Business Insanity
December 27, 2008
With a new year upon us, it is a natural time to reflect on the year in review and look ahead to the prospects of a new year. We live in an unprecedented and exciting era of change. As we, at AscendWorks, reflect on our perspective of business and the new economy, here are some observations we have made:
- Mindsets Are Everything: There are two prevailing mindsets we see. The growth mindset and the fixed mindset. The old economy played to the fixed mindset types of workers. Keep the status quo, build organizational structures and refine. It is not so today. The only true mindset which prevails is the growth mindset. It is the attribute of people who are on a continual journey of learning. Technology is now a commodity. The main factor now is utilizing talent and knowing how to put the ingredients for success together. Talent comes from people who have a growth mindset. Everyone else is pretending and scared. They are in the wake of the talented people making new rules and new pathways.
Defending Mediocrity
December 19, 2008
Customers today ignore boring products. Old brands which do not inspire passion or luster are not guaranteed to be around, for customers increasingly value what is novel and stands out rather than what was promoted to be safe, common, and routine.
Many of the institutions we see (yours may be one of them) are intrinsically designed to resist change. When they sense it from new technology and processes, they dig their heels in. They settle on mediocrity. They risk going extinct quickly.
Change is happening everywhere around us. From presidential elections to old models of corporations, others are getting ahead because they understand how the new economy works. The rest are hoping the 1980’s would return. Read more
When You Are A Stranger
December 12, 2008
When You Are A Stranger
Do you look forward to hearing your phone ring? If you are receiving a sale, the answer is, yes. If someone is trying to sell you, then you might not be so eager. We are all doing one of two things every day - buying or selling. Depending on which side of the equation we are engaged in, our posture changes.
There used to be days when the salesman would visit with their suitcase full of goods to a country home. They were welcomed with lemonade on the front porch and the seller and buyer would sit and talk. The stranger became a friend. That was under different circumstances: Read more
Desperate Times Do Not Call For Desperate Measures
December 5, 2008
In baseball, it is known that major league players, though they are at the highest echelon of their profession, always go through slumps. They may go through a drought of hitting whereas they had had streaks of success in the past. It is in those times that baseball players get back to the fundamentals. They start thinking through the micromovements of their swing, stance and approach. The fundamentals were what made them successful in the first place; they cannot violate natural laws for long without having to realign with them.
This is true for golfers, basketball shooters and business people. Yes, in the game of business and life, there will be slumps. Many are due to macro effects. Some are due to ability and talent. Read more
