Topic starter : Sunday, November 1, 2009 (12:21 am)

Aahh.. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself, huahahaha..

I feel like I’m hurting myself instead of telling myself to stop feeling this pain :p

But..

Mm..

I don’t know..

My heart just seems like she won’t listen to my mind.

My heart is going her own way in absorbing all the pains and enjoying every heartbeat of that hurts, huahahaha..

Oh well..

Looks like all I have to do now is just let her be.

I just need to back her up when she crashes down so she won’t break into pieces.

Go ahead, my heart..

I’ll let you bleed again if that’s what you want.

We’re getting closer to our destination on this part of our journey.

Once this one’s finished..

We’ll be heading the other wayy..

And that time..

I know..

We’ll heading to happiness

Just don’t forget, my heart..

You’ll always have me here.

So no need to feel alone, alright?

Just take care..

And don’t fall down too deep..

Topic ended : November 1, 2009 (12:36 am)

-Indah-

Having successfully completed my 3rd consecutive solo Race Across America, I’ve now had time to reflect on all of the learning that has taken place and I thought it might be worth sharing some of my insights and how it neatly fits with our every day challenges.

Cycling 3,000 miles non-stop is fairly tough and there’s a lot of training that goes into being able to finish what is considered to be one of the toughest races on the planet but it would certainly be a massive stretch and very much beyond comprehension without the family support I’ve had.

When I compare this to anyone who works long hours and misses the simple family routinues of eating together at night or taking the children to an after school event, that too requires the understanding of one’s partner and support to allow that pattern to continue. I guess my point here is, to succeed in business there is a certain amount of effort that has to go into achieving your goals, whether it’s the companies goals that you are responsible for of your own personal goals you are chasing for your career.

It reminds me of an old quote from Thomas Edison:-

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

It’s all just Learning

I’m not suggesting that you have to flog yourself to get great results, what I am saying is that you’ll have to put some serious effort in to do well. When I look back at the 3 seperate races and why I was able to continue to go faster each year even though I wasn’t getting any younger! I would have to put it down to being able to look back and reflect on what I’ve learnt from each race and then apply that learning for the next attempt.

Being more specific, I would look at what worked well and ensure that it was taken forward into my next race strategy. Probably where I had my biggest learning experiences from was when things didn’t go as well as expected, most of the time this gets labelled as failure.
This is where so many businesses miss the opportunity to overtake their competitors, there is so much fear of failure that a lot of companies are not even taking measured risks in the fear of any reprisal if something goes wrong or FAILS!

Being able to label these so called failures as learning opportunities is a much healthier way of looking at unravelling the situation, the energy behind the word failure almost has a paralysing effect on people and certainly doesn’t make the people involved feel particularly great either. Focusing on what can we learn from this situation is a much more positive way of moving forward and not getting bogged down into blaming people, it forces you to look at what options are available to find a solution.

The usual knee jerk reaction when something does go wrong in business is to immediately ask why and who’s to blame for it not turning out right! The amazing truth is that when something does go wrong within an organisation 94% of the time it’s not down the staff it’s actually down to the processes that are in place that cause the promblem, or I should say the lack of processes! How many times have you experienced a leader ask what was wrong with the system as their first response?

Roles & Responsibility

This has certainly been a key learn for myself when preparing for such a big race, being able to clearly brief all of the crew in terms of their individual rolls and responsibilities, if this is slightly wrong or misleading it can cause major problems during the race and cause major tension for all concerned and can have a massive impact on performance and motivation.

It’s amazing how these things will always show up if there’s been a lack of clarity, the same applies in any organisation when people aren’t completely clear about the direction the business is going in. Small degrees of seperation over a week or a month of being misaligned can end up meaning being way off target, causing a load of stress for all concerned.

Staying Focused

As the rider, it would be very easy to get distracted as you built your training for the race, there’s a lot of other things that need to happen in the background to ensure that everything runs smoothly for the race. Flights, accomodation, getting crew kit, cycle kit the list is a very long one! Without really good planning and briefing the crew regularly, you wouldn’t make it to the start of Raam. In fact that is a big achievement in itself, getting to the start line, so many people that set their sights on competing in this race as a solo rider don’t make it, usually this is down to 2 things:- A lack of crew or a lack of sponsorship!
Being able to delegate the planning aspect enables me to stay focused on doing the training and juggling the family and business.

Again this is very similar to a company who is attempting to increase their margins year on year, there has to be a very thorough plan in place to allow everyone to stay focused on their tasks that they need to perform on a daily basis. Interestingly, it’s those simple every day things that have to happen that allows you to achieve your goals at an individual, team and organisational level.

I guess this is one of my main points about completing & competing in Raam, it’s the aspect of Just Keep Pedaling, I have to stay on the bike and keep pedaling to achieve my goal, that’s my main task, of course I need to eat and drink and occasionally sleep but on the whole it’s about staying on the bike and pedaling.

Whatever your individual main task is within a company, if you can stay focused and just keep pedaling as it were, my belief is that you’d be more successful. Now here’s the challenge for all of us and it can easily bump you off track! Being able to handle the INTERFERENCE, so much stuff has the potential to take your focus away from the main task that you need to be doing and being able to manage these interferences is the key to staying on track and achieving your goals.

3 Simple Strategies to consider from a book called Gung Ho by Ken Blanchard

The Way of the Squirrel

The way of the squirrel is all about everyone in the organisation doing worthwhile work. Certainly within my crews for Raam everyone knew what their roles were and they all knew that it was critical to the success of the whole team and my success as a rider. There would be no way that we would achieve our goal if one of these roles was not carried out to the best of their ability, simple things like mixing drinks doesn’t sound that big a deal but if you get it slightly wrong, it can have a dramatic effect on my performance.

People in a business need to be made aware of the role they play in the bigger scheme of things, they need to be made aware that what they do does make a difference so they can take pride in what they do and that is at all levels!!

The Way of the Beaver

The way of the beaver is all about team work, when beavers build a dam, they all just get stuck in, they bring small twiggs and large sticks and get the dam built, you don’t ever see them arguing over where the stick gets put. The same applies with the crew for Raam, everyone has their own roles but if something extra has to be done, it just gets done by whoever is the closest person available to do the job so we can move forward.

This is an interesting one in companies, a lot of the time I’ve heard things like:- It’s not my job! I’ve already got too much on, I’m not doing that! there are lots of similar lines that get used which is not really what team work is about. It stands to reason that the more efficent you can be as a team the more success you are going to have.

The Way of the Geese

Have you ever seen a flock of geese fly in formation, it’s usually in a V shape and you usually hear them honking as they fly, the honking is considered to be them celebrating success, they are giving feedback to the one at the front of the formation to say that you are doing a great job. Interestingly, they all take a turn at the front pushing the wind, a great example of team work.

Celebrating success in Raam is probably an area that has been missed in each race, one on the main reasons is that we are all so tired that there’s not a lot of energy left to properly celebrate what we have just achieved as a team. Everyone who has been involved in this amazing event have all mentioned that it was a life experience that will stay with them all of their lives but unfortunately, I/we have still not got this aspect right!

It never ceases to amaze me that a lot of companies fall into this trap of not really celebrating thier successes, I have experienced this on many occasions where senior leaders say that it’s something they don’t do enough of. It seems that once a goal has been achieved, it’s all hands to the deck for the next thing.

I haven’t come across too many companies that can get these 3 simple things right!

My Final Point

I have learnt more than anything from the Race Across America and my role as a coach, that most people on the planet are barely scratching the surface of their own potential. I personally set out and used Raam as an experiment to see just how far I could push myself, I was attracted to the idea that this is meant to be one of the toughest events on the planet, I didn’t know whether I would complete the solo race but I did have an incredible mindset and belief that I would do everything I could to achieve my goal.

I’m in a position as a person where I’m luckly to have no physical limits, I have all of my limbs and sight and am very grateful to be able to do what I do. I continue to be massively inspired by other people around the world who push themselves well beyond normal human limits who have been perhaps involved in an accident or had a disability from birth, it’s their spirit that propells me forward in life. Here’sa link to one such person, I hope you enjoy it.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

On average there are about 2,000 business books written each year, most of which are attempting to come up with the latest strategies and models to help companies transform the way they do business or transform the people within the organisation they work for.
It’s no wonder that it gets a little confusing as a senior leader to decide exactly what direction the company needs to be heading in when there’s this overload of opinions!

Having read hundreds of books over the years there seems to be some common sense that could be applied to ensure that your business not only survives but actually thrives even when we hit an unexpected global down turn.

In Daniel Pink’s book he talks about the 3 A’s Abundance, Automation and Asia that have propelled us into the Consceptual age, most companies have been stuck for some years attempting to either innovate themselves out the current situation, or buy themselves out of a flat sales graph or even worse, they do large change programmes including changing their CEO in the hope that one of these strategies or a combination will see them through!!

Amoungst all this chaos it’s critical to focus on what made your organisation great in the first place, that means ensuring that all of the basic processes and operational procedures are being applied as standard across the whole of the organisation.

It’s very easy to drop the ball when people start looking to innovate their way out of this current trend, the same can be said when there’s a new CEO or there’s a big change programme being rolled out within the company. A lot of these activities end up interferring with everyday business instead of making those important calls or spending more time working on an important proposal.

Leading through tough times requires leaders to ensure that everyone within their teams are completely aligned and understand what is expected of them both collectively and individually. I have observed that most organisations are so busy attempting to keep up with this busy corporate pace that they miss spending time on reflecting back on a regular basis to see how they’ve got to where they got to in that previous month. They’ve become so focused on performance which in turn drives a culture of more is better, this shows up as longer working hours, people being burnt out and off on long term leave, staff struggle to be really present which means things get missed and the ball gets dropped!

How many companies are LEARNING organisations?

Is the FEAR of failure still driving the culture?

What happens if the ball gets dropped?

That question will help you understand whether fear is driving or should I say preventing growth in your business.

It’s time for TRUTH to become a key theme within daily business interactions, both internally and externally. Far too many organisations are having to 2nd guess whether they are dealing with the real story or the right story, the REAL story is the truth whereas the right story is the safe option, it’s the story one might tell because they are in fear of telling the truth and worried about any potential repercussions. When companies act on the right story, it doesn’t need to be too far off the truth but you can see how the ball gets dropped when this is a constant. Simple things like feedback are a classic example of this in action, athletes see feedback as an opportunity for learning but unfortunately this is not seen the same way in the corporate world!

Reflective Learning is where it’s at.

Incremental improving comes from being able to apply the simple and yet very powerful strategy of looking back at how you’ve just got the result you’ve got. Whether it’s a one to one session or an important pitch to a client or the board, it’s vital to look back and ask yourself or the team these 3 questions :-

What has worked well?

What did I/we learn?

What will I/we change?

You see most companies believe that they haven’t got enough time to embed this into their daily/weekly meetings. What usually happens if the pitch has been successful is at best the team will go out and celebrate, normally there’s a bit of hollering and it’s on to the next thing. If the pitch was lost, there’s usually a hunt for who dropped the ball!!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going !!! 

Are you facing a tough situation?  There is a word of encouragement for you today.  We will look into the lives of 3 mighty men found in 2 Samuel 23: 8-12 and let us gain some perspective into the challenges and battles faced and how each of them responded.  

The first mighty man, Adino, slew 800 men at one time with a spear.  This tells me that there will be challenges that we will face in life that we may be able to deal with at once and defeat them.   The Hebrew translation for Adino’s name means to be sharp or strong.  

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Sometimes you have to make up in your mind that you are going to have what God says you can have and you will not be intimidated because of the size or the number of the opponent.  We no longer wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places.  One of the main attacks by the enemy is against the mind.  If he can get you to think the situation is bigger than you are, he is hoping that you will back off, and not pursue your dreams and goals because the obstacles seem bigger than we are.  But I have good news.  We serve a God who is all powerful.  He speaks and sets things in motion. He requires that we have faith and believe that With God all things are possible.  So if you have a dream, a vision, a ministry, a work a goal you would like to accomplish in this life; remember With God, not without him, but with God all things are possible. We must make up in our minds that we will put on the whole armor of God and be prepared to fight if the Lord instructs us to do so. And if you are going to fight, then fight with all your might.   

The second mighty man, is Eleazar.  He is found fighting until he was so weary and his hand stuck to the sword.  There are some fights in life that will make us become weary.  But you cannot put down your sword.  We must continue fighting and continue steadfast in the Word of God.  Then the people came back and begin taking the spoils.  You have to understand that some people are not going to stand with you as you are in the fight, but they will show up when the dust settles to collect the spoils.  They show up when you no longer need any help.  

The third mighty man is Shammah.  Shammah came upon a piece of ground full of lentils.  And the Philistines also came upon this same piece of ground. The people fled from the area, but Shammah stood in the midst of the ground defended the land.  And the Lord was with him and he had a great victory.  In each of these examples the Lord is the one who gives the victory.   

Sometimes we have to fight for what you believe in even if you have to stand by yourself. Don’t look for everyone to stand with you or even be in agreement with your cause or your fight.  Sometimes we spend too much time asking other people what they think instead of moving forward in the things of God.  I am not saying that you should not listen to others; there is safety in the multitude of counselors, however sometimes we become too dependent upon what people say instead of what the Lord says. Be strong in the Lord and the Power of His Might.  God Loves you and so do I……. Pastor Tammy

When the going gets tough, the tough get going !!! 

Are you facing a tough situation?  There is a word of encouragement for you today.  We will look into the lives of 3 mighty men found in 2 Samuel 23: 8-12 and let us gain some perspective into the challenges and battles faced and how each of them responded.  

The first mighty man, Adino, slew 800 men at one time with a spear.  This tells me that there will be challenges that we will face in life that we may be able to deal with at once and defeat them.   The Hebrew translation for Adino’s name means to be sharp or strong.   

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Sometimes you have to make up in your mind that you are going to have what God says you can have and you will not be intimidated because of the size or the number of the opponent.  We no longer wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places.  One of the main attacks by the enemy is against the mind.  If he can get you to think the situation is bigger than you are, he is hoping that you will back off, and not pursue your dreams and goals because the obstacles seem bigger than we are.  But I have good news.  We serve a God who is all powerful.  He speaks and sets things in motion. He requires that we have faith and believe that With God all things are possible.  So if you have a dream, a vision, a ministry, a work a goal you would like to accomplish in this life; remember With God, not without him, but with God all things are possible. We must make up in our minds that we will put on the whole armor of God and be prepared to fight if the Lord instructs us to do so. And if you are going to fight, then fight with all your might.    

The second mighty man, is Eleazar.  He is found fighting until he was so weary and his hand stuck to the sword.  There are some fights in life that will make us become weary.  But you cannot put down your sword.  We must continue fighting and continue steadfast in the Word of God.  Then the people came back and begin taking the spoils.  You have to understand that some people are not going to stand with you as you are in the fight, but they will show up when the dust settles to collect the spoils.  They show up when you no longer need any help.  

The third mighty man is Shammah.  Shammah came upon a piece of ground full of lentils.  And the Philistines also came upon this same piece of ground. The people fled from the area, but Shammah stood in the midst of the ground defended the land.  And the Lord was with him and he had a great victory.  In each of these examples the Lord is the one who gives the victory.   

Sometimes we have to fight for what you believe in even if you have to stand by yourself. Don’t look for everyone to stand with you or even be in agreement with your cause or your fight.  Sometimes we spend too much time asking other people what they think instead of moving forward in the things of God.  I am not saying that you should not listen to others; there is safety in the multitude of counselors, however sometimes we become too dependent upon what people say instead of what the Lord says. Be strong in the Lord and the Power of His Might.  God Loves you and so do I……. Pastor Tammy

Dari kemaren ini di FB ramai memasang status menyoal meninggalnya Michael Jackson.

Dan ketika gua blogwalking, beberapa blogger juga banyak yang membuat postingan tentang hal ini.

Ada satu, gua lupa ntah status atau komen, yang bilang bahwa Michael stress dan kesepian sebelum meninggal.

Hal itu bikin gua tercenung..

Kesepian atau yang juga dikenal dengan istilah loneliness.

‘Penyakit’ kronis yang satu ini bisa menyerang siapa saja, kapan pun dan di mana pun.

Dan rasanya ngga ada yang kebal akan penyakit yang satu ini karena once in a while setiap orang mungkin akan disinggahi rasa kesepian.

Kesepian ngga ada hubungannya dengan kesendirian.

Kesendirian lebih menyangkut ada tidaknya orang lain di samping kita.

Sementara kesepian lebih ke masalah hati.

You can feel lonely in the crowd.

Kenapa ya orang bisa ngerasa kesepian?

Ketika kita ingin berbagi rasa dengan seseorang namun ngga ada orang yang bisa mengerti apa yang kita rasakan, kita bisa menjadi kesepian.

Ketika kita merasa ngga ada yang mo mendengarkan, kita bisa kesepian.

Dan gua jadi teringat akan salah satu hal tentang Marilyn Monroe yang mana dia bilang “lonely at top”.

Jadi seleb seperti mereka itu tantangannya pasti lebih berat karena sometimes you can never tell, siapa yang peduli ama elo karena diri elo, siapa yang hanya pengen numpang beken karena kebesaran nama elo aja.

Orang biasa aja (maksudnya non seleb yang ngga live under the spotlight, githuu :p)  susaaaahh nyari yang namanya seorang sahabat “sejati”, orang yang mana dengannya kita bisa berbagi berbagai macam hal, yang kita tahu dia akan (berusaha untuk) selalu ada kapanpun kita membutuhkannya, orang yang mau mengerti diri kita walau mungkin dia ngga setuju akan pendapat kita. Seseorang yang mana kita tahu mereka ngga akan memanfaatkan situasi yang sedang kita hadapi.

Buat yang mo jadi seleb, pastikan dhee.. kalian udah punya a solid ground of true friends yang bisa membuat kalian tetap memijak di tanah ketika all the fame akan melambungkan kalian ke awang2.

Bukannya gua mo bilang that you cannot find true friendship with your newly friends, tapii.. it takes time to get to know someone and when you’re in the middle of fast tracks and lots of changing situations, kadang kita suka miss reading the signs and lebih gampang terlarut dalam situasi sesaat.

Apa ya obat untuk kesepian ini?

As for me.. di saat2 ngerasa lonely, gua ngga mau sendirian, ahahaha, karena kalo sendirian suka timbul pikiran macam2, hihi, jadii mending surround myself with others dhe, biar kata mereka don’t understand what’s playing in my mind, at least when I do something stupid, ada orang yang akan mencegahnya :p

And somehow mungkin kesepian ini bisa juga timbul karena we haven’t make peace with ourselves juga kali ya? Eehh.. ngga hanya dengan diri sendiri dinks, tapi juga dengan orang lain, hehe

And ada satu lagi..

Try to help yourself cause you cannot always depend on others!

Beneraaann..

Kadang ada saat elo ingin berteriak minta tolong tapii kata2 itu hanya mampu tercekat di tenggorokan tanpa elo mampu mengeluarkan sepatah katapun and instead of show your weakness, elo malah mengukir sebuah senyuman di wajah untuk menunjukkan pada dunia bahwa elo baik2 aja.

But inside.. you’re not.

Ngga semua orang bisa mendengar your cry for help, ketika elo menjeritkannya sekalipun, sometimes they just miss it, apalagi kalo elo ngga menunjukkannya?!

Beberapa waktu lalu gua nonton DVD Oprah and ada salah satu narasumber yang almost her life dia itu struggling with anorexia, namanya Rudine kalo ngga salah inget.

Tubuhnya hanya tinggal tulang dan kulit aja tapi ketika menatap ke cermin, dia melihat bahwa dirinya itu gemuk makanya dia menolak untuk makan.

Sempat dia berhasil menaikkan berat badannya, yang walau belon mencapai ukuran tubuh ideal tapi udah jauuuhh lebih berisi dibanding sebelumnya, sebelum akhirnya dia kembali ke kebiasaannya ngga mau makan, dan akhirnya meninggal.

Ada satu episode yang menayangkan si Rudine dipertemukan dengan Tracy, hmm.. gua lupa nama lengkapnya, tapi dia yang main di “Growing Pains” itu lho.

Tracy juga sempat mengalami anorexia sebelum akhirnya sembuh. Dan dengan semangat Tracy bercerita panjang lebar pada Rudine bahwa ia harus berpikiran positif bla bla bla.. dan Rudine hanya menatap Tracy dengan pandangan kosong sambil berkata, “But how?”, and Tracy missed it.

Instead of  capturing her silent cry for help, Tracy terus melanjutkan kata2nya dengan berapi2.

Well.. can’t blame Tracy juga seehh.. even psikolog yang mustinya lebih bisa mendengar aja suka miss, apalagi kita yaa.

Tapi yaa..

Kadang githu dhee..

Kita juga musti belajar untuk mengucapkan kata “tolong” kali ya karena kita toh not a mind-and-heart-reader, mana kita tau apa yang ada dalam hati dan pikiran orang lain.

Mana kita tau bahwa di balik senyuman mereka, ternyata sedang berkecamuk sebuah badai dahsyat dalam hatinya yang siap menyapu bersih seluruh kehidupan dia.

Udah nonton “The Revolutionary Road” khan?

Same case.

Dan jangan lupa, build personal relationship with God.. Gua bukan orang yang terlalu religius, huehehe.. but in times when I’m feeling so down, penghiburan itu datang dan menguatkan gua.

Ituu.. gua juga berasa belon punya hubungan personal yang terlalu dekat ma Tuhan, hehe.. gimana kalo udah dekat bangets, coba?

Dia pasti akan selalu mengulurkan tanganNya untuk menolong kita, hanya saja seringkali kita tuh memandang ke arah lain jadi ngga melihat tanganNya yang terulur untuk merangkul kita.

Seperti pelangi aja dhe.

I always believe that there’s always rainbow after the rain, cuman kadang ya itu, ntah karena kita mandang ke arah lain atau ketutupan gedung atau ada awan mendung yang masih menggelayut di langit makanya kita ngga bisa melihat tuh pelangi, atau ngga kalo ujannya udah malam khan susah tuh keliatan, haha, kalah saing ama gelapnya langit malam :p

Seperti biasaa.. awalnya ngomongin apaan, nih topik kok jadi melebar ke mana2 yaa, ahahahaa :p

Gua lagi mikirr..

Sebenernya halangan terbesar kita untuk melangkah maju itu berasal dari dalam diri kita kali yee?

Ntah itu berupa keinginan yang kadang ngga realistis :p

Rasa malaaaaassss yang mendera (oh oohh.. gua bangets!)

Gampang nyerah terhadap kerikil2 kecil yang ada di sepanjang jalan.

Hmm..

Banyak lagi dhee..

And sebenernya judul gua kali ini ngga nyambung seeh ama apa yang udah gua ungkapkan di atas, wakakakakak

Maklum, udah lama ngga ngetik jadinya susye juga ya ternyata bikin postingan yang dari awal, tengah ampe akhir tuh serirama, eehh.. walau dipikir2 lagi seehh..

Gua emang ngga pernah bikin postingan yang isinya ‘menyatu’

Anywayy..

Maksud gua nulis ‘terbelenggu’ ini adalah karena sometimes I feel like gua menetapkan aturan sendiri terus lantas jadi stress sendiri karena ngga berhasil nerapin aturan gua itu, huhuhu..

Githu aja kok repots?

Toh aturan aturan sendiri ini, tinggal ganti aja toh?!

Masalahnyaa..

Berhubung aturannya aturan sendiri jadi gua berasa yaa.. at least gua donks harus melaksanakannya donks

Ngga lucu amat bikin aturan sendiri tapi ngga bisa melakukannya, ahahaha..

Yang gua maksudkan di sini adalaahhh..

Gua menetapkan kalo tiap postingan kelipatan 25, gua akan menuliskan suatu postingan khusus dengan tema beragam tapi yaa setidaknya ada ‘isi’nya githuu

Masalahnyaa.. gua khan moody tuh. Jadinya kadang pas udah nyerempet kelipatan 25 eehh kaga ada ide buat tuh postingan ’spesial’ jadinya males ngetik2 dhe, ahaha..

Hmm.. gua rasa itu salah satu alasan kenapa gua demen bikin blog baru mulu, hihihi.. jadi khan bisa menetapkan aturan baru di my new freshly blog :p

Så kom den endelig – den alvorlige snak, som jeg har gået og ventet på. Den slår aldrig fejl. Snakken om det springende punkt, og, med frygt for at lyde pessimistisk, sandsynligvis også dette parforholds dødsstød nogle år ude i fremtiden…

Det er så sandt, som det er sagt: Det kræver svære valg at være selvstændig og at ville… alt er bare lidt hårdere, når man ikke har noget sikkerhedsnet, og når man vælger den usikre vej.

Det passer altid med omkring 2 år inde i parforholdet, før min bedre halvdel finder ud af, at det altså ikke bare er en dille i mit hovedet, som nok skal gå over, når jeg siger, at jeg er karrierekvinde – det har jeg lagt klart ud fra starten, og alligevel kommer det gang på gang som et chok for min bedre halvdel. Eneste forklaring må være, at de tror de kan “konvertere” mig til husmor med tiden og dræbe mit “drive”…

Jeg ved godt, at langt langt langt de fleste kvinder har et meget stort omsorgsgen og i højere grad end mænd har et “pleaser-gen” og føler ansvar over for fx rengøring, madlavning, tøjvask, altså at få hverdagen til at fungere – ikke kun for sig selv, men også for ens partner – og tit uden tak. Som min kæreste sagde: “jamen… jeg har da aldrig været vant til at gøre sådan noget selv…“. Der er sikkert også rigtig mange mænd derude, som føler, at de hjælper rigtig meget til derhjemme, men der vil stadig ikke være tvivl om, at disse mænd ville blive overbebyrdede, hvis arbejdsfordelingen tog en drejning på 180 grade, og rollerne blev byttet om. Under min mors sygdom, mens hun var indlagt, gik det op for min far, hvor meget min mor egentlig laver…. han var rystet og snakkede faktisk ikke om andet.

Jeg ved, hvad jeg vil. Det er ingen hemmelighed at det med fx børn kræver, at den ene af parterne gør et større offer end den anden. Og hvis det nogensinde sker, at det med børn bliver aktuelt (det bliver ikke på min opfordring!!), så kan jeg sige uden at blinke, at jeg ikke bliver den, der ofrer mig rent karrieremæssigt. Det bliver også min kæreste, som må plage om børn. Det bliver min kæreste, der må ofrer sin karriere (han er leder). Det bliver min kæreste, der skal tage det største ansvar i husholdningen og planlægningen af hverdagen (hente, bringe, madpakke, pakke skoletasker mv.). Alt i alt bliver det min kæreste, der må gøre det største offer, hvis han virklige ønsker at få børn (med mig). Og hvorfor er det egentlig også så slemt, at jeg har det på den måde? – det skal jeg sige dig, det er fordi jeg er kvinde…. hvis jeg var mand, ville det næsten være en helt naturlig rollefordeling, ikke sandt? Hvis jeg var mand, var det ikke specielt mærkeligt, at det var min kæreste, der plagede om børn, eller at det var hende, der tog den største tørn i hjemmet.

Længe leve ligestilling! Nej vent… det tager jeg i mig igen. Længe leve frihed til at vælge selv!!!

Min kæreste foreslog ved denne første alvorlige snak en clean 50:50 fordeling af arbejdet mht. børn…. men indtil vi når omkring 70:30, er børn fuldstændig udelukket. I have to stand my ground – ellers kan jeg sgu lige så godt smide håndklædet i ringen nu.

Ada yang udah pernah nonton film yang diperankan oleh Bruce Willis dan Michelle Pfieffer (maap ya, Tante, kalo salah nulis nama belakangnya abis blibets seeh ;p) ini?

Filmnya ini sendiri alurnya maju mundur, kadang menceritakan tentang masa kini, sesekali ada flashback ke masa lalu.

Maann.. seriously dhee.. terutama bagi kalian yang sudah menikah dan mempunyai anak, I recommend for you to watch this movie, huehehe

And seeing this movie, I could easily picture myself as either one of the main character karena gua serasa ngeliat cerminan diri gua dalam kehidupan pernikahan nanti di film ini.

One of the thing that I worry the most about marriage adalah tentang..

BOSAN ‘bo!!

Sampai sekarang gua masih ngga bisa membayangkan diri gua menghabiskan hidup hanya dengan satu orang aja selamanya, aaiihh..

Bisakah gua tetap mencintainya til death do us part?

Akankah dia tetap mencintai gua seperti janji yang pernah diucapkannya di altar?

Gua ngga mau kita nantinya tetap terikat dalam pernikahan hanya karena agama ngga membolehkan kita bercerai, sementara dalam pernikahannya itu sendiri udah ngga ada lagi hal2 yang dulunya membuat kita memutuskan untuk menghabiskan hidup bersama untuk selamanyaa..

Gua bener2 berharap bahwa ini cuman salah satu ketakutan ngga beralasan gua yang ngga akan menjadi kenyataan suatu hari nanti ketika gua finally memasuki kehidupan rumah tangga.

Kadang gua mikir mungkin gua ngerasa seperti ini karena gua belon menemukan ‘the one’ yang membuat tumbuh perasaan that I want to spend the rest of my life with him kali yee?

Hehehe.. itu seeh yang mauu bangets gua percayai, ahahahaha..

Belakangan ini suka mentok sendiri seeh antara idealisme gua dengan kenyataan yang ternyata ngga seindah bayangan gua selama ini :p

Belon lagi kalo dihadang berbagai masalah ‘klasik’ macam perselingkuhan githuu.. bisakah gua memaafkannya dan kembali menerimanya walau dia udah mengakui pernah membagi cinta dan ranjang dengan wanita lain (apalagi kalo dengan pria, aiihh!!).

Banyak hal yang saat ini udah gua bikin list-nya yang nantinya ngga bakal gua tolerir kalo gua menikah nantii..

Contohnya nih yaa..

Selingkuhh!

Aahh.. aahh.. Biar kata banyak yang bilang kalo cuman selingkuh fisik tanpa melibatkan hati seeh otree2 it’s karena udah nature-nya lelaki kadang ngga bisa menahan hasrat biologisnya, tetep ajaa.. gua ngga terimaa!!

Kalo emang tuh laki beneran mencintai istrinya, please dhe aahh.. belajar donks yang namanya pengendalian dirii!!

Godaan akan selalu ada, tapi ngga semua yang tersaji di depan mata itu harus ‘dicicipi’ khan?! *toeng*

Next is..

Ringan tangan!!

Eehh.. berhubung selama sekolah tuh pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia gua nilainya selalu ngepas muluu.. ringan tangan itu artinya bukannya suka menolong yaa?

Kenapa sekarang banyak lelaki yang suka mukul istrinya dibilang ringan tangan yaa? Apa emang berarti ganda? *hmm*

Anywayy.. iyaa.. gua sih ngga bakal terimaa kalo suami gua nanti main tangan!

Please dhe aaahh.. ortu gua aja yang ngegedein gua selama ini, yang sering bangets gua bikin jengkel dari sejak gua lahir aja ngga pernah tuh melayangkan tamparan or pukulan ke wajah dan tubuh guaa!!

Emangnya elo siapaa.. *suamii, dia suamii* berani2nya mukul2?! Pengen jadi petinju tapi ngga kesampean, Mas? Kasian dhee.. nanti gua beliin karung pasir dhe terus gua gantungin di langit2 and tiap situ berasa pengen melampiaskan amarah, tinggal tonjokkin aja tuh karung, beres toh?

Kalo ampe tuh karung bocor saking hebohnya situ tonjok2in, tenaaaanggg.. gua sediain yang banyaaakk! :p

Banyak lagi sih contoh2 lainnya, hehehe.. tapi kayanya dua itu yang paling utama dhee ^o^

Tapii.. ada tapii-nya neehh yaa..

Masalahnya sekarang adalahh.. Menelaah dari perilaku gua selama inii..

Kalo gua mang udah sayang ma seseorangg.. makaa..

Kemungkinan besar gua akan mentolerir sikapnya!

Aiihh.. tidaaakk!! Tidaaaakkk!!

Gua akan jadi seperti istri2 di sinetron yang hanya bisa menangis sesegukan ketika mendapati suaminya sedang bermesraan dengan wanita lain and betapapun marahnya, ketika dia kembali merangkak sambil memohon maaf maka hati gua akan luluhh..

And gua akan setengah meyakinkan diri gua bahwa dia pasti akan berubah, kalo itu akan jadi his one and only timee..

And andai kejadiannya berulang kembalii, gua akan kembali menghibur diri kalo that would be his last time.. again.. and again!

Aarrrggghhh..

Belon lagi kalo dia mukul!

Kalo sekarang seeh gua ngebayanginnya, sori aja yaa!!

Elo mukul, gua akan balaaasss!! Kalo perlu pake penggorengan, huahahahaha :p

*oohh ooohh ooohh, sungguh rumah tangga yang penuh dengan kekerasan*

And sebelnya neeh yaa..

Dari kuis kepribadian yang gua ikutin, walau gua sempet berubah hasilnya tapii.. ada satu kesimpulan yang sama, yaitu..

Tipe gua itu tipe yang susah meninggalkan suatu hubungan, betapapun buruknya keadaan di dalamnya, aaarrrggghhh!! *toeng*

Huehehe.. I know.. I know, kenapa jadi menggantungkan diri pada hasil kuis githuu?

Abis gimana donks, soalnya kurang lebih tuh kuis emang sesuai dengan keadaan dan apa yang gua pikirkan tentang diri gua, ahahaa.. jadi khan semacam konfirmasi dari apa yang selama ini hanya melayang2 dalam pikiran githu lhoo :p

Huaa.. kalo mo ngomongin soal “What If..?” emang ngga akan pernah ada habisnya yaa..

Akan ada sejuta pengandaian (and more!) yang mana jawabannya ngga akan pernah gua ketahui dengan pasti karena yaa banyak juga yang ngga bakal kejadian, ahahaha :p

Jadii..

Yang paling sipp emang yang satu ini neehh..

Serahkan semuanya kepada Tuhan karena hanya Dia yang mengetahui apa yang terbaik buat gua, mungkin ngga seperti yang gua inginkan tapi pastinya yang diberikanNya adalah yang gua butuhkan dan gua perlukan to shape me to be a better person ^o^

Tapii, Tuhann.. minta satuu yaa.. yang beda2 tipis donks ma Totti, hihihi *ngelunjak mode is on*

Sama yaangg..

*aiihh, daftarnya bakal panjang nih, Tuhan, hehehe, dan seperti yang Tuhan pastinya udah tau, ini selalu berubah from time to time, ahahaha*

Aaahhh.. marriagee..

Huaa.. semalam tuh yaa, berhubung Mozilla tiba2 ngambeks, jadilah terpaksa browsing pakai Explorer lagi dhe, and *grr* lambretaa bangetsss, aarrrgghh..

Anywayy..

Berhubung kaga sabar nungguinnya, akhirnya di tengah2 menjelang jam 12, gua matiin kompie aja dhe, abisnya kaga bisa main Farm Town jugaa *hiks*

And karena rasa kantuk belum datang menyapa, gua pun memutuskan untuk melirik tumpukan DVD yang masih banyak belum tersentuh sejak gua bisa online lagi di kompie, hahaha, penyakit dhe aww..

Kenapa yaa online itu lebih menggoda dibanding nonton film atau melakukan hal yang lainnya? :p

Film yang gua pilih itu berjudul “The Italian”, jangan nanya siapa yang main karena sepertinya seeh bukan pemain terkenal dhee..

Dan sepertinya ini film Russia karena sepanjang percakapan yang terdengar tuh bahasa antah berantai yang ngga gua mengerti sedikitpun, sambil sesekali diselingi bahasa Italia ma a very little English.

Jadi bergantung sepenuhnya ama teks dhe yang untungnya otree *thumbs up*

Okayy.. mari masuk ke ceritanya duluu..

Alkisah di suatu hari bersaljuu.. ada sepasang suami istri dari Italia yang menyusuri jalanan di Russia untuk mewujudkan mimpi mereka memiliki momongan, eehh.. ngga segitu kecilnya seeh, hehe, momongan mah kesannya bayi yaa..

Ulangg..

Untuk mewujudkan mimpi mereka memiliki anak

Setelah mengalami insiden mobil mogok di tengah hantaman udara dingin, sampailah mereka beserta agen pengadopsian anak di sebuah panti asuhan yang kebanyakan berisi anak2 yatim piatu berjenis kelamin laki2 yang usianya masih di bawah 10 tahun.

Adalah Vanya, bocah berusia 6 tahun yang menjadi pilihan pasangan suami istri ini. Mereka bertiga menghabiskan waktu untuk berbincang2 selama sekitar 1 jam dan pasangan ini puas dan ingin segera membawa Vanya ke Italia apabila surat2 perijinan telah selesai dibuat.

Pasangan Italia ini pulang kembali ke Italia sementara Vanya masih harus menjalani 2 bulan kehidupan di panti asuhan sebelum bertolak ke Italia.

Waktu yang cukup untuk menyeruakkan sebuah drama yang berakhir dramatis. Drama yang dimulai dengan kedatangan seorang ibu yang dulu menelantarkan anaknya. Sang ibu datang ke panti asuhan dengan harapan untuk bisa mengambil kembali anak yang dulu pernah ditinggalkannya itu.

Sekian tahun setelah menyerahkannya, si ibu baru menyadari akan kesalahan yang dibuatnya itu, karenanya ia segera menelusuri jejak sang anak yang membawanya ke panti asuhan tempat Vanya berada.

Malang bagi sang ibu, sang anak yang merupakan teman Vanya itu telah diadopsi oleh sebuah keluarga sebelum kedatangan sang ibu. Dan direktur panti asuhan itu menolak memberikan keterangan apapun tentang keluarga yang mengadopsi anaknya itu. Bahkan dengan kasarnya, sang direktur mengusir ibu itu keluar dari ruangannya.

Ibu itu hanya bisa menangis di halte depan panti asuhan sambil menunggu bis yang akan membawanya pergi dari tempat itu.

Vanya yang kebetulan sedang berjalan menuju ke panti asuhan, dipanggil oleh ibu tersebut dan diajak berbincang2 karena sang ibu ingin mengetahui tentang anaknya dan perihal keluarga yang mengadopsi anaknya itu.

Tak lama, sang ibu mengucapkan terima kasih karena Vanya telah mau menemaninya dan meladeni obrolannya. Lalu sang ibu itu berlalu dengan bis terakhir yang lewat di jalanan itu.

Kabar menggemparkan beredar di seluruh penjuru panti asuhan ketika keesokan harinya, mereka mendapatkan kabar bahwa sang ibu yang datang mencari anaknya kemaren itu, meninggal terlindas kereta api, dicurigai itu adalah tindakan bunuh diri akibat keputusasaannya.

Sejak kedatangan sang ibu dan bercakap2 sejenak dengannya itu, Vanya jadi ragu untuk mengikuti keluarga barunya ke Italia. Muncul pertanyaan dalam benak Vanya, bagaimana jika kejadian yang sama menimpa ibunya?

Bagaimana setelah dirinya dibawa ke Italia, sang ibu muncul dan tidak bisa menemukan jejaknya? Vanya pun berusaha mencari tahu informasi apapun yang berkaitan dengan dirinya, dan dengan bantuan seorang wanita muda (yang sepertinya dulu juga adalah anak dari panti asuhan tersebut), Vanya berhasil melarikan diri dari panti asuhan dengan mengantongi alamat yang diyakininya akan membawanya ke tempat di mana ibunya mungkin berada.

Setelah melalui jalan yang berliku2, si kecil Vanya pun akhirnya mendapatkan kebahagiaan yang selalu diimpikan oleh setiap anak yang tinggal di panti asuhan, yaitu untuk bisa bersama kembali dengan orang tua kandung mereka.

Ituu.. tentang filmnyaa..

Sekarang tentang hal lain yang berkaitan dengan film ini, hal yang mana selalu mengganjal di pikiran gua karena gua ngga tau jawaban akan pertanyaan gua sendiri itu, hahaha :p

Pertanyaan itu adalahh..

“Perlu ngga sih memberitahukan pada sang anak adopsi bahwa dirinya itu bukanlah anak kandung keluarga tersebut?!“

Jawaban gua pribadi seeh antara perlu ngga perlu.

Emang sih sang anak perlu tauu.. tapii.. kalo emang sekarang dia udah bahagia, buat apa memberitahunya hal yang bisa merusak kebahagiaan itu sendiri?

Especially buat anak yang diadopsi dari bayi ya, karena kalo udah rada gedean khan tanpa dibilang juga sedikit banyak dia udah tau kalo dirinya tuh bukan anak kandung dari orangtuanya yang sekarang.

Kalo emang mo ngasih tau tuh anak..

Bagaimana cara yang tepat untuk menyampaikannya tanpa mengesankan seolah sang ortu sudah ngga menginginkan kehadiran sang anak adopsi lagi karena mungkin mereka sekarang telah memiliki anak kandung?!

Kalo gua memposisikan diri sebagai orangtua..

Hmm.. gimana yaa.. di satu sisi gua sih ngga pengen ngasih tauu.. And andai gua memutuskan untuk memberitahunya sekalipun, pada saat gua memberitahunya nanti, gua akan pastikan kalo gua punya data2 penelusuran yang cukup tentang orangtua kandungnya tuh anak.

Gua ngga mau sekedar bilang ke tuh anak kalo dia bukan anak kandung gua and that’s it. Gua pengen ketika dia menanyakan ke gua tentang orangtua kandungnya, sedikit banyak gua punya informasi untuk menjawab keingintahuan tuh anak.

Kalo gua memposisikan diri sebagai sang anak..

Well.. secara otomatis gua akan bertanya2 dalam hati, apa seeh maksud mereka mengungkapkan semuanya itu?! Why and why now?

And gua ngga bisa membayangkan gimana perasaan gua pas dengar hal itu dari ortu, especially since tanpa mereka ngasih tau sekalipun, gua udah ngerasain ada perbedaan sikap sang ortu ke gua and ke anak mereka yang lain, huaaa..

Kalo menurut kalian, gimana?

Aihh.. Tampaknya gua musti mulai menyamaratakan password neeh! Gilee aje dari tadi gua mau login ke WordPress tapi gagal mulu gara2 gua lupa password, wakakakak :p

Pertama2, thanks to Eka yang udah mencantumkan m.wordpress.com di salah satu komen postingannya, ha3, asli gua baru tau wordpress bisa diakses via mobile, ooh ohh, betapa gapteknya diriku :p

Huaa.. Asli dhe, gua kangen ngetik panjang2. Sayangnya pas kompie lagi beres, gua selalu kalah ma godaan buat ngisi2 kuis or main game di kompie jadi ya ga bisa konsen akan apa yang mau gua ketik.

Sementara kalo ngetik via ponsel di fb, bikin jempol2 sukses keriting :p

Anyway, gua lagi dalam rangka penganalisaan diri neeh.

Ketika gua komplain ke seseorang or menceritakan tentang kekuatiran gua or tentang betapa apesnya hari yang gua lalui, sebenernya respon macam apa sih yang gua harapkan?

Gua ga memungkiri bahwa menyenangkan kalo punya pendengar simpatik yang selalu punya stok kata2 penghiburan yang menenangkan dan dia ga bosan2nya bilang ke kita bahwa segalanya akan baik2 aja!

But sometimes gua pikir yang gua butuhkan bukanlah their soothing words, I need a wake up call, a slap in the face (eitss, jangan diartikan secara harafiah yaa karena nanti bisa2 muka gua penuh dengan bekas tanda merah berbentuk tangan *ouch*),  someone who cares enough to make me realize that things might not be okay if I don’t fix what I did wrong.

Seseorang yang mengingatkan gua kalo gua ngga merubah hal2 yang ngga beres sekarang, maka in near future I’m going to have to deal with the same thing all over again, such a waste of time khan padahal seharusnya gua bisa dealing with another bigger thing, huahaha :p

Yoii.. Beberapa waktu belakangan ini gua jadi makin percaya kalo kita itu selalu diuji dari waktu ke waktu.

Bukannya untuk menjadikan kita lemah dan putus asa sih, justru ujian itu datang untuk membuat kita menjadi lebih kuat, membuat kita berusaha dan in the end kita bisa ngeliat bahwa heyy, ternyataa.. kita bisa juga toh melalui hal2 yang terasa berat ini.

Jadi, please yaa.. next time I’m complaining or telling about how bad my life turn out to be, please pleasee.. don’t comfort me too much, karena your comfort might not get me anywhere, hehehe..

Mendingan bantuin gua untuk ‘membuka’ mataa

Its widely proposed that to succeed and be innovative you have to had plenty of the failure experience. Therefore failure should be acceptable facet of innovation.

While acceptable, this is far from desirable, not because we dont think there is much to be learned in the process of failure and that consequential outcomes are valuable, but that by implication innovation should be a free-spirited and spontaneous process and what will be, will be.

Failure would be fine, if it wasn’t so expensive. Because failures cost money (and time), high failure rates can cause corporations to become very gun shy about innovation.

Of course, one way out of this problem is to increase the innovation success rate. A noble aspiration for sure. But be careful. Following that seemingly sensible path can lead to some perverse behavior.

A company can almost always “succeed” by introducing “new and improved” products that cannibalize what they already sell. A company can confidently state that all of its revenue comes from products launched within the past two years, feel good about its innovation efforts, and actually be falling further behind competitors.

In fact, when we look at the numbers it is estimated that only 10% of our ideas are worthy of testing, and only 10% of them will be winners. Thats 1%! . So, we are not managing a programme of success, we are actually managing a programme of failure; therefore the real answer is to dramatically decrease the cost of failure. Here are 3 ways…

1. Lower the costs of experiments. Running experiments need not be expensive. There are tons of low cost ways to test critical assumptions. Be creative, imagine you hadn’t a budget, imagine this was your business and you dont have the cash. Beg, borrow, steal, collaborate, even postpone expensive testing until the project has been de-risked.
2. Prioritise your unknowns. Many companies spend a lot of money answering the wrong questions. They’ll seek to perfect a technology without understanding whether there’s a market need. Assess strategic risks first, because they are often what sink an idea. Chances are someone else has already thought of your idea.
3. Increase the pace of decision making. Entrepreneurs with clearly bad ideas typically don’t have the luxury of spending money on those ideas for too long. Companies, however, can let bad ideas linger for inordinate amounts of time because of slow decision-making processes. Shutting down flawed projects early avoids needless spending — and focuses resources on the best ideas.

Projects are often expensive because companies seek perfection in their own eyes before they run any sort of test. Remember, the less you’ve spent, the more freedom you have to change your approach.

As Seth Godin says ‘ Stop being perfect and start being remarkable’. Good enough will be good enough

And finally, remember that failure is not a dirty word. The odds are pretty high that your first idea is wrong along some meaningful dimension. If you fail fast and fail cheap, you can accelerate discovering a winning idea. 

Of course, it’s one thing for companies to say they embrace the right kind of failure. It’s quite another thing to create a culture that rewards low-risk failures and savors surprises.

In fact why shouldn’t we succeed cheaply too.

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Right…. its a downturn, things are tight, only those who innovate will survive, we need new ideas, we need the next big thing…..

But how can you when you have already decided to suspend your expensive ‘next big thing’….priorities after all; a natural reaction to a slowdown in purchases of existing products. However we get so enamored with new products we forget about the products that carried the company. With the next new thing on hold, it’s time to focus on products in the portfolio and make them relevant to buyers.

Its important to remember (even with your next big thing) that products sell when they satisfy a need in the market that is urgent, pervasive and buyers are willing to pay. In good economic times this rule is relaxed because companies are flush with cash.  In tough economic times the rule is absolute.

Your challenge is a direct result of a change in the buying environment.  It has changed violently and you must respond to regain a position of relevance.

Adopt the 4 Rs of selling more stuff

1. Reacquaint yourself with your buyers and their problems. Have your customers been let down by othe vendors, competitors and the like. Don’t fool yourself.  Your buyer’s problems and priorities will have changed so get out there and talk with people.  Go talk to your angriest customer, its a humbling experience, you will learn a lot and they will appreciate that you are listening.
2. Revisit your product portfolio. Hopefully some of the products can solve problems that are urgent, pervasive and customers are will to pay for in today’s market. Focus on the products that have the most promise. Be prepared that this may shake the foundations of your core product beliefs.
3. Realign the products in the portfolio within your new understanding of your buyer’s problems. Re-position the products that can solve those urgent, pervasive problems that buyers are willing to pay for. Add incremental features to support the new positioning, if necessary. The goal isn’t to re-engineer the productbut to re-align to market conditions, and quickly.
4. Relaunch the repositioned products emphasizing customer problems and how you solve them, not the features.  Present a fresh perspective ( or even a perspective they never saw value in before) to your customers and regain a position of relevance that well enable you to sell more stuff.

Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. As Dave Daniels at Launch Clinic says ‘don’t put lipstick on a pig’; it’s too transparent; but there is value in your portfolio you can mine and repurpose to gain new revenue. It’s up to you to find the value and share it with your customers.

Adpated from Dave Daniels at Launch Clinic

Why Innovate now?

It always happens.  In tough times, there is a tendency to retreat and take on a defensive posture.  Survivalist thinking takes over as uncertainty in the business climate grows.  But with the worst of times also come the best opportunities.  Now is not the time to shrink investments in the future.  Quite the contrary, now is the time for innovation.  Here are five reasons to innovate now!

CLICK HERE >>

There are still opportunities to thrive

It looks like being as bad a recession as we’ve ever had. Businesses have had little time to prepare for these challenging conditions, but I know from experience that there are things you can do to mitigate the circumstances and come through strongly.

CLICK HERE >>

What practices are going to ensure that you lead your busienss through these tough times? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Listen to the Cry for Accountability

Leadership is accountable to investors, shareholders, regulators – but most significantly we are accountable to our customers and our people. 

2. Get into the trenches

Break down the walls of hierarchy, flatten your structure, walk the floor get amoungst your people.

3. Get emotional

Let people know what matters, you have passion and you are looking for passionate behaviour

4. Chase the rainbow

As everyone else cuts, slashes and burns, their horizon is the here and now. The horizon is an invitation however close it appears, and there are opportunities.

5. From Me to We

The power of an oragnisation is in its people, Harness it, ask for solutions and acknowledge the source of them.

6. Nimble feet

Agility, speed of response, fail frequently-fail cheaply. Say no more

7. Keep it Simple

Always best if you want others to understand what you are doing, especially your customers.

8. Ask the right questions

Know what you want to achieve, ask the questions that will deliver it.

9. Adapt to the new work order

Think global, act local.

10. Yes we can

Of course we can.

You have been the dominant force in our industry but are currently facing stiff competition from another firm with similar products.  Most of their products are slightly lower quality than your products and are priced correspondingly lower.  How do you respond?

When it comes to competitive pricing, there are two key questions:

• Why might a customer prefer to do business with us as opposed to our competitors? These are your “differentiators” which will tend to keep customers in the fold, even if you’re charging more.
• How long can the differentiators sustain the relationship before the customer jumps to a lower-priced competitor? If the customer values the relationship, they’ll tolerate paying more.

Therefore, when confronted with competitive pricing pressure, you need to know your “differentiators” and how much the customer values them.  There are six basic differentiators:

1. Feature. Your product is different (i.e. does more) than the competition’s.
2. Convenience. Your product is easier to purchase than the competition’s.
3. Tradition. Purchasing your product is a well-established habit.
4. Quality. Your product is identical to the competition, but better made.
5. Personality. The customer prefers doing business with you, personally.
6. Mutuality. You have agreements that are key to the customer’s success.

Your “counterattack” consists of calling the customer’s attention to these differentiators, and increasing the value that they have in the customer’s world.

For example, if you’re going to run with the “quality” differentiator, you’ll need to come up with objective data showing that the competitor’s products are lower quality (call attention) and then raise the specter that the lower quality could hurt your customer’s own business (increase value).

Similarly, if you want to develop the “mutuality” differentiator, you should focus on finding some strategic ways that your two firms can collaborate, thereby making the price issue less important.

The more differeniators that you put into play, the less likely the customer will be to jump to a competitor.

This is adapted from an article which appeared in Sales Machine

All that said, many businesses that do differentiate and provide high levels of  value-add to their customers often forgive themselves failings in the basics of of a supply relationship.

7. Customer service. Lead-time and on-time delivery. It shouldn’t be, but when your competitor doesn’t deliver on time and has continual issues with quality, it soon becomes a real differentiator.

Most people are focusing on the downturn and the dangers it poses rather than on the opportunity for innovation. Most businesses are restructuring and streamlining their operations. How can you maximize your chances in the change maelstrom? One way is to take a positive approach to change and to be seen as an innovative go-getter who will help make re-organization a success. Here’s how:

1. Adopt a positive attitude.

Change is inevitable for every organization so it is time to start liking it. Change means new opportunities, new responsibilities, and new things to learn and do. People who are positive about new challenges are more likely to be given them. People who are resistant to change and reluctant to adapt are the first to be culled.

2. Become a change agent.

Make suggestions. Introduce ideas and recommendations. Look for ways in which your department could bring in new products, business processes or partnerships. Ask yourself — is there a better way to meet the needs of our customers? Anticipate trends and suggest ways of changing the department to exploit new opportunities and new technologies.

3. Listen to customers.

Where can you find the ideas for change? One source is customers. In your dealings with clients you should make a point of asking how your product or service could be improved. What do they like and dislike about your offering? How are their business needs changing? Remember the proposals you made months ago, and were never taken up? What about now? Are your customers being let down by your competitors and other suppliers? One mans crisis is anothers opportunity.

4. Watch the competition.

Keep an eye on what they are doing and any innovations they introduce. Ask customers what other suppliers are doing that is smart and new. Study their initiatives and see what works. Suggest ways in which you cannot just match the competition but leapfrog them. Dont forget to ask your customers how your competitors measure up; are they screwing up?

5. Be sensitive to office politics.

For most ideas it is best to talk them through with colleagues in your department and in other areas to test their workability before you speak to your manager. That way you have checked out the concept, cleared some obvious objections and gained feedback before you propose it. It will sound better thought out. However, there are some ideas that are so sensitive that it would be silly to bat them around the office before proposing them. You have to choose your moments carefully. Often you can prepare the ground by describing the size of the problem and agreeing how pressing it is before you introduce your idea. Catch the boss when he or she is most receptive. Sometimes it is best to introduce your big idea outside the hurly burly of the office.

6. Don’t insist on the glory.

If you spark an idea and then other people adapt and improve it then that is fine. By letting go you have a better chance of it being adopted than if you insist on driving every aspect of the initiative because it “was your idea in the first place.” Sometimes the cleverest tactic is to let your boss take it over as his or her idea. People will still know that you were the one who planted the seed.

7. Be prepared for rejection.

Most managers are analytical and critical. They are good at finding fault with other people’s ideas; its their job afterall. The more radical your proposal the more likely it is that people will feel uncomfortable with it. Propose it carefully. Lay it out in a logical way and explain the benefits. But if your boss disagrees then don’t fall out over it and don’t bypass him. Let it lie fallow for a while. I once worked for a leader who would tear new ideas to shreds and ridicule them. But the next day he would often say, “I was thinking about that idea of yours and I can see a way to make it work.” His initial reaction was to oppose an idea just to test it. But once the germ of the idea was in his head he could find ways to develop it. Above all don’t stop bringing forward ideas because the first few are rejected.

Change means winners and losers. If you can be known as someone who is creative, innovative and a driver of change then the chances are that you will emerge a winner. Not only will you survive the change but you will be given the responsibility of making part of it a reality.

Article orginally appeared in Lifehack

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In todays scarcety of funds, how do you realign your innovative efforts to ensure that your ideas survive you’re not betting the company on them.

Accept the realities of the marketplace and lend a hand. Innovation can only succeed when the core business is stable so innovators should look for ways their team and personal expertise can help right the ship.

Suspend “nice but not necessary” market trials and reallocate resources to research efforts around core clients:

• Understand how the jobs-to-be-done for consumers are changing in light of the economy and align your value proposition accordingly
• Conduct a disruptive threat assessment to analyze and counteract the actions of emerging competitors
• De-feature existing offerings to meet just the basic needs of consumers at a lower price point

Turn your attention to budgets, it is expected that as capital tightens and revenues become less predictable, many across the organization will seek to defend what they have. Innovators should embrace scarcity. Pre-empt the inevitable discussion and voluntarily scale back your line items. You will like find that a sharper focus actually increases your ability to innovate. Ways you can consider “giving back” include:

• Release any part-time team members back to their “day jobs” – two or three dedicated people will accomplish far more than 30 people spending 10% of their time
• Prune your portfolio – prioritize concepts based on anticipated time to profit and upside potential, and shelve smaller and slower ideas
• De-feature your concepts — look for performance areas where you may be overshooting customer needs and eliminate them. Be ruthless here as consumers will not pay for performance they don’t need.
• Revisit your research approach — make do with small sample sizes, social media input, and low cost interviews to get directional information versus pursuing perfect data
• Reduce the cost of your field trials — start with what you would do if you had no funds then move up gradually from there. Use a 3-D illustration instead of a prototype. Have consumers request samples via a website instead of in-store trials.

Innovators should not respond to the threat of budget cuts by inflating the business case for their ideas. Attempts to “go big” quickly to save a company rarely, if ever, succeed.

This article originally appeared in Scott Anthonys HBR blog.

It depends on your business and your markets, but here are some rules for companies that want to survive the downturn:

1) Survivors are lean, mean and nakedly aggressive. Cost cutting is mandatory. You will know you have cut enough of the workforce when you “wake up with cold sweats because you fear that you won’t be able to ship product.”

2) Lead from the front. The CEO should the “Chief Energy Officer” and urge leaders to demonstrate almost relentless vibrancy to the troops. “They need to demonstrate the confidence that we’re going to survive this thing,”

3) Fail cheap and fail often. This comes with the territory as markets shrink and new opportunities are required. Innovation doesnt have to be expensive long winded and a success every time. The need for constant experimentation has become a routine part of business.

4) Communicate and then over-communicate. The analogy here is that when the airplane ride gets bumpy, everyone wants to hear from the captain immediately to know that everything is fine–but buckle up.

5) Flat is NOT the new up. View the downturn as a time when companies should be stealing market-share and not crouching in a defensive posture by saying that “flat is better than down.”

6) Don’t just stand there, do something. The tendency is for companies, especially large companies, to get caught up in committees and stagnation. This kills you in tough times- move swiftly catch your competitors standing still.

7) Great fortunes are built in bad times. This one is a cliché, but its true, and a good one to remember – if nothing else but for a dash of inspiration.

What would your personal survival guide list look like?

Ich gehe jede Wette ein, dass die meisten meiner Leser diesen Riesenhit von Billy Ocean schon vergessen haben.

Ich auch…geb’ ich zu….

Wie es halt’ so kommt: Man stöbert rum’ und kommt über Umwege auf diesen heißen Song mit der großartigen Background-Besetzung.

Bitte hier oder auf die Abbildung klicken

When The Going Gets Tough

I have had this wikipedia entry sitting open on my desktop for about 5 days now. I was watching AxMen: episode 12 a couple weeks back and they were picking up the pieces from the Great Coastal Gail of 2007. It was really interesting to see the guys tackle the big problems the storm had created. This was a step beyond their jobs. Everyday they go out and be loggers, but this time they had to be more. They had to become stronger and fiercer and taller. (ok, not taller per se). This was a team of talented, hard working men taking on the aftermath of a storm. One crew had to hack their way up a mountain to see if they could salvage their million-dollar equipment. Another crew must locate a missing crewman. And all the AxMen have to unite to before a common threat or the future of the logging industry is in jeopardy.
Even though History Channel decided to create a show about the hard life, work, and skills of loggers, it took a force of nature to really bring out their talents and true grit. The storm brought something even more fierce out of the depths of each logger.

I am sure you have a special skill or talent that you probably use on a daily basis. But when safety fails suddenly you are forced to put that skill set to rigorous use and rise to the occasion to rock your situation. Just keep plugging away at your special abilities and one day a door will open up that puts you front and center.

z.

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The natural hair definitely suffers!

I washed and conditioned my hair last Wednesday, but with a road trip to Maryland over the weekend, and mounds of stress once I returned home, I have failed to maintain proper hair care techniques. A resented, yet necessary, walk in the rain further complicated things, so now my tresses are a whirl wind of dull mats and other complications. *sigh* My scalp is a tender mess of icky buildup too. *ick*

This is part of the journey I was not anticipating at all. With my relaxed hair these stressful points weren’t that big of a hassle. When the going got tough I could simply sweep my strands back into a ponytail and go. But now, because of my natural coils, I’m faced with shrinkage issues that bulk my hair and lessen my length, and even make wrapping a chore these past couple of days.

But never fear, because tonight, after a much needed soak and meditation session, I will be indulging in a shampoo, a brown sugar/honey scalp scrub, a hot oil treatment, a lemon juice clarifier, and my second attempt at two strand twists. I’m sure my hair will appreciate the attention since I haven’t done much anything with it other than wrap it in the past few days. In the process of this journey I am finding my hair to be as temperamental as I can be when I’m feeling neglected. *lol*

So that’s the long and short of it for today. How is your progress coming along?

Blessed Be…

idadi