Between Algebra & Geometry
By Francis Kong
I remember the battle cry of the 80’s and the 90’s was: “Quality!”
Consultants were busy and excited in bringing out cases after cases of Japanese businesses that modeled quality of which Toyota reigned king!
Even Filipinos and American executives engaged themselves in corporate babble using Japanese words and terminologies of which the word “Kaizen” was chief. Quality was the buzzword. You may be familiar with other words like TQM. Six Zigma. Zero Defect.
Quality rules.
And then something happened. Computers and technology came into the picture. Suddenly all the management programs become commoditized. Companies with money buy the same program which in effect led to consumer’s benefits as products and services improved dramatically. However, quality now no longer becomes cutting edge. Quality now becomes minimum entry requirement in order to survive the highly global competitive world.
Suddenly the business world realizes that quality alone will not give them the competitive edge. Enters creativity. Design. Innovation. And quite frankly, while engineers take over the world of a “Quality” centered environment, it is a rare occurrence to have engineers involve themselves with the creative part of business. The former is extremely right brained while the latter requires a lot of left brain activity.
Creativity today comes into play.
The important question we need to ask today is “How can I be creative?”
Creativity doesn't mean being a Picasso or da Vinci. Today business people sigh and say, “But there can only be one creative genius like Steve Jobs.” Agree. But you and I need to realize that every day, everyone can be a little creative is simple and small ways.
A receptionist who discovers time-saving ways to send out communications to people from different departments is using as much creativity as the head of research and development of a medical facility who has discovered the cure for the famous Swine flu epidemic.
I hated math. Still do today but I love fiddling around with words and crafting them into thoughts and ideas. I read a lot. And now that I have Kindle – that beautiful Book Reader invention from Amazon it has inspired me to read a lot more. But once in a while I would look into my old files tucked into the deep recesses of my computer archives and I was fascinated with a study that was conducted in the 90’s found in an old book entitled “Wisdom Inc.”
The president and founder of a market research firm uses mathematics to illustrate creativity. In fact he prefers employees who are better at geometry than algebra. This marketing research executive says algebra does not have much to do with creativity. But geometry does. “Creativity has to come from the paradigm from which you look at business. Geometry has more to do with spatial perception.” And the same executive says “I don't look for geometry geniuses, but art directors and other creative people who tend to be good at geometry."
One boss defines a creative employee as someone able to think beyond the obvious. "If I tell her to go from A to B to C in order to reach D, she's liable to go from A to it" and then back to her destination. That's very valuable, because people who manage businesses are often prisoners of their own reality. The creative person gives you another lens to look through, which energizes the dialogue, enriches the process, and makes the product better.''
Here is my take on this.
Initiative always precedes innovation and creativity.
We need to inspire, challenge, motivate and engage our people into taking the initiative to be creative. To give more ideas. To challenge the norm. To leave their comfort zones and not to think out of the box but to get out of the box and so some thinking.
God is the Creator and the Master Designer. It’s always laziness that usually puts on a lid on what man can accomplish. I wish I had taken geometry seriously. Every time there was a test, the only items I got right was the “Given” and it frustrated my math teachers. Be creative and be innovative as this will be the competitive edge you will have in these exciting times.
Friday, August 7, 2009
franciskong.com - inspiring excellence : “BE A POSITIVE PERSUADER” plus 1 more
Be a positive persuader
Posted: 29 Jul 2009 02:10 PM PDT
A married couple was driving down the highway doing 90 kilometers per hour. The wife wanted to persuade her husband to agree for a separation.
The husband was behind the wheel.
His wife looked over at him and said, "Honey, I know we've been married for 15 years, but, I want to separate."
The husband said nothing, but slowly increases speed to 100 kilometers per hour.
She continued to persuade her husband.
She then said, "I don't want you to try to talk me out of it, because I've been having an affair with your best friend, and he's a better lover than you."
Again the husband was not persuaded.
He stayed quiet and just sped up as he clenched his hands on the wheel.
She said, "I want the house." Again the husband speeds up, and now was doing 110 kilometers per hour.
She said, "I want the kids too."
The husband just keeps driving faster, and faster, until he's up to 120 kilometers per hour.
She said, "I want the car, the checking account, and all the credit cards too." The husband slowly started to veer toward a bridge overpass piling, as she said, "Is there anything you want?"
The husband said, "No, I've got everything I need right here."
She asked, "What's that?"
The husband replied just before they hit the wall at 130 kilometers per hour,
"I've got the airbag and you don’t" One thing for sure here is that the wife is lousy when it comes to persuasion.
Speaker and motivator Charlie "Tremendous" Jones talks about persuasion. He says: All our lives we encounter persuaders. Those who were successful are largely responsible for the way we are. Because some of us are exposed to some positive persuaders we are drawn to become positive persuaders. I believe all successful persuaders are a result of having been successfully persuaded at some time in their lives.
What a strange world it would be if there were no persuaders. Life is one continuous series of persuasions. At home it is the parent persuading the child, the child persuading the parent, the salesman persuading the prospect, the lawyer persuading the jury, the boy persuading the girl or the politician persuading his constituency. And so on and on.
To be a persuader you must be persuaded and in order to continue to grow we must practice the art of persuasion. The old saying, "Nothing succeeds like Success," fits the persuader perfectly. The earlier in life you begin, the fuller your life will become. It is only in sharing and giving that we realize what we have, and we can give nothing better than persuading others to worthwhile goals, right motives and eternal values.
I think it is safe to say that sometimes in our lives we will be persuaded to become positive persuaders seeking to give and share, or we'll not be persuaded and spend the rest of our lives waiting for a break, taking and keeping.
I hope these thoughts on persuasion have increased your awareness of the great privilege and obligation of the persuader. The world needs one more positive persuader. It is you?
Jones is right on the dot. I’ve been featured in many of the country’s major business conferences and conventions and I have had people come to me and say, “I heard you speak 2 years a go and followed your advice. I read books, I exercise and I live my life correctly. I just want to thank you for changing my life.” It’s such a great thing. I have had people write me e-mails or fax me letters saying, “I had forgotten God and my life began to spiral downwards. Thanks for reminding me to return to Him.” And for me this is a great reward God has given me to confirm that what I am doing is within His Will and to encourage me to continue doing what I’m doing.
Be a positive persuader. Change lives.
The greatest witness to God’s Goodness is to live a life that shows it.
Share/Save/Bookmark
You’re Invited!
Posted: 28 Jul 2009 05:53 PM PDT
Culture of Personal Excellence Poster
September 4, 2009; 9am to 5.30pm at SMX
Culture of Personal Excellence by Francis J. Kong
What separates you from who you are and the best that you can be?
Excellence
Discover how Francis J. Kong - the country's foremost inspirational speaker - made it to the pinnacle of excellence in this remarkable experiential learning event.
Posted: 29 Jul 2009 02:10 PM PDT
A married couple was driving down the highway doing 90 kilometers per hour. The wife wanted to persuade her husband to agree for a separation.
The husband was behind the wheel.
His wife looked over at him and said, "Honey, I know we've been married for 15 years, but, I want to separate."
The husband said nothing, but slowly increases speed to 100 kilometers per hour.
She continued to persuade her husband.
She then said, "I don't want you to try to talk me out of it, because I've been having an affair with your best friend, and he's a better lover than you."
Again the husband was not persuaded.
He stayed quiet and just sped up as he clenched his hands on the wheel.
She said, "I want the house." Again the husband speeds up, and now was doing 110 kilometers per hour.
She said, "I want the kids too."
The husband just keeps driving faster, and faster, until he's up to 120 kilometers per hour.
She said, "I want the car, the checking account, and all the credit cards too." The husband slowly started to veer toward a bridge overpass piling, as she said, "Is there anything you want?"
The husband said, "No, I've got everything I need right here."
She asked, "What's that?"
The husband replied just before they hit the wall at 130 kilometers per hour,
"I've got the airbag and you don’t" One thing for sure here is that the wife is lousy when it comes to persuasion.
Speaker and motivator Charlie "Tremendous" Jones talks about persuasion. He says: All our lives we encounter persuaders. Those who were successful are largely responsible for the way we are. Because some of us are exposed to some positive persuaders we are drawn to become positive persuaders. I believe all successful persuaders are a result of having been successfully persuaded at some time in their lives.
What a strange world it would be if there were no persuaders. Life is one continuous series of persuasions. At home it is the parent persuading the child, the child persuading the parent, the salesman persuading the prospect, the lawyer persuading the jury, the boy persuading the girl or the politician persuading his constituency. And so on and on.
To be a persuader you must be persuaded and in order to continue to grow we must practice the art of persuasion. The old saying, "Nothing succeeds like Success," fits the persuader perfectly. The earlier in life you begin, the fuller your life will become. It is only in sharing and giving that we realize what we have, and we can give nothing better than persuading others to worthwhile goals, right motives and eternal values.
I think it is safe to say that sometimes in our lives we will be persuaded to become positive persuaders seeking to give and share, or we'll not be persuaded and spend the rest of our lives waiting for a break, taking and keeping.
I hope these thoughts on persuasion have increased your awareness of the great privilege and obligation of the persuader. The world needs one more positive persuader. It is you?
Jones is right on the dot. I’ve been featured in many of the country’s major business conferences and conventions and I have had people come to me and say, “I heard you speak 2 years a go and followed your advice. I read books, I exercise and I live my life correctly. I just want to thank you for changing my life.” It’s such a great thing. I have had people write me e-mails or fax me letters saying, “I had forgotten God and my life began to spiral downwards. Thanks for reminding me to return to Him.” And for me this is a great reward God has given me to confirm that what I am doing is within His Will and to encourage me to continue doing what I’m doing.
Be a positive persuader. Change lives.
The greatest witness to God’s Goodness is to live a life that shows it.
Share/Save/Bookmark
You’re Invited!
Posted: 28 Jul 2009 05:53 PM PDT
Culture of Personal Excellence Poster
September 4, 2009; 9am to 5.30pm at SMX
Culture of Personal Excellence by Francis J. Kong
What separates you from who you are and the best that you can be?
Excellence
Discover how Francis J. Kong - the country's foremost inspirational speaker - made it to the pinnacle of excellence in this remarkable experiential learning event.
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