Many people working in large companies speak business-buzzwords as a second language. Business language is full of pretty meaningless words. I Don’t Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore article tells that the language of internet business models has made the problem even worse. There are several strains of this epidemic: We have forgotten how to use the real names of real things, acronymitis, and Meaningless Expressions (like “Our goal is to exceed the customer’s expectation”). This would all be funny if it weren’t true. Observe it, deconstruct it, and appreciate just how ridiculous most business conversation has become.
Check out this brilliant Web Economy Bullshit Generator page. It generates random bullshit text based on the often used words in business language. And most of the material it generates look something you would expect from IT executives and their speechwriters (those are randomly generated with Web Economy Bullshit Generator):
“scale viral web services”
“integrate holistic mindshare”
“transform back-end solutions”
“incentivize revolutionary portals”
“synergize out-of-the-box platforms”
“enhance world-class schemas”
“aggregate revolutionary paradigms”
“enable cross-media relationships”
How to talk like a CIO article tries to tell how do CIOs talk, and what do they talk about, and why they do it like they do it. It sometimes makes sense to analyze the speaking and comportment styles of the people who’ve already climbed the corporate ladder if you want to do the same.
The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon article tells that the stupid business talk is longer solely the province of consultants, investors and business-school types, this annoying gobbledygook has mesmerized the rank and file around the globe. The next time you feel the need to reach out, touch base, shift a paradigm, leverage a best practice or join a tiger team, by all means do it. Just don’t say you’re doing it. If you have to ask why, chances are you’ve fallen under the poisonous spell of business jargon. Jargon masks real meaning. The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon article has a cache of expressions to assiduously avoid (if you look out you will see those used way too many times in business documents and press releases).
Is Innovation the Most Abused Word In Business? article tells that most of what is called innovation today is mere distraction, according to a paper by economist Robert Gordon. Innovation is the most abused word in tech. The iPad is about as innovative as the toaster. You can still read books without an iPad, and you can still toast bread without a toaster. True innovation radically alters the way we interact with the world. But in tech, every little thing is called “innovative.” If you were to believe business grads then “innovation” includes their “ideas” along the lines of “a website like *only better*” or “that thing which everyone is already doing but which I think is my neat new idea” Whether or not the word “innovation” has become the most abused word in the business context, that remains to be seen. “Innovation” itself has already been abused by the patent trolls.
Using stories to catch ‘smart-talk’ article tells that smart-talk is information without understanding, theory without practice – ‘all mouth and no trousers’, as the old aphorism puts it. It’s all too common amongst would-be ‘experts’ – and likewise amongst ‘rising stars’ in management and elsewhere. He looks the part; he knows all the right buzzwords; he can quote chapter-and-verse from all the best-known pundits and practitioners. But is it all just empty ‘smart-talk’? Even if unintentional on their part, people who indulge in smart-talk can be genuinely dangerous. They’ll seem plausible enough at first, but in reality they’ll often know just enough to get everyone into real trouble, but not enough to get out of it again. Smart-talk is the bane of most business – and probably of most communities too. So what can we do to catch it?
2,693 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sankaritarinat uupuneista eivät auta ketään
https://www.elo.fi/fi-fi/elomedia/2021/sankaritarinat-uupuneista-eivat-auta-ketaan?fbclid=IwAR1SEdOuypy9a7-ppz6H6lbm-AC1-U1i2n0J1B-WqIX7aC8cNhRmA0kohUc#4dfb09a9
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.punamustapixmill.com/messumassasta-huomion-keskipisteeksi-5-vinkkia-mieleenpainuvan-osaston-suunnitteluun/?fbclid=IwAR18EMr5LYy0YxGAEgOgKNQeRCENxoRY1N5DtYBb4Ox3Xh7k3eUiMQi-pYs
Tomi Engdahl says:
Everything to Our Satisfaction?
http://web.eppendorf.com/off-the-bench/everything-to-our-satisfaction.html?fbclid=IwAR1jVv0ldowtmBjCdDbEX9Jx9gVVd12xVwJja7CRnQnFRXgAbsntxI1WDyQ&utm_campaign=hq%3Bbasicnoise%3Btraffic&utm_content=glo%3Ben%3Bunspecified%3Bunspecified%3Bunspecified&utm_medium=link&utm_source=facebook&utm_term=look%3Bsingle_image%3Bunspecified%3Blead
Sociologist Martin Schröder studies what makes us feel content: he analyzed a huge database, compiled over 34 years. Five findings that resulted from his work will surprise, explain and potentially even induce contentment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Suster / Both Sides of the Table:
A look at the state of the VC industry: from over-paying in the face of absurd valuations, to big bets on decentralized “Web 3.0” apps, cybersecurity, and more — The world around us is being disrupted by the acceleration of technology into more industries and more consumer applications.
The Changing Venture Landscape
https://bothsidesofthetable.com/the-changing-venture-landscape-6b655c68e631
Tomi Engdahl says:
Todd Bishop / GeekWire:
Study of 61,000 Microsoft employees shows the shift to remote work has hurt communication and collaboration, threatening productivity and long-term innovation — A new study finds that Microsoft’s companywide shift to remote work has hurt communication and collaboration among different business groups inside …
Study of Microsoft employees shows how remote work puts productivity and innovation at risk
https://www.geekwire.com/2021/study-microsoft-employees-shows-remote-work-puts-productivity-innovation-risk/
A new study finds that Microsoft’s companywide shift to remote work has hurt communication and collaboration among different business groups inside the company, threatening employee productivity and long-term innovation.
That’s one of the key findings in a peer-reviewed study of more than 61,000 Microsoft employees, published Thursday morning by Microsoft researchers in the journal Nature Human Behaviour. It coincides with Microsoft’s announcement that employees won’t be returning to the office Oct. 4 as previously expected.
But the researchers call it a warning sign for other companies, as well.
“Without intervention, the effects we discovered have the potential to impact workers’ ability to acquire and share new information across groups, and as a result, affect productivity and innovation,” they write in an accompanying blog post. “In light of these findings, companies should be thoughtful about if and how they choose to adopt long-term work-from-home policies.”
Companies including Coinbase, Box, Shopify, Dropbox and others have announced plans to make their workforces “remote first.”
The Microsoft study says remote work has also changed the way employees communicate, causing them to rely more frequently than before on asynchronous communication, such as email and instant messages, and less frequently than before on synchronous communication, such as audio and video calls.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Based on previous research, we believe that the shift to less ‘rich’ communication media may have made it more difficult for workers to convey and process complex information,” the Microsoft researchers write.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
Bezos’ biggest legacy could be “Bezosism”, using surveillance, algorithms, and data to supercharge old management systems and squeeze performance out of workers — The e-commerce giant has supercharged systems of management invented a century ago with surveillance, algorithms and data, leading to a new ‘ism’
The Way Amazon Uses Tech to Squeeze Performance Out of Workers Deserves Its Own Name: Bezosism
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-way-amazon-uses-tech-to-squeeze-performance-out-of-workers-deserves-its-own-name-bezosism-11631332821?mod=djemalertNEWS
The e-commerce giant has supercharged systems of management invented a century ago with surveillance, algorithms and data, leading to a new ‘ism’
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why You Can’t Buy Dasani Water in Britain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD79NZroV88
Coca-Cola’s brand of bottled water, Dasani, was a flop in the UK after the public realised it was just filtered tap water. But the story’s a bit more complicated than it might seem.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Startup match funny video
https://www.facebook.com/Iamlazyprogrammer/videos/862597021283277/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Eurozone Is Going Down The Japan Way
https://www.dlacalle.com/en/the-eurozone-is-going-down-the-japan-way/
The European Central Bank announced a tapering of the repurchase program on September the 9th. One would imagine that this is a sensible idea given the recent rise in inflation in the eurozone to the highest level in a decade and the allegedly strong recovery of the economy. However, there is a big problem. The announcement is not really tapering, but simply adjusting to a lower net supply of bonds from sovereign issuers. In fact, considering the pace announced by the central bank, the ECB will continue to purchase 100% of all net issuance from sovereigns.
There are several problems in this strategy. The first one is that the ECB is unwillingly acknowledging that there is no real secondary market demand for eurozone countries’ sovereign debt at these yields. One would have to think of twice or three times the current yield for investors to accept many eurozone bonds if the ECB does not repurchase them. This is obviously a dangerous bubble.
The second problem is that the ECB acknowledges that monetary policy has gone from being a tool to help implement structural reforms to a tool to avoid them.
The third problem is that negative rates and high liquidity injections combined with elevated government spending have generated no real multiplier effect in the eurozone. We must remember that the main economies were in stagnation already in the fourth quarter of 2019, before the pandemic and despite large stimulus plans like the Juncker Plan, which mobilized hundreds of billions of euros in investments.
The fourth challenge for the ECB is that it acknowledges being trapped by its own policy, it cannot stop it and normalize because governments and markets would suffer, and it cannot keep the current pace because inflation is putting even more pressure on growth.
The final challenge for the eurozone and the ECB is that they continue to implement policies that ignore demographics and structural burdens to growth. The eurozone has an aging population and monetary and fiscal policies seem to ignore the evidence of changing consumption patterns when citizens reach a certain age or retire. If we add to demographics a taxation system that increasingly hurts middle classes, businesses, and investment, we face an economy that seems to be following all the wrong policies that Japan implemented at the beginning of the 90s.
As Japan did, the eurozone is betting all on government spending, chains of stimulus packages driven by political directions, and massive debt monetization.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How The Cubicle Became Universally Hated -The Lightbulb Moment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tt4n8SaxEY
Did you know the Cubicle was originally designed to set workers free? A wild, forward thinking designer named Robert Propst dreamed up what he called “The Action Office” as a groovy 1960s workplace utopia that would unleash the modern knowledge worker’s vast untapped potential. This is how it all went so wrong.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158581387428528&id=637758527
Elon Musk on Asperger-tapaus, joka sanoo asiat suoraan, varmasti usein äärimmäisen tylysti ja on työhullu. Hänen tapaisiaan työntekijöille raivoajia löytyy varmasti joka maasta yllin kyllin, mutta kuinka moni pomoista on äärimmilleen menevä perfektionista ja mikromanageroija? Muskhan tavallaan asui työpaikallaan.
Monesta muusta kaikkien aikojen rikkaimmasta ihmisestä on myös väitetty vastaavaa esim. alaisilleen ikäviä työhulluja pomoja ovat mm. Jeff Bezos (Amazon), BIll Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple). Tulos tai ulos.
Tämä ei tarkoita, että jokaisesta m*lkusta työnarkomaanista Aspergerista tulisi hyvä johtaja, mutta on kiistatonta, että kaikki em. henkilöt ovat yrityksillään saaneet aikaiseksi enemmän tulosta kuin useimmat kilpailijat.
Tässä Muskin 4 kohdan lista ominaisuuksista, mitä hän vaatii uusilta työntekijöiltään:
“Hän totesi, että välttämätöntä on erittäin kova työetiikka, lahjakkuus asioiden rakentamiseen, maalaisjärki sekä luotettavuus, Inc. kertoi.
– Loput voimme opettaa.
Hän ei siis edellyttänyt asiantuntemusta esimerkiksi avaruusteknologiasta tai jostain erityisestä insinööriosaamisesta.”
Tässä 4 ominaisuutta, joita Elon Musk vaatii työntekijöiltään – ”Loput voimme opettaa” https://www.is.fi/taloussanomat/art-2000008265404.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
EU launches ‘Global Gateway’ to counter China’s Belt and Road
‘We want to create links and not dependencies,’ says Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-launches-global-gateway-to-counter-chinas-belt-and-road/
The European Union will launch “Global Gateway” as a scheme to compete with China’s Belt and Road Initiative — the massive, geopolitically influential network of infrastructure and transport investments that Beijing uses to link its exporters to western markets.
“We want to turn Global Gateway into a trusted brand around the world,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during the annual State of the Union address Wednesday. “We will build Global Gateway partnerships with countries around the world. We want investments in quality infrastructure, connecting goods, people and services around the world.”
She didn’t shy away from her primary target — China, which has been criticized by the West for extending its strategic reach and creating debt dependence through its multibillion-dollar infrastructure and investment scheme.
“We want to create links and not dependencies!” von der Leyen said.
“We are good at financing roads. But it does not make sense for Europe to build a perfect road between a Chinese-owned copper mine and a Chinese-owned harbour. We have to get smarter when it comes to these kinds of investments,” she said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
To work in a consulting company or in a product company? As an employee or as a freelancer? Most of the people in IT have thought about these questions.
We made this infographic to offer honest information of the pros and cons of these two different kind of companies, and of these two different forms of employment.
In both of these comparisons, neither case is better or worse than the other, they just fit to different kind of people.
https://www.valagroup.com/blog/guides/?fbclid=IwAR1UrqfQ3RdOh7l5OKJxv1ih-ZfVkMQRvK56hVoOSdkToXPxhWNYiULKIJM
Tomi Engdahl says:
KEIs – Key Experience Indicators to transform your knowledge of your business
https://www.siili.com/stories/keis-key-experience-indicators-to-transform-your-knowledge-of-your-business?utm_campaign=Perus%20sometekeminen,%202021%20&utm_content=180160256&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-352759700837&fbclid=IwAR2wW_xaMRjcqclw7QnCIbbX80hc7Hx3tHtPoow_JR3DfRqORAYdZnQZr0o
Scene: the management team is having a meeting and looking at NPS metrics. The rate has declined from safe 42 to concerning 27. Panic is raising, something is wrong – but what exactly is wrong? Is there a fault in the product? Has something changed in our customer service operations? Are the competitors doing something differently? The fact is, nobody knows or only has a vague guess. Maybe it’s comforting to know that this is not uncommon at all. For a while NPS has been THE metric for everyone to follow, and regular NPS surveys are a common thing to monitor customer experience satisfaction in countless of companies. But like the management team, are you as clueless on what NPS indicates? If the numbers are descending, do you really have a hunch of what’s going on?
KPIs vs. KEIs – What’s the difference between the two?
In some cases, KPIs and KEIs overlap but KEIs are more user-centered and measure the quality of experience, value, and outcomes. KEIs place the emphasis on understanding how users are interacting with your service, and they help identify potential issues, focus on understanding underlying problems and root cause, and improve your product or service. KEIs are functional and provide quantitative actionable insights.
KPIs, on the other hand, are more business-centered and tend to focus on delivery process effectiveness and efficiency. KPIs, in a customer experience context, provide insights to operational and finance teams helping to improve operational model, identify most valuable customer segments, and improve profitability. KPIs seldom give you the level of detail required to make actual service improvements.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Supply Chain Shipping Hell: ‘Just Get Me a Box’ Says Logistics Manager
Two years ago, the cost for a 40-foot container to transport goods from Asia to the U.S was under $2,000. Today it’s as much as $25,000.
https://mishtalk.com/economics/supply-chain-shipping-hell-just-get-me-a-box-says-logistics-manager
Tomi Engdahl says:
Moni suomalainen pörssiyritys esittelee sijoittajille kahdet tulosluvut: kansainvälisen IFRS- tilinpäätöskäytännön mukaiset viralliset luvut sekä esimerkiksi vertailukelpoisen liikevoiton. Aalto-yliopiston työelämäprofessori Jari Melginillä on selkeä näkemys siitä, kumpaan numerotietoon kannattaa luottaa.
https://www.aaltoee.fi/aalto-leaders-insight/2021/yksi-yritys-kahdet-tulosluvut-oikean-tuloksen-ongelma
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kahdeksan tuntia päivässä viitenä päivänä viikossa? – Yrittäjän euro palkansaajaan nähden, eli kuinka paljon yrittäjän tulee ansaita?
https://www.ukko.fi/yrittajyyskoulu/kuinka-paljon-yrittajan-tulee-ansaita/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=traffic&utm_content=vtmi&fbclid=IwAR2Jy2SseoT_90oUvmHELFMP2AJ9nkVXelqnsxENVLXqD8mwTF1TVkLMlOk
Oletko kuullut väitteen, että yrittäjän tulee tienata ainakin tuplat palkansaajaan nähden kattaakseen kulunsa ja pärjätäkseen yrittäjänä? Yrittäjyyskoulu pureutui asiantuntijan avustuksella yrittäjän euroon ja siihen, mitkä asiat hinnoittelussa on otettava huomioon.
Väite siitä, että yrittäjän tulisi tienata tuplat palkansaajaan nähden on kieltämättä hurja. Voisiko vähempikin riittää?
”Tuntihinnan sijaan pitäisi puhua palvelun arvosta asiakkaalle, jossa tietty kohderyhmä on huomioitu ja hinnat on mukautetuttu sen maksukykyyn sopivaksi. Palvelun arvon taas määrittelee vahva brändi.”
Mitä haluan ja miten sen saavutan?
Oletetaan, että aiot yrittäjänä tehdä töitä maksimissaan viitenä päivänä viikossa, kahdeksan tuntia päivässä. Viikonloput ovat akkujen latausta varten. Lisäksi lasket itsellesi pidettäväksi yhteensä viisi viikkoa kesä- ja talvilomaa, sekä kaksi viikkoa sairauslomaa vuodessa. Koska perheessäsi on lapsia, lasket päälle vielä varmuuden vuoksi toiset kaksi viikkoa lapsen sairauslomiin.
Näin ollen tullaan tilanteeseen, että yrittäjän tulisi tienata 12 kuukauden palkka kymmenessä kuukaudessa, jotta lomat ja sairauslomat tulevat katettua. Onko tämä mahdollista ja millä hinnoilla?
Kadziolka on karkeasti laskenut, että 5000 euron kuukausipalkkaa tavoitellessaan yrittäjän tulisi varautua kuukaudessa noin 3000 euron kuluihin. Näin ollen kuukaudessa tulisi tienata yhteensä 8000 euroa. Jos kuitenkin haaveilee esimerkissä esitetyistä pitkistä lomista ja sairauslomavarasta, tulisi kymmenen kuukauden aikana tienata yhteensä 9600 euroa kuukaudessa päästäkseen unelmapalkkaansa ja saadakseen myös haluamansa lomat.
”Tuntihintaa olennaisempaa on miettiä, mitä yrittäjän hyvinvointi vaatii. Lähtökohtana ei voi olla se kaikkien matrana hokema urbaani legenda siitä, ettei yrittäjä pidä koskaan lomaa”, Kadziolka sanoo Yrittäjyyskoululle.
Esitä itsellesi nämä kysymykset
Koska jokaisen yrittäjän tilanne on erilainen, liikkeelle kannattaakin lähteä seuraavista kysymyksistä:
Kuinka paljon minun tulee tienata pärjätäkseni?
Minkä kokoisesta palkasta ylipäätään haaveilen?
Kuinka paljon viikossa/päivässä haluan ja pystyn tekemään töitä?
Miten paljon tahdon vapaa-aikaa?
Kuinka paljon haluan pitää vuodessa lomaa?
Miten paljon uskon pystyväni kasvattamaan brändini tunnettuutta?
Edellä esitetyt kysymykset antavat jokaiselle yrittäjälle lukuja, jolla omaa hinnoitteluaan voi alkaa rakentaa. Voit myös asettaa tavoitepalkan siitä, kuinka paljon todella haluaisit vuodessa tienata. Sitten se kaikista tärkein, eli työhön käytetty aika: oletko valmis tekemään pitkää päivää, vai haluatko jo nyt tähdätä esimerkiksi neljän päivän työviikkoon?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Transitioning to software freelancing is hotter than ever
https://talented.fi/en/blog/software-freelancing-is-hotter-than-ever/
After the summer, new one-person software consultancies have been popping up like mushrooms after the rain. It’s not new news that experienced software professionals go for freelancing. In fact, it has been a growing trend for many years already. However, the pace has increased remarkably. Freedom to call your own shots is appealing, but there are a few significant factors in the market that really give developers the last consolidation to making the idea of entrepreneurship reality.
1. Unsure state of the world has unexpectedly increased developers’ confidence
2. The market demand is there for freelancers
3. Money motivates
4. Freelancing doesn’t mean you’ll be lonely
5. Starting software freelancing is easier than ever
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Applicant Shares Crazy Hard Interview Question That Left Him Stumped
https://www.iflscience.com/brain/microsoft-interview-question-crazily-difficult/
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-toughest-question-ever-asked-in-any-interview
Tomi Engdahl says:
Executive coaching for employees is complicated and emotional
https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/18/executive-coaching-for-employees-is-complicated-and-emotional/?tpcc=ECFB2021
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kukas on kuskin penkillä sinun elämässäsi?
Sinä itse, vai vaistonvaraiset stressireaktiot? Tätä kannattaa ehdottomasti pysähtyä aina aika ajoin pohtimaan. Lue blogista, miksi tähän kannattaa tarttua heti tänään:
https://ohjatomiinkasiin.mykajabi.com/blog/kuljetko-sinakin-autopilotin-ohjaamana
Koska olet viimeksi pysähtynyt nauttimaan kauniin maiseman katselusta työmatkan varrella? Tai ajatuksen kanssa rauhassa uppoutunut nauttimaan hyvästä lounaasta tai iltapäivän kahvihetkestä? Jos et ihan heti muista koska tämän tyyppisiä asioita viimeksi on arjessasi tapahtunut, on ehkä syytä huolestua. Olisiko käymässä niin, että automaattiohjaus on valtaamassa tilaa omalta tietoiselta toiminnaltasi? Siinä tapauksessa pysähdypä muutamaksi minuutiksi pohtimaan seuraavia asioita:
Kun stressi kaappaa vallan
Nykyään moni kamppailee kiireen, kasvavien tehokkuusvaatimusten ja jatkuvan stressin kanssa. Kun arki on kiireistä sekä töissä että vapaa-aikana, tilanne alkaa ennen pitkää kuormittaa meitä monella tavalla. Koronapandemia on vielä viimeisen vuoden aikana tuonut oman lisänsä kuormitukseen.
Lyhytaikainen stressi saattaa olla hyödyllistäkin ja auttaa meitä tehokkaisiin suorituksiin, mutta pitkittyessään stressi on lähes aina haitallista. Olet varmasti huomannut, että stressaantuneena ajatukset pyörivät aika pientä kehää, eli niitä tuttuja uriaan. Tällöin ihminen toimii kuin ”autopilotin” ohjaamana ja usein sinkoilee vaistonvaraisesti tehtävästä toiseen ehtimättä suunnitella ja ajatella mitä on tekemässä. Tämä on seurausta siitä, että aivojen alkukantaiset osat ottavat ohjat käsiinsä ja puolustusmekanismit ohjaavat meitä sen sijaan, että ohjaisimme toimintaamme kehittyneemmillä aivojen etuotsalohkon osilla.
Ennen pitkää haasteet alkavat näkyä myös ihmissuhteissa, etenkin jos työkaverit ja muut läheisetkin ovat samassa stressitilassa. Huomio keskittyy vain omiin asioihin, tunteet ryöpsähtelevät esiin hallitsemattomasti, yhteistyö tuntuu hankalalta ja konflikteja voi syntyä pienistäkin asioista (väärinkäsityksiä ja kiireen tunteen tuomaa hätiköintiä).
Automaattiohjaukselta ohjat omiin käsiin!
Vuoden 2018 loppupuolella alkoi sitten tuntua siltä, että seinä on tulossa vastaan ja kohta homma leviää käsiin. Ensin ajattelin, että ratkaisuna on se, että täytyy vain opetella tekemään asioita vielä tehokkaammin, enemmän ja nopeammin, niin sitten kaikki sujuu paremmin. Ehkä aika moni muukin ajattelee niin, ja kokee sitten suurta riittämättömyyttä, kun ei onnistukaan!
Olin siis väärässä, mutta onneksi päätin kokeilla jotain muutakin. Vauhdin kiihdyttämisen sijaan ratkaisun avaimena olikin hidastaminen: mm. läsnäolotaitojen, keskittymisen ja riittävän palautumisen opettelu
Tietoisen läsnäolon taitojen monet edut
Tietoisen läsnäolon taidot ovat erinomainen keino päästä liikkeelle tässä muutoksessa. Stressin vähentymisen lisäksi läsnäolotaitojen kohentaminen auttaa tarkkaavaisuuden hallinnassa, tunteiden säätelyssä ja lisää luovuutta. Muita usein havaittuja vaikutuksia ovat oppimiskyvyn, muistin ja sosiaalisten taitojen paraneminen sekä itsetunnon vahvistuminen (Lähde: Suomen mielenterveysseura).
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/02/use-cohort-analysis-to-drive-smarter-startup-growth/?tpcc=ECFB2021
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here are three keys to pricing early-stage SaaS products.
https://tcrn.ch/3tNKYB7
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/18/1-change-that-can-fix-the-vc-funding-crisis-for-women-founders/?tpcc=ECFB2021
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/distribution-of-global-wealth-chart/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.membrain.com/blog/stop-wasting-time-prospecting?utm_content=180315222&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-193082674075165&fbclid=IwAR1WaCJT3CySJFiOXn8UgBEkz3-RMI0BWDJwTia14KSsNMh0yUpAJwY8038
95% of our prospecting is just wasted time, so just stop it! It’s too much time to find that 5% who want to talk, and if they really do, they’ll reach out to you anyway, inbound is so much easier.
Think about all the time you are wasting. You are sending those 1000’s of emails–granted, it doesn’t really take that much time, you’ve automated it. You only have to hit a few keys and you can send 100’s of emails to unsuspecting people. “Dave, I’d like to tell you about our products…”
You follow those with phone calls, that’s much more time consuming, even if you have an intelligent dialing system that only connects you to the few people that pick up the phone. “Dave, I’d like to tell you about our products…”
Technology has saved us a lot of time, it does much of the work for us. But it still takes time to do that. And we know it takes 14 plus touches to get someone to respond, so we recycle, “Dave did you get my email/phone call/LinkedIn note about how I’d like to tell you about our products…”
If your desire to sell is stronger than to help – stop prospecting!
We do that a number of times, finally sending a note/call/LinkedIn message, “I just wanted to check one more time to see if we can talk… I won’t bother you any more…”
We actually bother them another 2-3 times, just to be sure.
We do this, knowing we will get very few responses, but our managers our measuring us on the number of outreach attempts we make every day. “How many emails, how many dials, how many LinkedIn messages did you do? What were the results? Do MORE!!!”
We are wasting our time
We know the customers don’t want to talk to us. We know the one’s that do are already searching and reaching out, because they have their digital buying journeys.
If that’s the method of prospecting, just STOP! You are wasting your time. Clip this article out and show it to your managers to help convince them.
But there are a few sales people that have very different results
They don’t go through the same routines, but somehow their prospecting works. But they approach prospecting differently.
Rather than finding people who want to hear about our products, they find people who they can help and want that help.
First they do their research.
Because of their deep knowledge, because they have a history of being helpful, their customer help them. They say, “Go talk to so and so, tell them how you helped me…” or “Let me introduce you to so and so, I suspect they need your help…” These referrals are interesting, they are never, “These guys have a fantastic product you should buy!” They are always, “These guys helped us solve this problem, you might want to talk to them…”
These sales people talk to the prospects about their work, where they have problems, where they have opportunities. They talk to the customer about things similar customers are doing, connecting those people with each other to learn. The conversations are different because they are curious about what the customer is doing, they want to learn, they care. They don’t talk about their products, because they know the customer doesn’t care–yet.
They know the customer wants to talk–about themselves, and what they want to do. So they ask the customers questions to get them to share those. They ask what’s standing in their way and what they are doing about it. They recognize the customer may not know there is something they might do so they bring insights and stories.
And they still don’t talk about products
Their focus is only on the customer, helping them learn, helping them think, helping them realize they might change.
They keep pursuing these conversations, waiting for the magic words, “Can you help me?”
These sales people don’t focus on volume. They don’t widen their search to get higher numbers of prospecting calls. In fact, they narrow their search focusing only on those people highly likely to need help.
Tomi Engdahl says:
4 founders on the biggest customer mistakes they’ve ever made
https://sifted.eu/articles/the-biggest-customer-mistakes/?utm_source=Facebook.com&utm_medium=Paid-social&utm_campaign=Zendesk&fbclid=IwAR0mHl-vJ5LZA_h6F0WKicHiqkk0J5xN10CN9sJlMSL2Tfgxcm9Mbuv5WOM
Data mixups, forgetting to ask for feedback and the unique challenges of running a CBD store — what else could possibly go wrong?
Tomi Engdahl says:
MISTÄ KENKÄ PURISTAA, YRITTÄJÄ? ”AIKA EI MILLÄÄN RIITÄ KAIKKEEN”
https://www.keuke.fi/ajankohtaista/blogi/blogikirjoitus/?blogid=20&newstitle=Mist%C3%A4+kenk%C3%A4+puristaa%2C+yritt%C3%A4j%C3%A4%3F+%E2%80%9DAika+ei+mill%C3%A4%C3%A4n+riit%C3%A4+kaikkeen%E2%80%9D&fbclid=IwAR1yY8DN1dm3OA34mfZHn6oNxF9pRpjG6nEK7TOl_Cjz_zD-OhI_KrOKSpw
Pienyrittäjän aika menee liian usein tulipalojen sammutteluun. Men plan, God laughs ja yrittäjäparka juoksee ihan muiden asioiden perässä, kuin mitä edellispäivänä oli suunnitellut. Kehittäminen, uusien järjestelmien opettelu ja pikkuhiljaa myös terveys alkaa jäädä ikuisesti siirrettävien asioiden listalle, joiden hoitamiseen ei vain aikaa riitä.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://valjas.fi/verovapaat-henkilostoedut/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.salkunrakentaja.fi/2021/09/kuukauden-osake-scanfil-elektroniikkajalokivi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.ukko.fi/yrittajyyskoulu/tyohaastattelukysymykset-naihin-kannattaa-varautua/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://korner.fi/blog/kun-toimittaja-soittaa-naiden-vinkkien-avulla-onnistut-haastattelussa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://verutum.fi/johtajuus-muutoksessa-ja-viestinta-murroksessa/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=aikajana&utm_campaign=Valmentava_johtaminen_SOTE_c&fbclid=IwAR2KkhjgHWb0DMdTgZtZibOB0F9PUPSc1jQE6jlDoJvMf_2uWdG1EkKiBGs
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Microsoft Study of 60,000 Employees: Remote Work Threatens Long-Term InnovationThe new study confirms what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella calls the hybrid work paradox
https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/remote-hybrid-work-paradox-microsoft-satya-nadella.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Taktisen tekemisen houkutusta kannattaa vastustaa
https://media.sanoma.fi/kirjoituksia-markkinoinnista/2021-09-07-taktisen-tekemisen-houkutusta-kannattaa-vastustaa
Olen lukuisia kertoja ihmetellyt, miksi ihmeessä taktiseen mainontaan panostetaan ja investoidaan Suomessa niin paljon. Se kun ei tutkimusten mukaan tuo pitkän aikavälin hyötyä yritykselle, kirjoittaa ToinenPHD:n Nina Myllyharju.
Brändillisen ja taktisen kommunikaation investointien välinen suhde on usein pahasti pielessä. Syynä on houkutus tehdä ratkaisuja, jotka on helppo perustella talon sisällä ja joista saadaan nopeita tuloksia. Vaikka toisenlainen tapa olisi yritykselle paljon tuloksellisempi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.zdnet.com/article/remote-work-is-making-productivity-and-innovation-harder-says-microsoft-study/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://ohjatomiinkasiin.mykajabi.com/blog/kuljetko-sinakin-autopilotin-ohjaamana
Tomi Engdahl says:
The top 10% of all salespeople are 4200% better at this
https://www.membrain.com/blog/the-top-10-of-all-salespeople-are-4200-better-at-this?utm_content=181097763&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-193082674075165&fbclid=IwAR3jl8IuUYaKH9BF8uyULwEmZZQI2WQ-u4ukuE7z3y2v-SjDjC31GlpZl4o
If we all know how boring, irrelevant and agonizing it is to be presented to when we aren’t interested, then why do salespeople, who have surely been on the receiving end of the scenario described above, insist on presenting before they have a qualified, interested prospect? It’s stupid, irresponsible, and a huge waste of time. But they persist.
Salespeople aren’t great at taking a consultative approach
According to the data from Objective Management Group’s (OMG) evaluations and assessments on more than two million salespeople around the globe, only 14% have the Consultative Seller competency as a strength. Only 42% of the top 10% have it as a strength and as you might guess, 0% of the bottom 10% have it as a strength. You wouldn’t think that anything could be worse than that, right? But if you look at the bottom 50% – the bottom million salespeople, only 1% have the Consultative Seller competency as a strength.
The top 10% of salespeople are 4200% better at taking a consultative approach than the bottom 50%!
When salespeople have been trained to listen and ask questions first some still choose to tell their prospects everything they know up front. Why?
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://tyopaikat.oikotie.fi/tyontekijalle/artikkelit/miksi-palkka-nousee-vain-vaihtamalla?fbclid=IwAR0GwVVc4Bud75g6ghL478CnWA2m_WwkJ9n6T4cyKMWpwU2uRomIwUNUSWs&utm_campaign=OTTY_B2C&utm_content=fb_post_falcon&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Oletko hyvä kokoamaan huonekaluja? Entä pysymään aikatauluissa? Annatko selkeitä ohjeita? Oletko selkeäsanainen? Inspiroiva, Kärsivällinen? Nämä kaikki ovat esimerkkejä osaamisesta, joista ei välttämättä ole virallista todistusta. Se, että osaa sanoittaa omaa osaamista, lisää kuitenkin työllistymismahdollisuuksia, vahvistaa itsetuntoa ja usein myös rohkaisee toimimaan. Lue lisää Aikamerkistä: https://aikamerkki.org/turha-itsekritiikki-joutaa-romukoppaan/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Don’t Waste Your Time on Networking Events
https://hbr.org/2016/09/dont-waste-your-time-on-networking-events?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=facebook&tpcc=orgsocial_edit
Summary.
Large business networking events are traditional, and the question often is not whether you should attend, but how to make the most of such events when you do attend. Theoretically, they’re one of the best ways to grow your business. The problem is that you’re probably not getting the consistent results you’d like because your success is directly tied to your ability to interact with people looking for the exact same things as you are. Networking can be defined as any activity that increases the value of your network or the value you contribute to it. The best way to do this is to avoid traditional networking events almost entirely. Some alternative strategies are: host your own get-togethers, giving you more control; double date – invite a client to an event, and ask them to bring someone they think you should meet, while you do the same; and reconnect with dormant ties, such as former classmates and any contacts from a previous career.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kiinteistöjätti Evergranden kriisi lopettaa Kiinan superkasvun ajan ja antaa samalla maailmalle viisi opetusta
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12110476
Jättimäiset velat keränneen rakennusyhtiö Evergranden loru on lopussa, sanoo Kiinan taloustutkija Iikka Korhonen. Kriisi on merkki myös siitä, että Kiinan superkasvun ei anneta nojata enää vain rakentamiseen. Suomelle se voi olla hyvä uutinen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
According to Max Bennet, there are three types of product owners: technology thinkers, problem thinkers, and outcome thinkers. Which one do you think you are? Check our Ari’s blog on outcome thinking!
Why outcome thinking beats technology and problem thinking?
https://nitor.com/en/articles/why-outcome-thinking-beats-technology-and-problem-thinking?utm_source=facebook&utm_content=why-outcome-thinking-beats-technology-and-problem-thinking&utm_campaign=blog&fbclid=IwAR0E8dMPQGbq0nJYivi32MZKCFfCmgO6QdBem_jWFX9q7CqxZ-7WcNp5zwQ
Daily challenges like dealing with a large backlog and having decision fatigue from making choices between countless possibilities, may get you exhausted. This blog examines why outcome orientation can help you make the choices that create the most value for your customer and your business.
Why is the job of a product owner such an important yet challenging one? Being the link between business, user, and technology in a way that maximizes value both for the customer and the company is definitely not the easiest. Let’s first investigate different types of product owners and then focus on why outcome orientation has so much to offer.
According to Max Bennet, there are three types of product owners:
The technology thinker whose primary focus is on the technological offer of their own organization.
The problem thinker who often orientates towards solving the visible technological challenges, but does not dive deeper to fix the root causes of why these problems arise in the first place.
The outcome thinker whose primary focus is to create value for the customer by taking into account many different needs the customer may have.
The technology thinker has many ideas, but the focus on how to apply these in the market may be difficult to crystallize. Prioritization is often tricky, and there can be a lack of objectivity on which idea is the best one for all parties. There is a danger of a “Launch and Pray” -scenario if the customer is not included in the feedback loop early in the process.
The problem thinker includes the customer right away by asking what their main problem is. However, this can be a challenging approach because the answer can vary depending on the day and on who you ask. Unclear definition of who leads to many challenges, and nobody can say which is the most important one.
The outcome thinker aims at understanding where the customer wants to go and wants to find the root causes of the challenges the customer faces along the way. The outcome thinker aims at developing a product in close cooperation with the customer, gathering feedback from the user from the beginning. The outcome thinker has a clear idea of what they are doing and why this is relevant to the customer. They positively impact their customer’s life by creating genuinely valuable solutions that make their life easier.
Outcome orientation is a practical way of creating long-lasting, genuine partnerships with your customers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
At two Fortune 500 firms that transitioned from cubicles to open offices, face-to-face interactions dropped by 70%.
https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-truth-about-open-offices?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=facebook&tpcc=orgsocial_edit
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sijoitusmaailman feikkigurut – taustalla terveyshuuhaa, new age ja jenkkien uskonnolliset saarnaajat
https://miljonaariksi25vuodessa.com/sijoitusmaailman-feikkigurut-taustalla-terveyshuuhaa-new-age-ja-jenkkien-uskonnolliset-saarnaajat/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.visa.fi/fi_FI/run-your-business/small-business-tools/small-business-toolkit.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.salkunrakentaja.fi/2021/09/analyysi-teslan-ja-applen-arvostus-kuin-yo-ja-paiva/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Markku Kanerva kertoo onnistuneen joukkueen rakentamisesta: “Mädät omenat kannattaa blokata pois”
Markku “Rive” Kanerva pitää konfliktitilanteita merkittävinä oppimismahdollisuuksina. Hän avasi valmentavan johtamisen teesejään Valtakunnallisilla yrittäjäpäivillä.
https://www.yrittajat.fi/uutiset/656619-markku-kanerva-kertoo-onnistuneen-joukkueen-rakentamisesta-madat-omenat-kannattaa
Tomi Engdahl says:
KEIs – Key Experience Indicators to transform your knowledge of your business
https://www.siili.com/stories/keis-key-experience-indicators-to-transform-your-knowledge-of-your-business