Knowledge Fulcrum

For a few years now I’ve been telling my children – do what you love, and love what you do.  They are 8 and 11 years old.  I do this because I wish my father would have told me this.  These words would have saved me a tremendous amount of frustration and heartache throughout my life.   Early in my career, I made too many choices based on what I believed others wanted me to do or be, or what I thought I could gain from doing what I did (e.g., money, material objects).   Hindsight is 20/20.  I now realize that my happiness is more closely related to how I feel than what I own or what others think of me.   I’m lucky because I’ve found my sweet spot - that intersection between:

a) what I’m uniquely gifted at

b) what I’m passionate about

c) what my definite purpose is

This formula comes from a book I recently read - Finding the Sweet Spot by Dave Pollard.  I recommend the book to anyone who finds themselves struggling with their job or who feels uninspired with their work.  This is the perfect step-by-step guide for discovering responsible, sustainable, joyful work.

For the millions of Americans who find themselves unexpectedly unemployed, you are now in a unique position - you are now able to make choices about what you do next, and about what you put your time and energy towards.  I understand that it’s easy to think of this as something awful, but you can also just as easily consider your recent misfortune as an opportunity to make changes in your life that will lead you to satisfaction and happiness.   If anything else, think about what it is you would do if you could do anything.  Think about what your gifts are, what you’re passionate about, and what your purpose is in this world.

This is the location of the “sweet spot.”

Someone's Making Money!

Papa Murphy’s – a Vancouver, WA based chain of take-and-bake pizza stores, posted a 17% increase in revenues for 2008 and also announced that they will be opening 100 new stores over the next five years.   Good for them!  They are clearly delivering value to the market place (no pun intended) by saving people time and money on their meals.

We are experiencing the most dramatic shift in consumer behavior since the Great Depression.  Savings are up and consumer debt is declining for the first time in the history of debt.  And, with this shift will also come a shift in consumer beliefs, attitudes and perceptions.  When consumers consume, they are exchanging their money for a combination of time and energy.  This is a calculation that happens in their minds, and consumers are constantly balancing the trade-off between how much something costs and the time and energy it gives them. 

Here’s a simple example: If you were planning a trip between Portland, Oregon and Washington, DC how would you get there?  The majority of you would fly.  Why?  Because flying represents the most efficient means (time, energy for the money) of travel.  You could drive, bike or walk.  But when you place any amount of value on your time and energy, that makes those options pointless.  Below is a chart I made that estimates the amount of time, how much exertion, and what it would cost for each of the modes of travel. 

You would need a compelling reason to travel by any other means than airplane.  This example just illustrates the fact that consumers constantly balance these three things when making decisions about what they buy.  As behaviors changes, so does the need for organizations to adapt.  If your business no longer adds value in the eyes of the customer, then you had better start to find a way to change.  People will keep spending their money, but are likely to place more value on what their time and energy are worth.

Over the past 15 years, I’ve been interested in better understanding which business practices are most important to maintain organizational health and which will result in a higher level of success. In late 2007, I conducted a study among US businesses (across all industries) that identified seven key areas of the operation that were most closely tied to success.

Here is what I learned:

1.    Setting and Selling Your Vision
Organizations who have effectively developed a clear core vision or purpose, and, who effectively communicate it to employees, customers and partners, are more likely to experience higher levels of success. These organizations also tie their “vision