Friends of Dave #228: the agony of defeat
Seeing the world through patterns.
Dinner table talks can be interesting, especially when you are like our family and have children that range from elementary school age to out of college.
This week, among other things, we had a conversation about why history is taught in school.
Our 10 year old loves history. He consumes it every chance he has and is a sponge -- he is able to absorb and remember precise details about even some of the most obscure events that occurred over time.
He's basically a chicken finger eating, sports team jersey wearing Alexa.
We were all genuinely impressed as he began to spout off things he learned on YouTube or in books he read during his nightly independent reading time.
The high school junior (the newly minted driver), while genuinely impressed by his brother's knowledge of these things, wondered aloud about why they were being taught about things that happened in the past in school. It seemed pretty useless.
It reminded me of something I had read a few years ago:
“The best thing we have going for us is our intelligence, especially pattern recognition, sharpened over eons of evolution," -- Neil deGrasse Tyson
As humans we have the amazing ability to process massive amounts information over time and recognize patterns in what we see, experience and we learn. The more information we are given, the more opportunities for us to see more patterns.
The important part is not just being able to see the patterns, but take action as a result.
I explained this to our kids -- they teach history not just so we memorize obscure facts, but so we can learn about patterns that have developed over time and make sure we don't repeat the same mistakes from the past.
As we get older, I think we tend to understand how important seeing the world through patterns really can be.
The quicker and more adept we are at seeing the patterns in our daily experiences, the better decisions we can make. While we may not be as "quick off the line" as we once were, we can better avoid repeating the mistakes we may have made earlier in our lives and careers because we can spot similarities in circumstances.
I know I totally underestimated the value of this earlier in my career. I always thought that productivity was a result of ambition, smarts, hard work and will.
However there was another key ingredient that I now realize that I usually dismissed: experience. I completely discounted the fact that with more experience and maturity we can see more patterns in things that happen before us. We can anticipate problems more effectively and take action sooner because we have "seen the movie before."
This allows us to not just work hard, but work better and more efficiently. There is tremendous value in this when it comes to productivity.
This seems like common sense, but I think many organizations are missing this as they look to fill open positions or consider how they build their teams. They may think going younger, less expensive and more ambitious is the best path to growth. They too dismiss experience as a critical component to improving productivity and results.
I'd submit this is what is creating other problems in organizations that take time effort and resource to manage and offset any cost savings.
How do I know this?
I guess I've "been there, done that" and seen the patterns....
It's May, and it's Kentucky Derby Day once again, Friends. Enjoy the links below and have a great weekend!
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
The Common Denominator of Success
The common denominator of success – secret of success of every individual who has ever been successful – lies in the fact that he or she formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.
Worth reading this excerpt from an address given by Albert E.N. Gray at an underwriting convention in 1940.
For Your Day Job...
Building trust through storytelling
The best companies today are great storytellers. They may even make and sell great products. But before they purchase a product, buyers first engage with an organization’s brand story.
Marketing is Too Important to be Left to the Marketing Department
Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two – and only two – basic functions: marketing and innovation.
Great point of view here -- it isn't that marketing is "everything." It really is that everyone at a company is either dedicated to acquiring customers or delivering a service to them. Companies and leaders that just leave it to the marketers are truly missing the point.
Without Strong Relationships, You'll Never Get Buy-In for Your Ideas
People will support your initiative for two interlocking reasons: They like you and you’ve done them favors.
In a perfect world, people make rational decisions and the best idea always wins. But as we all know, things don’t always work out this way.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
Josh Is the Name, and They Will Fight You for It — www.nytimes.com
How “pandemic boredom” led to an internet sensation and a battle royal (with pool noodles) of many Joshes.
French Winemakers Pounce on Big American Vineyard Selloff — www.bloomberg.com
“Part of the spur to buy is Fed-induced,” he says. “Lower interest rates encourage wealthy individuals and companies flush with cash to invest. You can’t get a return on cash.”
Just How Many Surfaces Does Your Cat’s Butt Touch? 6th Grader Answers This Very Important Question — www.boredpanda.com
I'm no 6th grader nor a scientist, but from the looks of all of the Zoom meetings I am on, I'm pretty sure your keyboard is one of them.
Taiwanese change names to 'salmon' for free sushi
Government warns names can be changed only three times, miscalculation may lead to unwelcome outcomes
Basically don't be the idiot that loses count, gets drunk and changes their name to "Horse Meat" the fourth time...
And The Last Word....
ABC’s ‘Wide World of Sports’ debut 60 years ago. It would go on to change sports television as we know it — www.boston.com
Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports... the thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat... the human drama of athletic competition...
If you are of a certain age, there is no question you spent many a weekend afternoon back in the day being entertained by sports stories that were narrated by Jim McKay.
Many thanks to Friend of Dave Bob Carr for the share earlier this week and bringing back some great memories!
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