Exit Strategy

Perhaps the most oft-forgotten words in the language, this idea, this reality - it comes back to bite almost every time.

We are generally pretty good at beginnings, at births.  We can plan for it, and then even if the planning is done poorly, we can 'deal' with the outcomes.  But the end ?  My gosh (insert suitable word here), no one ever seems to anticipate that things will end.

We all die
There will be a big crunch after the big bang
Businesses fail
Relationships collapse

And life goes on.  We generally (perhaps death and the big crunch excluded) live to fight on another day in a  new way, one that perhaps wasn't foreseen but it still manageable.  It's the ugly face of change.  It amazes me that we still build ideas and institutions with complex and involved joining rituals, and yet very little attention is paid to the exit - the other end where things are bound to go.

I look at Europe today, and the whole economic tragedy that is Greece and wonder how so many people can toil for long periods without imagining that at some point, nations with fewer resources (and perhaps a sense of entitlement) wouldn't be able to pay their bills, and so will need to be gently, and lovingly evicted.  It's ok - some things weren't meant to continue forever.

Whatever we each do in the future, plan for an end.  Because the guy walking with the sign board - he was right -  the end is coming, and the question really isn't if, it's when.

I Bought an Apple Watch

So you're asking...why ?

Interestingly, it was the same question I asked. I was looking for the "use case" - the rationale to spend the money. I found it in the tradeoff in wanting a fitness tracking device, and in the chance to explore wearables - to see what they could do.  It doesn't hurt that my old watch was broken.

I almost didn't pull the trigger. The lead times were a turn off, conditioned as I am, as we are, to instant gratification.  And I'd have preferred to have it available in store.  Alas, we can't always get what we want.

In this case, I've tried one on, and it feels remarkably high quality. The case is aluminium and therefore the lightest of the options available.  And the band is some rubber-y compound.  I did enjoy the tactile pulse feeling on my wrist while wearing it.  But I'm old school in some ways, and still miss Blackberry''s little red flashing light.  So go figure.

I'm looking forward to exploring it and will try to keep you updated as to my opinions and findings.

Did it

There is no rhyme, nor reason.

There is no prep that puts you in the 'right' mind-frame before-hand.

There is only you, and the road.

I achieved a personal best - the best in the last 10 years, and just slightly behind my all time best, when I was younger, fitter and more sane.

But I'd be hard-pressed to replicate it, as I'm not sure what I did to make it go right.  I just know it felt good.

Head Games

I've got a race coming up this weekend, my 3rd half marathon in the past six months.  And it's gotten into my head.

I've run the distance many times, and I've been in more than few races, the latest a 10k this past weekend. I even got a personal best at that one.  But there's something about the word 'marathon' that starts eating at me days in advance...those niggling, wiggly little negative thoughts that say "you can't do it."   I think these worries are largely unfounded.  This one coming up is primarily downhill,  its the perfect running weather for me, and while I'm referring to it as a race, the only race going on really is between my legs and my expectations. I can go as slow as I want.

Still though.

There's something about the large group of uber-fit looking people, all ropey-muscled and lithe standing together, adjusting tight clothing, aerodynamic sunglasses and various bits of technology that makes you think we were all on a moon mission rather than a couple hours jog this Sunday morning.  The adrenaline starts pumping and you go out of the gate at a faster clip than intended. And at about 3-4k's, I bonk.  Bonking is a word I've appropriated here to mean hitting a mental wall.  It's using up your easy energy and having to reach down deep.  Bonking at 15-18k's is fine, as you power through those last few steps (I think I can, I think I can..), but when it happens so close to the start, within 15-20 minutes of the beginning it seems an unsurmountable mountain to finish the course.

Running isn't hard, and it takes place between your ears as much as between your feet as so many challenges seem to.  But the mental prep is critical, and when it starts turning south (I haven't trained enough; I needed to lose that extra 10lbs to make it easy) the race anticipation goes into a nightmare. There's a school of running thought that says - just run your own race and enjoy the day, do your best, it's all you can ask.  That's fine, and intellectually I might even agree with that.  But I grew up
listening and internalizing a philosophy embodied by a little green guy that went - Do or do not, there is no try.

So the race has already begun for me, I'm running while doing other tasks this week, and while I sleep. When I get to the finish line on Sunday, it will have been a long race, and a well earned mental and physical rest.

Understanding Motivation

I heard a comment today made by a member of my family, and it helps shed light on what I've been seeing lately - a question I hadn't asked about the source of motivation.

It's interesting what motivates us, as it isn't always clear.  I wouldn't have guessed the answer, and it highlights the importance to me of listening, even when you think you already know the answer.

The Measure of a Life

This phrase has haunted me of late.  It's part of the lyrics of a song I really like, but the harmonic that touched me was more about what's going on today around me.

I've been trying to determine how to get my head around the measure of one's life by somehow defining that yardstick and holding myself up to it.  This has come about due to personal circumstance changes, but I see others also struggling with this - often without recognizing the nature of their predicament.  I can share the struggle itself doesn't feel very good and drives self doubt and worry when our preconceived ideas no longer align to the current situation we may find ourselves in.  This can happen in a range of ways - employed to being unemployed or retired; married to unmarried and so on. 

How we value ourselves and deal with changes in our situations often tests our long term view (I am talking after-all of the measure of one's life moreso than the measure of a year or other period).  So in some ways my own "ah-ha moment" arrived when I recognized the unacknowledged variable here - time.  As in the shorter periods where we can't see above the waves currently around us.  But that doesn't mean we're drifting the wrong way, it simply means we can't see how we'll get there from the current vantage-point. 

Admittedly it's hard to do course corrections if you don't have a destination, a heading, or an idea where you are at any precise moment. But that's the very nature of the question here I think.   While the pathway was never going to straight, if we have an idea where we want to go, we'll be able to navigate to be able to get there. 

I don't think there is a universal truth here - what the measure of a life is (So long, and thanks for all the fish), rather, there is an answer we can each be at peace with and it is different for each of us. The trick is to be comfortable with your own answer, and then lean into it. 

Motivation - Keys to Crime Solving & Sales

When the police are trying to "solve" a crime, the tend to focus on a few key factors to optimize the pathway to success for speed - and one of these is motive.  In the best situations, I think it's very similar to when a sales person is trying to sell on a B2B basis.

As a disclaimer, I'll offer that I help experienced sales people sell more effectively - it's my day-to-day job.  So there's a chance I see similarities everywhere, where none really exists.  So - keep me honest in this argument I'm going to make.

(As another aside, I use the word argument to indicate that this is an un-tested opinion that I believe has merit. Like anything read on the inter-web, question me, disagree and form your own opinions - and always do that, as most stuff online is ill-conceived opinion whether on a blog like this, or on what is supposed to be a real news site)

Motive is the "why", and understanding the why helps narrow the field of potential suspects down significantly.  In criminal investigations, I've heard that something north of 90% of crimes are committed by someone the victim knows.  So, by playing the statistics and examining the why, the authorities are able to eliminate unlikely culprits much faster than by simply looking at "how".  

In professional selling there's a tremendous amount of focus on the "how", and I'll argue here that its the wrong question to ask.  There's a tendency to think about competing products, their features and pricing almost exclusively.   Sales people get caught up in it, instead of examining what is causing the customer to act - their motive.  When this latter area becomes the primary discussion point, then the whole dynamic of interaction changes and the game is played by rules the salesperson sets effectively.

Think of it this way - if I offer you two options - A and B, and ask you to decide between them, you will look at each, and debate their merits, price and so on.  Then you'll make a decision.  You may (but probably won't) vocalize your decision making criteria.  In this example, the fear of the seller of either option will be that their offerings can't stand up against its competition.  Now let's look at the same kind of situation differently.  Instead of passively playing along to the point of offering your option as a seller of either A or B, you engage the customer and work to understand the issue that they are trying to address.  What exactly is their desired outcome in sourcing an option. What purpose does it serve, what else is involved, and what is the end-use situation.  What's in it for them to do this...

In this revised motive-centric approach, the option we as sellers put in front of the client is more tailored to their need, and may end up being a different option than what the customer first sought. When it does come time to make a decision, the customer had engaged with you and explored their own situation and has an awareness that your option addresses the need they have.  You're more likely to win the sale with the awareness of motive.

Why don't more salespeople do this ?  That's unclear, but I suspect (another opinion here) it's because there is all sorts of silliness around selling skills  - it's an art, it's about who you know, etc - that covers up the need to follow a professional, systematic approach.  Going back to our crime scene..it's the equivalent to hiring a psychic to help the force.

Next up - the alibi.