Friends of Dave #94: Beware of the Mosh Pit
When you're over 40, a mosh pit might seem exciting. It's a cauldron of terror.
Last Saturday night, my wife and I thought we were just going to enjoy a relaxing evening at a concert. Instead, we came "this close" to it turning into an evening of blood, broken hips, ACL tears, and prison shanks. Friends, the cautionary tale I am about to share is not a horror story, it is true....
NOTE: this detailed, entertaining short story about how our eventful evening unfolded can be found on my Medium account. It just ended up being longer than I originally expected and would not have read well in this space, so I posted it there.
Click on the link below or paste it into a browser to read it:
If you are a fan of my preambles (or some of my past entertaining writing) and have a little time this weekend, please click on it as I think you will enjoy reading it -- I had a lot of fun writing it.
If you usually skim the intros to get straight to the links, consider this a free pass this week.
Hope you have a great weekend as we swing into the latter half of October.
XOXO
Dave
2 To Think About...
Outperforming by Using Second-Order Thinking
Sometimes when we solve one problem, we end up unintentionally creating another one that’s worse. Second-order thinking helps identify the second and subsequent order consequences of a decision before they happen. Fairly short but in-depth piece that will leave you considering a modification to your problem solving approach.
More fundamentally, the common, monolithic definition of willpower distracts us from finer-grained dimensions of self-control and runs the danger of magnifying harmful myths — like the idea that willpower is finite and exhaustible.
This is a bit of a longer read, providing an academic look at the history of willpower, the topic of "ego depletion" and the importance of managing anxiety vs. forcing yourself to do or not do something. Provocative stuff.
4 For Your Day Job...
Quick read: as Gartner highlights, when done poorly, discounts can actually cause more damage than discoverability. Cautionary tale.
The downside of generous company perks and benefits The ease with which one can extend the workday is not, in fact, a perk at all.
Urgency in the Sales Process: Who’s “Flossing Like a Boss” NOW?
Perhaps you have been lucky like me to avoid the Fortnite craze in your house. Friend of Dave Kristine Muccigrosso does a pretty thorough job here breaking down what is driving both Fortnite's viral and economic success. One of the keys: creating a sense of urgency to get customers to buy. Some great lessons here for selling (especially upselling) any product.
Growth at All Costs is Perilous: How to Scale Sales Sustainably
Many founders feel the pressure to spin up sales quickly in order to hit growth targets, but seasoned sales leaders know that this unsustainable strategy can lead to painful layoffs down the road. Here are some levers and key calculations you need to understand in order to scale up sales hiring the right way.
Of Course, Here's Some Random Ones...
The Fleece Vest Is the New Power Tie
It's like the inverse of flip-flops on city sidewalks in the Spring -- your first sighting of the fleece vest means one thing: it's getting cold out.
A History of Those Souvenir Penny Elongation Machines
Contributed by very close Friend of Dave (and fellow mosh pitter) Kellianne Frankel.
Hidden Times Square: An Explorer's Guide
If you want to avoid being terrorized by a Grungy Elmo or a Handsy Captain America, I suggest you click on this one.
And The Last Word....
10 rules of mosh pit etiquette
I don't care if it is Social Distortion, Adele, Elton John or Coldplay: if you plan to attend a concert where there "may" be the potential of a mosh pit, do NOT go unprepared....especially if you are over 40. Read up on this in advance and thank your Friend Dave later!