Friends of Dave #71: Fear Does Not Exist In This Dojo
Uncertainty and ambiguity can induce fear in the best of us. Even Cobra Kai.
A few things kind of converged this week that made me want to lead with the classic line from "The Karate Kid" as the subject of this edition.
First, if you have not heard, this week YouTube released an original series entitled "Cobra Kai" -- a continuation of the storyline, now thirty years later, of both Daniel (the hero) and Johnny (the villan) since their fateful match at the All Valley Karate Championship at the end of the original movie.
I won't spoil anything for you, but I will tell you this: watch it. It's a fun, snarky, nostalgic, nuanced, well written and extremely entertaining (and some times not so pretty) take told mostly from Johnny's point of view. Not too cheesy, surprisingly dark in some points and enough twists and turns in the story line to get you binge watching the entire ten episodes (worthy of the free one month trial of YouTube Red).
I also had an interesting conversation with business colleague this week. My friend had thoughtfully presented a business case to someone, and was awaiting a response. There was the inevitable period of radio silence on the other end. We've all been there: whether it was a business deal, maybe a job offer, buying a house, awaiting medical test results, etc. My friend admitted that he was afraid he may have left questions unanswered and that he thought it was prolonging the decision.
This got me thinking about the idea of fear and how ambiguity and uncertainty can ignite it in people. Fear is not something that can exist on it's own. It is something that we create in our minds when we are unsure of others, ourselves, or a specific situation. It is a reaction to our own perception of what we think we see, hear, or feel at a given moment. We over analyze, we worry we didn't do enough, we create scenarios based on what we think could be happening or we doubt ourselves to the point where we feel we need to say or do something proactively. This is fear creeping in and getting the best of us.
In business and as a leader, you can't allow fear to exist in your dojo. Fear can make us act irrationally. As I told my friend, once the presentation was over he was no longer in control. There was no use worrying about what he could have done differently or better or over analyzing why the radio silence was occurring. The best thing he could do was feel confident that he did enough to ensure the desired outcome. Sometimes the best thing to do is just sit tight, ignore your fears, and confidently wait until it is time to make your next move.
Hopefully after this lengthy opener, YOUR next move is to check out the stories I picked out this week. We had a great response to last week's selections so I am hoping we can keep the momentum going.
Have an awesome weekend everyone!
XOXO
Dave
Think on These...
Metaphors shape our thoughts in ways we don't even realize — qz.com
The metaphors we choose to use can dramatically impact people’s perceptions in ways that have real-world consequences.
The way we use language and words can dramatically impact people's perceptions in ways that have real-world consequences. Interesting perspectives here.
HQ Trivia Is a Harbinger of Dystopia — www.theatlantic.com
I don't know about you but since December, 9pm in our house has become HQ time for both the adults and teens. With an engaging, snarky host and an interesting array of Trivial Pursuit like questions, it is definitely entertaining. But could this just be a new way for smartphones to isolate us?
China is mining data directly from workers on an industrial scale — www.scmp.com
WOW: Government-backed surveillance projects in China are deploying brain-reading technology to harvest massive amounts of data in order to detect changes in emotional states in employees in various industries. Cool and scary at the same time.
For Your Day Job...
Doing Culture Right: Celebrating those who work hard and walk proud
Check out this cool post by Friend of Dave Michael Monteiro about how he is investing in his employees and taking a creative approach to rewarding hard work and loyalty at his firm.
How Diverse Leadership Teams Boost Innovation — www.bcg.com
The biggest takeaway we found is a strong and statistically significant correlation between the diversity of management teams and overall innovation. Companies that reported above-average diversity on their management teams also reported innovation revenue that was 19 percentage points higher than that of companies with below-average leadership diversity—45% of total revenue versus just 26%.
Want to generate inventive new ideas that can win in the market? Build management teams comprising people with the widest possible range of backgrounds and perspectives. Seems intuitive but why is not happening at so many companies?
Why Alternative Data is the New Financial Data for Industry Investors — datafloq.com
If information is power, then unique, not-yet-sourced information, offers new opportunities. This alternative data can leveraged to create a lot value. Check out this quick read for some ideas for potential uses of alt data from sectors like shipping, agtech, retail and insurance among others.
What Your Gut Can Tell You That Data-Driven Marketing Can't — sproutsocial.com
Data-driven marketing allows for informed targeting of clients and customers. But it can't account for the emotional stories and human insights that build a memorable brand. Interesting look at the pitfalls of ignoring gut altogether and getting too focused on making data the top priority in growing your business.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
We Are Living in the Golden Age of Cover Songs — www.realclearlife.com
That might explain the odd appeal of Warren Buffett singing this.
What the Mona Lisa Tells Us About Art in the Instagram Era — www.nytimes.com
Something tells me she is NOT impressed.
One Company Makes Half Of The World’s Zippers — www.smithsonianmag.com
That's nothing. We all know there is only one company that makes the ALL of the world's piano key neckties....
And The Last Word....
The Crane Kick is Bogus: A Karate Kid Oral History
Consider this an apropo follow up from the Caddyshack article last week....this time, in honor of the release of Cobra Kai on YouTube, SI covers the original 1984 "The Karate Kid" with behind-the-scenes moments and filming secrets of an all-time classic movie.