Like drug resistance for pathogens in evolutionary biology, resistance is evolving and increasing to the ways we market and sell. What if we just provided easy to find, valuable information, for free when our prospects wanted it? Would that be giving into the Borg?
Read MoreGroup dynamics in meetings and decisions are influenced by the social pressures of the group. You’ve heard the cynical old expression that the best decision of a committee is worse than the best decision of any one individual in the meeting. Here are some signs that you may have a problem and what you can do about them.
Read MoreIn the past two posts, I’ve tried to answer why we, as humans, are so ready to agree with others, even when we know it’s wrong, or not what we think? The real question is what can we do about it?
People who know me might say I am a bit of an iconoclast, always questioning the prevailing norm (see There Are alligators in the Sewers of NY). But I often have others say to me after a meeting, “I wished I’d asked that question.” It’s a kind of a pain in the ass trait, and not one that will endear you to some management or others.
Read MoreA recent experiment and research at the Weizmann Institute by Prof. Yadin Dudai and his students may show why we are suseptible to group pressure. So what do you do when everyone around the conference table nods in agreement to an idea that no one individually would agree to?
Read MoreOnce my teenage daughter said she wanted to get a tattoo while on a trip we took to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. All her friends were getting them. Our dialogue on subsequent days, as we negotiated, went something like this….
Peer pressure and group think is especially dangerous in business, and it’s something that marketing or sales managers, and CEOs have to guard against.
Read MoreThere’s an old adage in coaching that says when the team wins, the reason is because the team played well, and when the team loses, the reason is due to the coach.
Read MoreOne of the teams they played was an inner city school, Como. Many of the kids at Como couldn’t afford good soccer equipment and often showed up in tennis shoes. The first time they played Cretin, they lost eight to nothing. The Cretin coach used subs, and made everyone pass three times, and shoot with their off foot.
Read MoreManagement and MotivationWe played a better team to a two-two draw at the end of regulation during a state semifinal game. It was a tough game. At the end of the first overtime, the other team scored on us, and they celebrated like they had won the championship. During the one-minute break before the second overtime, my U14 team came in dejected.
Read MoreOne of my U14 teams was playing a game against a staunch rival. The other team had won the championship from them the year before. The kids knew this, and so did the other team. The other team expected to win. Our first half strategy was simple. Just harass the ball, disrupt their passing and wait for a counter attack. The Italians call this Catennacio.
Read MoreEdina was a large school, and I suspected we might be in trouble when their players each arrived with their own matching athletic bags and personal trainers. When the game started, it was forty-five seconds before they scored on us. After three goals, our goalie began to cry.
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