Talent: Is it Necessary for Excellence?
I’m intrigued by the notion of gifts and talents. If someone is said to be gifted I used to think they’ve been endowed with a magical power at birth. That may or may not be true. It’s a fascinating study in any case.
If some excel at artistic or athletic endeavors were they born immensely talented, or was it learned?
Recently, I came across a story that articulates a point of view you might find interesting.
Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art. One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, “Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!” —- Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence
What I like about this particular story was Bertoldo’s view of “gifted” people. They tend to coast on their natural ability. He would have none of that with Michaelangelo. Even though the young sculptor had natural abilities his skill would not grow unless challenged.
In Geoff Colvin’s book Talent is Overrated he makes a convincing case in favor of excellence by practice. Not that natural ability isn’t necessary; just that it doesn’t matter as much as you would think.
When a group of researchers went looking for natural talent they couldn’t find it. They looked for musical talent because it’s the kind of talent that most people think of in terms of “being gifted”.
The researchers probed, questioned and analyzed many factors and overall could find no evidence of natural-born talent. The one factor they did find that predicted how musically accomplished the students were, was how much they practiced.
Students typically achieve a grade 5 level after twelve hundred hours of practice.
Students who practice 2 hours a day will reach that level faster than the student who practices only 15 minutes a day.
Let’s do some math. After 2 years, one student will have had 182.5 hours of study compared to a whopping 1460 hours by the “gifted student”.
If the students start out at age 10, the “gifted” 12 year-old will indeed look “gifted” in contrast to the other who has “no talent”.
Is this clear evidence that excellence is probable through deliberate practice? Indeed, the separation between mediocre violinists and virtuosos was only a few hours practice every day!
What does that mean for the rest of us? We don’t have to accept mediocrity as the norm. Through diligent practice and dedication you can excel at your chosen pursuit.
Selling… a Dirty Word?
Have you thought of selling as a deplorable activity? I encourage you to change your position on that.
Selling is the fuel for a business. Without the fuel the business vehicle goes nowhere. Not long ago, selling was given short shrift. I think the sentiment is changing though.
Browsing the local bookstore, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble show a myriad of titles aimed at this topic. Many internet marketers realize that sales are the lifeblood of their online businesses. I often receive many offers to “double my sales”, “increase conversions” and “close more prospects”.
I’m sure you get similar things in your inbox.
Everyone understands when products move, services are rendered or information is sold… money changes hands. Why then, is selling still an activity that we procrastinate on?
1. Fear of rejection. Face-to-face selling is tough if the person is annoyed that your bothering her.
2. Taking the rejection personally. Hard to avoid sometimes after all, you did deliver the sales talk.
3. Failing to overcome objections. Buyer resistance is higher today because customers are savvy. They do their homework. They expect more…
Possible solutions?
a. Target your ideal customer. Create a profile of an ideal client. Check through your records for someone who matches that description. Gear your presentation to that person knowing that they’re predisposed to buying your product.
b. Rehearse your presentation. Make sure you emphasize the benefits. People buy for emotional reasons not only the logical ones. Make the sale emotionally first then give them reasons to support it rationally. Smooth out your talk by practice. Get a friend, spouse or family pet to be the audience.
c. Know your product. Not everyone is a candidate for your product or service. That’s common sense. Trying to fit every person you meet into the same category won’t help. Knowing who your product or service is meant for means you’re able to meet their expectations. If their objections are valid you can tell them confidently that your product won’t help them but here is someone who can. Then refer them to a trusted vendor.
If you run a retail operation and a prospect comes in the door, there’s a really good chance they want to buy — more, than you want to sell.
The position is a nice one to be in. In a sense, they’ve already qualified themselves and now all you need to do is listen, think and advise.
Feast or Famine: The plight of the Solopreneur
In times past, my quest to be as productive as possible led me into some difficulties. I got caught up in the day-to-day cranking of the widget lever without making sure I’d have widgets to crank tomorrow.
The problem happens for freelancers, independent contractors, and solopreneurs because we forget to market our “widget-cranking service”. The voice of an old sales manager still rings in my mind…
“You have to drop names in your sales funnel today if you want sales tomorrow.”
Good advice to a rookie. Tough to do if you don’t have a system. Thankfully over the years I’ve been fortunate to implement some things that draw business to me. I’ve never been a big fan of cold calling or door knocking though I’ve done those things and they do work. Rather, I prefer the method of drawing good qualified leads to me and I’ll share a few things that have worked really well.
1. Set up a website. This is a must nowadays. It does the equivalent of a salesman, only it works 24/7, doesn’t eat anything and never asks for a raise. The website displays your best work, pre-sells for you, and if you offer a special report …you can quickly build a list of qualified leads. The website is the perfect place for your copy, photos and testimonials to help establish credibility.
2. Strategic alliances. This is an expensive term for having a relationship other business who share a common client. You simply set up a reciprocal agreement to refer clients to one another. It’s been powerful for me over the years.
3. Do good work. Word gets around. Really. Referrals and repeat business are huge in my business. I’ve always aimed to under promise and over deliver consistently as a business practice. Keep your promises, don’t miss deadlines, and move like an attack dog on any customer service issues. Offer to replace, exchange, or do it over if it will make the customer happy. It’ll pay off over the long run, I promise you.
There you have it. These tips have worked well for me and make it possible to neglect my marketing yet still have a steady flow of good leads coming in daily. Granted, the effects of this kind of marketing are built over time, but so what. If you enjoy what you do, this will ensure you aren’t subject to feast and famine cycles that plague many other solopreneurs.
Visualization for Time Management Part 1
“…your brain sees no difference whatsoever between visualizing something and actually doing it.” — Jack Canfield, The Success Principles.
Visualization is a just a term for a principle that’s been around for a long time. Fifty or so years ago, Maxwell Maltz called it “Theatre of the mind”. Before him, Napoleon Hill wrote about it in Think and Grow Rich. Wallace Wattles talked about it his famous treatise as well. I’m sure we can go back to beginning of time if records were kept.
Whatever name you want to attach to the idea, it’s value can’t be ignored. Olympic athletes have used this technique to gain the podium. Golfers take many strokes off their games using this technique. Martial artists refine their forms or katas by mentally rehearsing them first.
“Seeing is believing” as the saying goes. There is a depth of truth to it.
How many times have you said:
“I can’t see myself doing that…”
“I can’t see imagine how that’s possible…”
“I don’t see how…”
Your own language reveals a process that happens unconsciously. You are using this technique every day without recognizing its potential.
The act of doing something is always preceded by the thought. The thought takes the form of an image or mental enactment. A mental mind movie of sorts.
If you are planning to go to the grocery store, you don’t imagine the words in large block letters “GO TO THE GROCERY STORE”. Nope. You likely conjure yourself strolling down the supermarket aisle picking and choosing items. Or imagining yourself driving into the parking lot of a large supermarket. The thought comes in the form of an imaginary scene.
Can this same process of imagining an act or event be used to create a picture of the thing we would like to accomplish? Is it possible to create a scenario in your mind of an event we want to make happen in the physical world?
In the aforementioned quote from Jack Canfield, he makes the statement backed up by research and proven to be effective in his own life. The power of the imagining process to bring about a result is fascinating. We unconsciously use this facility every day with little or no thought to what we do and how we do it.
Imagine if you decide to script your life. Whatever goal you desire, imagine and see the steps leading to the goal before you lift a finger in the physical realm. Your mind doesn’t distinguish between the imagined and the physical action. Whether you decide to do it or not doesn’t matter. Do it or don’t do it… the mind would still have the same set of preceding images because that’s the way the mind works.
More fascinating, when athletes were hooked up with a device that measures synaptic and muscular response, the same neural and muscular synapses fired identically when they ran the event in the mind. Incredible, yes?
You can literally run a race in your mind and receive the same training effect mentally as if you actually ran the race physically.
In part 2 we’ll continue the looking at this fascinating technique for developing skill and how we can leverage visualization in our favor.
Top Ten Tips For Having A Totally Unproductive Day
I took particular enjoyment in writing this list today because the subject matter is something I have some experience in. I’m guessing you will be able to relate to this, too.
1. Sleep in. Might as well start the day off right. Nothing like sleeping in an 4 hours, waking up groggy and incoherent. Sets the tone for the rest of the day. You can help the lethargy along by consuming voluminous quantities of pizza the night before.
2. Do NOT write down your to-do list the night before. Improvisation is great for jazz. Even better if you want to be totally unproductive. You’re free to run to and fro, randomly and recklessly, throughout the day giving the impression of being productive.
3. Take short work breaks. I heartily recommend resting for 55 minute period, then doing a 5 minute period of unfocused work. A perfect way to get less than the minimum done.
4. Increase the check up frequency of email, IM and your favorite Facebook status page. Nothing like being instantly in touch with others and ready for extended conversations.
5. Eat fast food voraciously. l love the spike in blood sugar to get your pulse racing and the resulting sluggishness that inevitably follows. Ensure your chair has an adjustable tilt mechanism that affords a reclining position. Safety first.
6. Answer every incoming call on the first ring. Nothing says I have nothing better to do than that. “Hey Bill glad you called … I was beginning to get some work done! …bwahahahaha…”
7. First things before you do any work. Upon arising: check your email, watch the news, read your horoscope, and consult the great oracle by googling things at random…
8. Engage in lengthy meetings. It’s best not to set a time limit and make sure no one is aware of the topics. Add in plenty of donuts and soft drinks as productivity neutralizers.
9. Leave the planner, day-timers and calendars at home. Keeping everything in your head will totally impress everyone. You might probably forget a few things but hey, that’s life and it happens.
10. Lastly, avoid exercise. Above all, this is bad for laziness. The burst of energy you will get will almost assuredly blast away your unproductivity. Don’t run… just walk away slowly.
Hope this tongue-in-cheek list helps you in some way 🙂
How You Do Something is How You Do Anything
Several years ago, I worked in a section of a manufacturing plant where we built custom household furniture. One day a new hire joined the crew. He was a “craftsman” who had 24 years of industry experience (by his own admission).
The fellow boasted never having complaints about workmanship. In all those years, not a single one (again, his own admission).
I was impressed. Until I watched him go to work.
His methods appeared unorthodox (I’m being kind). I thought maybe he was having an “off” day. Later, after quitting time and all the co-workers left, my curiosity got the better of me and I went to have a peek.
I knew immediately the piece he produced wouldn’t pass inspection. I could see errors so basic I began to question the validity of his “experience”. Turns out, he did have the 24 years in the trade but you would’ve never guessed that looking at the finished goods sitting there.
The next morning the production manager and decorator responsible for the order reviewed the finished piece.
Usually, if there is an error or deficiency in quality, it was common practice to put a sticky note on it with instructions. The technician would then make the necessary correction. All would be good.
By the time they finished with sticky notes this piece looked like a Christmas tree adorned beautifully in yellow (not good).
The “craftsman” was dumbfounded… “This has never happened to me in 24 years…”
Instead of taking responsibility, he blamed the decorator. The work order was wrong… The instructions weren’t clear… blah, blah,blah…
So it went.
My point is simply this…
How you do something… is how you do anything.
Earlier, I watched him to see how did things and I came to a quick conclusion…
He may believe he had 24 years experience but really he had 1 year of experience repeated 23 more times.
He simply did enough to get by. Certainly no more than that. No commitment to growth. No continual improvement. No attitude of “how can I do better”. Nothing.
And it showed.
Bad Habits Mean Low Productivity
In the Monday March 4, 2011 article I mentioned that I recently did a time audit. Logging your activities and time spent is very enlightening. I also mentioned that my week wasn’t the most productive one I ever had.
Beside the fact I was less than productive, The value of the audit process showed me where my energy was spent, diffused, and in some cases, non-existent.
My work habits were awesome… when I was actually working.
The problem? I wasn’t “working” the whole time.
Procrastination, laziness and fatigue were some factors I listed.
A couple of other points that contributed to my less than productive week were:
Checking email too frequently. My iphone doesn’t alert me when a new email arrives so I manually check it. Not a big deal. Except when I’m not into my work… It’s too easy to tap the mail icon and just take a quick peek. The urge to respond becomes too much to ignore.
Unnecessary phone calls. Guilty. I made too many of them simply due to procrastination.
Idle chit-chat. We don’t have a water cooler but that didn’t stop me from spending extra minutes chatting when I should have been slaving away in the salt mine.
Overall, out of a possible 50 hours of “work time” I had only 27 hours of billable time. Not good from a personal efficiency perspective.
The following week I changed my dietary routine to include more protein and cut the carbohydrate intake. That one change alone made a huge difference in my energy level. The mid-afternoon fatigue was gone.
The diet change made a notable difference: My outlook about being productive. Previously I had felt drained before starting the week, the job, the routine, etc.
After a week of eating differently, I had a more buoyant attitude. I felt more positive and happier. Maybe it won’t work for you but it’s worth a try. It certainly worked for me.
In upcoming posts I’ll show you some other tips I used to combat some of my inefficiencies spotted in the “unproductive week”.
Be Productive in Small Chunks
Recently, I did a time audit of my productivity during one week. I logged every minute from when I climbed out of bed to the end of the day. Let me just say it wasn’t the most productive week I ever had.
Very insightful though. The exercise was enormously helpful because I identified trouble spots that I’ll adjust in the future.
More importantly, It got me thinking about how we use the “lost” minutes during the day, which I’ll come back to in a second…
Overall I could have done better with my time. I spotted several points to improve upon but for today I’ll take a shot at the first three.
I wasted time: 1) taking extended breaks, 2) non essential tasks, and 3) errands I should’ve given to someone else.
Firstly, I started the week, tired. No excuse. And, no surprise either… My diet up to that point was carb-rich which I consumed with reckless abandon. A quick check on the scale concurred with my energy level.
Secondly, I puttered a bit on desk arranging, pencil sharpening and I even swept floors. Yeah I know… high-value activities. On one occasion I was stalling until I figured out what to do next. On another, I was loathing the task and working up the energy, which never showed up.
And finally, I went on random errands a couple of afternoons during the week. Just an hour or so each, but not because they were important and not because the errands needed to be done quickly. The errands could’ve been handled by someone else. Lack of motivation to push onward got to me and my productivity.
During the course of the day I spent puttering about, I lost those few minutes of productivity.
My observation about the whole thing is just this: I should have a to-do list of higher value, next steps that require little energy to complete, aren’t on a deadline, and will move me forward in some beneficial way.
If you’re a Solopreneur like me, and have various duties besides the high-value stuff you’re paid to do… these are some easy-to-do, low-energy tasks:
- making a quick follow up call to potential clients
- booking a flight for upcoming trip
- writing memos
- ordering supplies
- returning incoming calls
- going over a few things with the bookkeeper
- taking a short power nap (I’m serious… when all else fails)
Getting things done in those minutes when your energy level is nil might be enough of a catalyst to fire the engine up again. Having a short list of high-yield tasks will allow you to catch your breath yet remain equally productive.
Being productive in those small chunks of time might just reap a huge bounty down the road.
Motivation for The Solopreneur
Ah… motivation.
Volumes heaped on countless volumes have been written about this particular subject. An explosion of material is available with the click of mouse and within seconds you could have a year’s worth of reading material to sort through and digest.
(I’m tired already. And not too motivated to read it either…)
I won’t pretend to be a psychologist and expound on things like drive theory, cognitive dissonance and radical behaviorism because, quite frankly, I don’t know anything about that stuff.
Motivation is either inside or outside you depending on the circumstances. Psychologists would call this intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is something that you enjoy doing just for the sake of doing it.
Extrinsic motivation might involve a tangible reward like money, coercion, or threat of punishment as a stimulus to act. Competition and the desire to win might be another form of external motivation.
So what?… Well, in a real way you feel the effects of these forces. You work out of the desire for money which in turn provides the necessities and frivolities of life. The degree to which you are successful is dependent on whether you like what you do vs. hate what you do, for money.
By extension, If you can align your intrinsic motivation with something the market will compensate you for, then you’ll be able to harness both sets of motivational forces to work for you. Imagine that.
In other words, “Do what you love and the money will follow”… (Yuck, can’t believe I quoted that…) but there is a kernel of truth to it.
When you align your passion, whatever that may be, with a market that is hungry for information, products and services based on that passion, you have the makings of a profitable business.
Trouble is, you often get stuck doing things that ignore that passion for whatever reason. Money, coercion, or threat of eviction… pick your poison.
Take a breather. Figure out what lights your candle and go for it. You’ll find out that work doesn’t seem like work anymore. And you’ll live happily ever after (well, closer anyhow).
In future posts, I wanna delve deeper into this subject because it’s so fascinating to see what make us humans tick. And, do the things we do.
Enough for now.
Outcome Thinking: Seeing is Believing
A friend of mine built upholstered soft furnishings. Often as a beginner he was befuddled when staring at a raw wood frame… intimidated because he wasn’t sure what to do next. Not wanting to appear foolish he moved about busily, trying to look like he knew what he was doing, hoping divine inspiration would show him what to do next. Never happened. Eventually, he had to ask for help.
Imagine for a second you are a carpenter’s apprentice tasked with the job of building a box. You begin by cutting pieces of wood, laying them out carefully in nice little piles. Assembling the pieces you realize that it doesn’t fit together. Oops. Forget this little axiom “Measure twice cut once”. Now you have a mess. A mess that could’ve been avoided if you were taught a process.
How is it as a beginner it seems so hard to finish projects? I think the problem happens because the beginner doesn’t have a clue what the project is supposed to look like when its done. The problem is vision…
At the start of any project you need to form a clear mental picture of the piece you want to build. In the case of our poor woodworking friend he didn’t imagine the finished item in his mind. When the time came to put it all together he was haphazard because he didn’t consult with the blueprint and make a working plan.
He should’ve examined the plan and noted all the details. Taking all that in, then forming the 3-D mental image of the completed item. That’s the target to shoot for.
Having a clear picture or vision in mind is the key.
Working backwards from that image you reverse the process it took to get there. Laying out each preceding step until you arrive at the beginning will give you a working plan. It’s the only way to make sure you get it right. And of course, any omissions in your plan will be easier to deal with during that process.
Can you apply this process to any project?
Yes. If you paint or draw for fun or profit you need a clear idea of the subject and what you’d like to capture.
If you are a writer working on the great American novel you need to have the story clear in mind before you begin.
It’s unlikely you would take a trip across the country without a destination in mind. From there it is relatively to easy to find a map and choose a suitable route.
That’s the essence of outcome thinking. Gather the details and form the vision in the mind first. Make a map, plot the route and you are on your way. Makes sense, doesn’t it?