From All Sides Now
The other day my friend and mentor, Richard, gave a guest lecture in one of
my classes: International Marketing. Being the founder and president of a
small, but influential company that familiarizes and guides companies from
both sides of the globe, east and west, into each othersÆ territories, he
had a ton of interesting anecdotes to share. Each story illustrated the
fatality of improper preparation and ignorance in one area or another. My
friendÆs point was, that in everything you undertake in life, you should try
to do as thorough a job as possible.
To stay, for illustration purposes, in the international marketing field for
a moment: You can, for instance, achieve government cooperation in the
introduction of a new product or the establishment of a new division in a
target country, and you can do as much research as you want to ensure the
right alteration into customerÆs tastes. You can tailor your advertising
campaign to local terms of understanding, and you can penetrate the market
through the best distribution channel that operates there. But if your
packaging does not fit the customerÆs liking or suitability, your product
will get stuck on the shelves, and your investment plunges into nothingness,
despite the tremendous efforts made in all other areas.
And that, dear friends, is just one aspect of life. Of course there are
legions of variables in the above-described set of actions available. But
thatÆs not really the point here. The fact of the matter is that we often
overlook important aspects in many of the operations we embark on in the
course of our lives. And this flaw of poor preparation and meager
sensitivity does not only manifest itself in business or marketing. It is
also very present in our personal lives, although it may present itself
slightly different there. We may, for instance, see or hear about something
(a person, a job, a house-- you name it), get awed by its exudation, and
forget to take our time to look for the invisible hurdles that may exist
under that exciting exterior. Instead, we get over-enthused, and find
ourselves attached before we realize that the attractive first impression
did not guarantee synchronization with our long-term desires.
Fortunately, we learn our lessons somewhat better as we mature. Just like
the business manager and the international marketer learn about the
importance of all the details, especially the ones that are not obvious at
first sight; so does the man or woman in a private setting learn that
patience will guarantee much more rewards in the end.
And now the other side of the coin:
Perhaps one of the most frustrating realizations, on the other hand, is,
that the thoughtful ones among us - call them the analyzers - may get
confronted with a problem of an entirely opposing nature: these people find
themselves running into a stream of thoughts and acts that ultimately lead
to nowhere. If you want an illustration of this problem, listen to the song
"From Both Sides Now," in which issues as clouds, love, and life are
evaluated, and in which the singer consistently finds that, after studying
clouds from up and down; love from give and take; and life from win or lose;
he or she just doesnÆt know anything about these issues û at all.
Analyzers easily fall into the analysis paralysis syndrome: they look, and
measure, and compare, and then they conclude that perhaps they should wait a
little longer for the right opportunity to come by. They observe things from
too many angles, and achieve the exact opposite of the impulsive ones. Where
the last-mentioned will run into problems of getting stuck with the result
of a shallowly made choice, the analyzer will be stuck with only him- or her
lonely self. Sounds a little eerie? Not really if you think about it.
ItÆs just that there are various shades possible in everything. The art of
living efficiently and happily may be to find the equilibrium between whatÆs
too little and whatÆs too much: donÆt jump too fast, but donÆt weigh too
long either. DonÆt run too hard, but donÆt walk too slow either. DonÆt be
too impulsive, but donÆt over-analyze either. How do you find the right
pace? Well, THAT I donÆt knowà Feeling, I guess. And luck.
Life is very much about luck, you know. Some people even tend to say that it
Æs 10% preparation, study, work, knowledge, and negotiation, and 90% luck. I
wouldnÆt go that far, as it may discourage the ones of us that know they are
not too fortunate at the gambling table. But a certain percentage of luck is
definitely present in every decision we make, and in every step we take.
That goes for business, management, marketing, and every other area of life.
Agree? Or not?
Joan Marques, Burbank, October 30, 2003
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About the Author:
Joan Marques, holds an MBA, is a doctoral candidate in Organizational
Leadership, and a university instructor in Business and Management in
Burbank, California. You may visit her web site at www.joanmarques.com
Joan's manual "Feel Good About Yourself," a six part series to get you over
the bumps in life and onto success, can be purchased and downloaded at:
http://www.non-books.com/FeelGoodSeries.html-----------------------------------------------------
