Herman School of Business
Changing Minds...
While you sit in your shop waiting for a customer to walk in are you changing your mind and starting to believe that the crisis is going to end?
When you see your neighbor at home because he is being furloughed for three days because the State has a deficit is he smiling because he knows his action is helping end the crisis?
People are coming to hear me speak tomorrow who are sales and marketing executives…do they want the three things they need to do to end their drought, or do they think the crisis has passed?
Changing one person’s mind is not that hard. Individuals feel uncomfortable when they are “out of sorts” and need to get back in line with the rest of the herd. Changing the mind of the whole herd takes a bit longer and actions that are “bigger than life” at times. Citibank says they made a profit the first two months of this year. They received money from the government for zero interest rate and loaned it out at six percent. Of course they made a profit with that business model.
As ridiculous as it is to hear Citibank proclaim a profit under clearly suspicious business circumstances…it helps change the minds of the herd. Without arguing the cost of saving Citibank, or GM, or others that should have been allowed to fail…I am a realist, these companies are going to have huge sums of money wasted to save them…or not…and so I can only be a cheerleader for any good news, however contrived, because the herd isn’t interested in details…just good news.
Fake good news helps change the herd. Just like the way the former fake good news made everyone believe they were rich, they should spend like drunken sailors, and they will never stop seeing an increase in values of their houses or their stocks.
For me…I get my hope from the cycle of life as shown through the seasons. I know the world is getting better every day. I am positive I will be better off in less than thirty days. Happiness will increase in my life in less than a month and the dark cold winter days will quickly fade in my mind.
I don’t need fake financial news to kick my spirit up a notch. I have a real event, just weeks away that already has me giggling inside. I promise to smile more, feel better, and believe that all is well again as I sit in the sunshine, smell the smells of the ball park and hear the umpire shout on opening day, “Play Ball.”
- Posted: 10 March 2009
- Comments: 0
- Category: Business success
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