Thoughts after Reading: Different - Part One

Written by Youngme Moon, a Senior Associate Dean and Professor in Harvard Business School, Different is about, well, differences.

In it, Professor Moon shows us how so many companies attempt to differentiate themselves, only to end up making themselves more alike to their competition. She makes the point that, unless you are a brand loyalist (a breed of consumer that is getting increasingly rare) or a brand connoisseur (usually only focused on one or two genres/categories),  you are unlikely to be able to see much difference between brands of toothpaste or other toiletries, beverages or most groceries, even mobile devices or most electronics for that matter.

She believes that this comes from the way many of us think of "improvements". Instead of working on accentuating our strengths far beyond the median, we spend time on bringing the qualities that are below the median up to par, thinking that this will improve the overall result.

For example, Vendor A makes his own sausages and hot dog buns but the mustard he uses is nowhere nearly as good as Vendor B's, who makes his mustard using a secret family recipe, but serves sausages and buns from a food supplier. Becoming aware of this, Vendor A spends time trying to make his own mustard. Unfortunately, this takes time and attention away from his sausages and buns, which take a dip in quality, almost to the point where they are only a little better than those from Vendor B's food supplier's.

The result is that Vendor A now serves hot dogs that are so similar to Vendor B that there is little discernible difference between them. He would likely also have lost the customers who loved his home-made hot dogs and who did not care much about the mustard.

If Vendor A had continued improving his recipe for his hot dogs, ignoring his apparent weakness in sauces, he would have maintained an important difference between his product and those of Vendor B's.

This is a simplistic scenario, of course, but it is a fair representation of Professor Moon's point.

How, then, do we accentuate the difference? Stay tuned for Part Two...

Writing in Bursts (For the Book) and Bursting with Thoughts

Here we are. Another week ahead!

I managed to get a fair bit of writing done over the course of the last week. If I continue to burst-write like this, I'll be able to finish the book in a couple more weeks.

That said, I am currently spending a lot of time thinking about gemology. Having visited the recent Singapore International Jewelry Expo (SIJE), I met a lecturer from the local Jewelry Design and Management International School (JDMIS) who introduced a suite of courses that they teach.

Perhaps I should learn how to make my own jewellery through metalsmithing. Obviously, it's going to cost a pretty penny but at least the tools needed for the course are included in the cost.

While at the Expo, it was fun to interact with vendors from different countries. The sharing of experiences and ideas was invigorating and I learned a lot from them. If I get a chance, I'd certainly like to visit them in their countries and observe their local culture.

Learning never gets old.

Lessons From Online Shopping

Online shopping - the convenience of buying what you want and having it sent to you instead of having to carry it home yourself.

To encourage spending, online shopping sites use all kinds of incentives, from daily draws for coupons to members-only discount codes. Some use limited time offers to create a sense of urgency while others offer free shipping if you spend above a certain amount.

My main takeaway from shopping online is that you should always think about it before clicking "Buy". Yes, the deal may longer be here tomorrow but do you really need that new powerbank with the torchlight function?

Sleep on the deal and decide the next day. You may find the deal much less attractive after you've had some rest. Remember, fatigue lowers control over impulse. Also, if you feel pressured to buy, you are more likely to regret it later.

Of course, I've made my fair share of bad buys. I attribute most of them to not having spent enough time to think about it - something that salespeople are disinclined to give you. 

How does this relate to teaching? Teaching is very much like selling, except that the teacher is selling an idea or concept and the learner is paying in time and attention. If the teacher is able to sell ideas effectively, the learner is more willing to give his attention and time. A good teacher knows how to package his information in an attractive, engaging manner. He also gives his learners time to use that information and try it out - tactics that ensure that the information sticks.

Sales skills - not just for salespeople.

The Easily Offended and The Online Rants

It seems that, almost every day, somebody somewhere in the world gets offended at something and produces a long tirade against it. Sometimes, this is done on social media platforms like Facebook or blogs. Other times, it becomes published on e-zines or websites that accept article contributions.

The amount of insipid, inane rants online has increased exponentially in recent years and, young people being easily influenced, think that this is the norm. They think that once they have an opinion, everybody needs to hear about it, whether or not it has been thought through or researched properly.

We are all entitled to our opinions, it is true. However, if no consideration is given to whether or not it benefits or builds others up, it is perhaps best to leave things unsaid.

We are blessed with technological wonders like the internet that our ancestors could scarcely dream of and we end up turning it into a toxic, negative wasteland of drivel and spite. Such a pity, isn't it?

As I end my rant, here's to hoping for a brighter, kinder internet in the future, one where we can nourish and nurture one another instead of tearing each other down. Cheers!