: How to Crush Fear, Make Dreams Happen, and Live without Regret