What's Best Next

Master More Than One Discipline

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From A Class with Drucker: The Lost Lessons of the World’s Greatest Management Teacher:

… Drucker went on to tell us that it was essential that business executives master at least two disciplines, and that one of them must be outside of the field of business. He said this was important in the preparation of an executive for higher responsibilities because, like the corporate attorney suddenly elevated to general management, one never knew what future responsibiliteis might be thrust upon one unexpectedly. Expertise in more than one field was good training for sudden responsibilities in yet another field, and was the only evidence that the manager was capable of mastering more than one discipline.

Peter said that mastering at least two disciplines would have a number of beneficial effects. First, the executive would have the self-confidence of knowing that he was not limited to a single field. That he could, if called upon, do something entirely different, and do it well. Moreover, Drucker continued, great advances in any field rarely come from a single discipline. Rather they come from advances in one discipline being transplanted to another sphere, which is totally unfamiliar with these procedures, ideas, or methods which have never been applied to problems in this other domain” (p 74).

This is worth repeating: great advances in any field rarely come from a single discipline; rather they come from advances in one discipline being transplanted to another sphere.

Seth Godin's TED Talk

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Seth Godin’s TED talk on tribes is now online. He argues that “the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change.”

(And for more on this, see also his latest book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.)

The Best Way to Eat an Oreo Cookie

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I commend to you the best, most flavorful way to eat an Oreo cookie: Hold it under water for about 8 seconds. This makes it way better.

Update: Yes, this is definitely an unconventional method. Some of you may want to slot this under “what’s not best.” But if you give it a try, you might be surprised!

So, Which is It?

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If “this is NOT a public phone,” then why are there instructions on how to make outgoing calls (with a request to keep all calls under 3 minutes)?

I get what they mean. But, sending clear messages is a good idea…

An Update on Slack Work

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A few weeks ago I posted on how slack work is a cousin to vandalism because both create unnecessary work for others. I used a hose box I had recently purchased as an example because its low quality made it almost impossible to hook up.

Now the story has taken a new turn, and right on cue: the hose box has broken. I don’t know the right terms for everything, but the gist is that the hook-up valve came out and won’t go back together.

So now the hose box has officially cost me both time and money.

But it gets even worse.

I had bought two of these things, because we have two hoses (I thought I’d be a good neighbor). The second one is now broke as well. I can’t even remember what happened to it. All I know is that it started leaking, and the leak would not go away.

If someone had deliberately taken a sledge hammer to these things and vandalized them, the outcome would not have been any worse. Making cheap, shoddy products that break is just as bad as taking a sledge hammer to your neighbor’s stuff because the end result is the same: broken items that need to be fixed or replaced.

And here’s the worst part of all, though I hesitate to mention this: Both of these hose boxes proudly display a “Made in the USA” sticker.

Advice For Those Starting Anything

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Read Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything.

Whether you are starting a business, non-profit, division within your company, or church plant; or if you are launching a new product or service within your company, this book will be worth your time and help improve your chance of getting off the ground well.

I regard it as one of those extra-useful books because, when reading it, I felt like I was reading about a lot of my own mistakes. That was a humbling experience — especially because it actually took a second read for the lights to really come on.

So maybe read it twice.

iPhone Plans May Become Cheaper

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From the Infinite Loop blog:

AT&T is listening to customers and is considering slashing its monthly iPhone plans, according to a new rumor out of BusinessWeek. “People with knowledge of the company’s thinking” have told the publication that the carrier has thought out some lower-priced data options, including a limited data plan for $10 less than the current offerings.

The news comes just weeks after Cote Collaborative analyst Michael Cote sent a research note saying that there was a “strong possibility” that AT&T planned to drop its entry-level iPhone plan from $69 per month to $59. At that time, Cote offered no real support for his premonitions aside from the fact that it would make sense if AT&T wanted to continue bringing in new customers, noting that the current data plan pricing “does not address the whole market.”

Before that, Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu said that AT&T was “more open to developing tiered data plans that fit more in line with today’s environment.” He suggested that there may soon be multiple levels of data to choose from, which seems to support the buzz out of BusinessWeek. Given the language used in the BW piece, it sounds as if the unlimited data plan might remain the same price, with a likely download cap for $10 less per month.

The price cut may be part of negotiations between Apple and AT&T, as the carrier is currently trying to extend its exclusive contract until 2011. Apple is undoubtedly looking for its carrier partners to start offering more attractive plan options in order to expand market share, and AT&T is likely willing to bend over backwards in order to keep Apple to itself for a little while longer.

Sometimes, It Does Hurt to Ask

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From Seth Godin’s post yesterday, “It doesn’t hurt to ask“:

Actually, it does hurt. It does hurt to ask the wrong way, to ask without preparation, to ask without permission. It hurts because you never get another chance to ask right.

If you run into Elton John at the diner and say, “Hey Elton, will you sing at my daughter’s wedding?” it hurts any chance you have to get on Elton John’s radar. You’ve just trained him to say no, you’ve taught him you’re both selfish and unrealistic.

If a prospect walks into your dealership and you walk up and say, “Please pay me $200,000 right now for this Porsche,” you might close the sale. But I doubt it. More likely than not you’ve just pushed this prospect away, turned the sliver of permission you had into a wall of self-protection.

Every once in a while, of course, asking out of the blue pays off. So what? That is dwarfed by the extraordinary odds of failing. Instead, invest some time and earn the right to ask. Do your homework. Build connections. Make a reasonable request, something easy and mutually beneficial. Yes leads to yes which just maybe leads to the engagement you were actually seeking.

Jim Collin's New Book Now Available: How the Mighty Fall

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Jim Collin’s new book is out today. It is called How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In. Collins shows “how to spot the subtle signs that your successful company is actually on course to sputter — and how to reverse the slide before it’s too late.”

There are five stages of decline:

  1. Hubris born of success
  2. The undisciplined pursuit of more
  3. Denial of risk and peril
  4. Grasping for salvation
  5. Capitulation to irrelevance or death

This looks like superb stuff. I am very much looking forward to the book.

While you are waiting for it to arrive, BusinessWeek has an exclusive excerpt from the book, along with many other materials. They include: