From the book: Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh Macleod.

Dan North gave a marvelous talk at the Øredev conference 2009 about “The obsession with efficiency” with a nice technology twist:

Dan North mentions the BBRT – Beyond Budgeting Roundtable as an alternative to budgeting.

I can really recommend Tom DeMarco’s book ‘Slack: Getting Past Burn-out, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency‘.

Dr. Srikumar Rao visited Google’s Mountain View, CA headquarters to discuss “Are You Ready to Succeed?”. Stay tuned the next 48 minutes.

 We are taught from a young age that in order to achieve great success we must set and achieve our goals. However in doing so, we become focused on where we are going rather than enjoying where we are right now. We sacrifice today in the hope that a better future will emerge, only to discover that achievement rarely leads to true joy. Goal-Free Living presents an alternative philosophy – that we can have an extraordinary life now, all without goals and detailed plans. By living for each moment, it’s possible to have a successful life and follow your passions at the same time.

In Stephen Shapiro’s book “ Goal-Free Living” he presents his eight secrets to living life free from the constant pressure of goals:

• - Use a compass, not a map
• - Trust that you are never lost
• - Remember that opportunity knocks often, but sometimes softly
• - Want what you have
• - Seek out adventure
• - Become a people magnet
• - Embrace your limits
• - Remain detached

Goal-Free Living offers practical guidance on putting these secrets to work in your own life every day. Take them to heart and you’ll be free of the tyranny of goals-and experience a life truly worth living.

A couple of random quotes from the book:

"I started thinking about growth rather than downsizing. Innovation and creativity rather than efficiency." 

"The things to do are: the things that need doing: that you see need to be done, and no one else seems to see the need to be done. Then you will conceive your own way of doing that which needs to be done – that no one else has told you to do or how to do it. This will bring out the real you that often get buried inside a character that acquired a superficial array of behaviors induced or imposed by other on the individual."

"One of the side effects of living goal-free is that we don’t end up with a neat and tidy set of accomplishments that defines us. We end up with lots of strings that cross, weave, twist, and turn. They all lead to the current moment, right now. They lead out into the future too, but we can only guess at where they will cross again. Any threads can take me almost anywhere I need to go, but to sort it out logically in terms of goals and accomplishments can really squeeze the life out of the stories, the threads, this life."

"Networking isn’t about business opportunities or social status. Rather it is about making new connections, gaining new experiences, and sharing passions."

"Difference knowledge rather than more knowledge."
 

I personally think this is a really amazing book – Stephen Shapiro’s Goal-Free Living.

Located in Denmark + Scrum = Join Scrum Denmark at http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/61277 ;-)

The typical old sales tactics we’re all familiar with no longer work. Cold calling gets you nowhere, door-to-door selling is a nonstarter, and today’s consumers are too savvy for most traditional scripts and closing techniques. With those tactics, it takes more time and effort to reach fewer and fewer clients. If you’re still doing it the old-fashioned way, you’re probably barely keeping your career afloat.

High technology and instant communication have put customers firmly in control of the sales process. They don’t answer calls from unknown numbers; they demand honesty and transparency in the sales process; they are well informed about your product before they deal with you; and they have no patience for pressure tactics like closing questions. No wonder traditional sales methods no longer work.

The book ends with a contrarian primer with 9 ‘rules’ here are 4 of them:

1. Build relationships and make connections.

   Each potential customer is a human just like you. He is not a ‘prospect’, a ‘commodity, a ‘potential sale’, etc. Seek to understand their needs and make a sincere effort to connect with the person.

2. Respect your customers and honor their wishes.

3. Make relevant and timely offers.

   When you listen to your target audience and understand their needs – you know what they want to buy and know what you sell – make the ends meet.

4. Practice radical transparency.

   Be honest!


Book idea! It could be fun to mix the contrarian approach with the ‘old school’ sales books like ‘Advanced Selling Strategies’ (Brian Tracy):

• Wear dark cloth (dark blue/black) vs. funky green t-shirt with the slogan ‘Anti Mistadobalina Mr. Bob Dobalina’
• No facial hair (hints that you want to hide something) vs. grow a beard like Santa Clause everyone need to believe in him with the bad stock market.
• …