Everything And Nothing

The {insert your favorite author here} Rule

Mr. Godin started it. Brand Shift reminded me about it. It just got the English major in me going and I simply couldn't stop.

The Steinbeck Rule

Ma Joad, The Grapes of Wrath - "Because we are the people, and the people go on"

This rule could be used to explain the importance of bloggers to journalists - or, hey, maybe it could be the rally cry of the Buzz Marketing group.


The Orwell Rule

1984 - 'How can I help it?' he blubbered. 'How can I help seeing what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four.' "Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane."

This rule explains why sometimes, even though you've followed every rule in "the book," the thing still doesn't turn out like you've expected.


The Tolkien Rule

Fellowship of the Rings - "Not all who wander are lost."

This rule was created for we folks who are longing for a tolerance in the businessworld of mental wandering, electronic exploring, sitting in the sun for 10 minutes, to have an excuse for the accounting types why we are temporarily away from our desk.


The Salinger Rule

Catcher in the Rye - "Certain things should just stay as they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone."

A rule the accounting types can break out when we creative types want to change something just because it would be so damn fun (but not necessarily because it was broke).


The Adams Rule

Zaphod Beeblebrox, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - "Don't try to out-weird me, three eyes. I get weirder things than you in my breakfast cereal."

And, lastly, my addendum to Seth's Tolstoy Rule. Even though it's good to be new and interesting, don't be new and interesting just for attention's sake. It's just not as cool.

The Performance Paradox

There is an interesting article in the April 2005 issue of Fast Company titled Performance Paradox. The author, Jena McGregor, points to a growing business quagmire: Establish a reputation for great value (or insert what you supply here...creative ideas, graphic design, etc.), top quality or accomplishing last-minute miracles, and soon enough, the goalposts move.

McGregor calls it the "performance paradox": If you deliver, you only qualify to deliver more.  And Michael Weissman, coauthor of The Paradox of Excellence (Jossey-Bass) set for release in August, says "The root behind the paradox is unrealistic, unconstrained expectations. They tend to chase ahead of your ability to perform."

Examples: Investors now hold onto stocks for only one year on average (down from nearly two years a decade ago). Consumers enjoy lower prices and higher quality for most products today yet the American Customer Satisfaction Index is slightly lower than 10 years ago.

The cure for the disease? Communication - constantly reinforcing to customers, investors and others exactly what it is that distinguishes you and your company as valuable. The paradox hits hardest when companies spend more time courting new customers and less time nurturing long-term relationships (or when they assume that customers - or bosses - will recognize improved performance without some help.)

Kasparov on Business and Chess

Link - The April edition of the Harvard Business Review has a great interview with Garry Kasparov, the recently retired World Chess Champion. The interview explores the rich territory of chess as an analogy for business strategy/competition.