The Positivity Company

04/11/2021

24/02/2021

Keys Keys Everywhere!
I reach my door and try the first key, it doesnt work. Second, third...I never ever give up till you reach the last key. But I never give up trying all the keys. Why? The keys have always worked. AND. I don't have a choice.

Was working with a client and their head of sales. Every key had been exhausted. Adwords, Face to face selling, incentives, sacking, training. The same customer segments had given them enough business to keep the shareholders happy.

They were using the same keys, which had worked so brilliantly for the last so many years.

The keys were a false hope.

Turning keys harder in the lock was not going to unlock any doors.

They needed new doors to unlock. It's scary trying to unlock strange doors. Its hard. Really hard.

They needed new keys.
They wanted to identify small call-centers. How can they find them. Lets find out which call centers are hiring tele-callers! Where can we find them? Job-search websites! Oh s # # # we never thought of that.

We wanted small sellers struggling to sell. We said twenty of us. will google one segment. Pet-stores, chefs, music teachers, coaches, trainers, insurance agents, wealth advisors, yoga instructors, etc.

What doors are you still knocking on?
Which keys have stopped turning?
Why?

09/11/2020

We see people without a mask. We arrive at a snap judgement about them. Callousness? Risk evaluation? Frustration?

When you explore the concept of bravery, what does it mask?

Putting your papers even without a job? Maybe its the confidence of getting a job. Maybe its the shame. Or hopelessness?

How about a whistle-blower who speaks out? Is it the fear that one day it might be you? Or maybe you have just had enough? Or principles?

How about bodyguards who put their bodies in the line of a bullet? How about someone who wants to marry another person despite societal approval? How about someone who reports a dear friend to the authorities? Is it conditioning or is it duty or obligation or an act of reciprocal teams or selfish greed or maybe inconsideration?

How about voting for a party where it is fashionable to ridicule them?

How about the person who has a question to ask in class or question a strategy?

For a moment consider what Socrates called "thoughtful courage". Socrates observed that courage without forethought was commonplace. He considered forethought in bravery to be an essential component.

I often see posts of people resigning after an unfair appraisal, or taking a sabbatical without any forethought or even becoming a "coach" or "trainer" or "consultant".

02/10/2020

Karma watches you every step of the way

23/07/2020

The Plan B effect of exponential evolution. Sometimes chaining yourself down, unchains you. We might see a constraint as a lack of resource or suppression of possibilities.

What I am noticing is that many folks have just shrugged off the constraint and are back to business.

The creative juices flow harder when we suppress a natural part of body. We tend to move faster. We tend to form new bonds and let go of bonds that don't work any more.

As a result we grow. Maybe not economically. We are witnessing growth in community concern. We are growing in health preservation We are witnessing growth in the ability of social systems to handle challenges. We are witnessing humans reaching new levels of altruism.

Just know this. There is another constraint coming. It might come in another year's time. Another five years. Another ten. Hundred.

Our growth will enable us to the next level of exponential evolution.

10/07/2020

Welcome to Planet Earth.
Corona. Border issues. Economic downturn. Trade wars and barriers. Political partisanship. Racism. Economic divide. Stress. Climate change. Religious strife. Corruption. Health infrastructure. Poverty. Nuclear proliferation. Trolls. Diversity. Gender. Depression. Souring Relationships. Values. Stock market bubbles. Loans crisis. Oil crisis. Deforestation. Scams. Scandals. Harassment. Su***de. Pollution. Nepotism. Urban migration. War. Riots. Violence. Domestic violence. Refugees. Forest fires. Floods. Food adulteration. Drought. Food shortages. Nutrition.

Yet. We eventually succeed? How? That is the secret of the human race. We dig ourselves a hole and then we find a way out.

Lazarus Young says it well, "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

And of course in the immortal words of the Eagles..."Relax," said the night man "We are programmed to receive...You can check-out any time you like
But you can never leave!" Never ever check out.

03/07/2020

Conducting informative interviews!

https://www.facebook.com/bbccomedy/videos/663640757698774/

18/06/2020

When questions are stronger than answers.
Everyone has knowledge. You need someone with wisdom to be able to extract that knowledge from within you.
The wisdom is in gentle questioning or rather stringing together a set of questions.
To explore possibilities is to know the right question.

To be able to surrender to the depth of someone's questions is humility.

The permission given to ask questions is a test of connectedness.

27/05/2020

Why do Black Swans occur? Its so easy to see why we do not see Black Swans.

Apple was the Black Swan in the computing industry (and continues to be one). President Trump might also be considered to be a Black Swan event.

Was 9/11 an Black Swan event? The New York Times posed an interesting hypothetical situation. In 2001 airlines were already struggling with their cost and profitability issues.

Imagine if a courageous legislator had proposed that by September 10th, 20011, every aircraft should have cockpit doors reinforced with steel and locked for the entire duration of the flight.

Chances are the legislation would have never gotten passed.

But if it had, 9/11 would have been prevented.

Why did we not make the change? It was just too hard.
Our biases misdirected our judgement and weighed heavily towards the cons (cost) and underestimated the benefit (safety).

Our minds told us to avoid the hardwork.

What other Black Swans are we anticipating? What can we do about them today?

22/05/2020

New Possibilities and the Kubler Ross Model.

The Kubler Ross model explains our response to the Covid-19 stimulus.

March - It will not come to India. The virus will not withstand our heat. We have strong immunity to disease.

You can see we were clearly not aligned to the situation.

March End - Numbers were rising.
We went into frustration mode. Everyone wanted to "engage" with their employees to deal with their frustrations. Communication became key. Some companies did it with great compassion and dignity. Some not so much.

Come April: When lockdown after lockdown was the norm, came out the "motivational speakers". Everyone with a computer and a net connection became a "webinar expert". They were all being sought after.

Come May: Some companies said enough is enough. lets do this. They made strategic choices. Started building new capabilitiess.

Come May end: Today as we speak. Organisations are beginning their march towards New Possibilities. Leaders have shrugged off the doom and gloom and have become one with the environment.

New Possibilities is the next frontier.

PS: If you are still looking to "motivate" and "engage" think a bit deeper. The train is about to leave the platform. Get onboard.