Author: Jeremie Averous

What if we were all somewhat insane (and what we can do about it)

A nice definition of insanity is: to do things over and over again – and expect a different result.

How much of a creature of habit are you?
How much of a creature of habit are you?

It’s quite amusing to think that we are probably all insane to a certain point. In our lives we often repeat behaviors out of habit and still, expect that something different will happen. That, somehow, fate will overcome our lethargy. Look at yourself and ponder how often we tend to fall into this mode.

It is so prevalent that it is sometimes incredible. Is that not the dream of the average person to somehow become rich and famous (refer to all the relevant TV shows) – and still… not to change anything, not one detail, to their daily behavior and occupation?

So, stop doing what you have always done, stop blaming everybody and anything for the fact that things don’t happen in your life the way you’d like. Change, introduce new experiences, even serendipity if you can. In summary – stop being on the brink of insanity by repeating ever and ever again the same routine! Come back to sanity by changing something – or even everything if you dare!

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Being Open to New Beginnings is the Only Way to Grow

“New beginnings – professional, personal, or come what may – are always uncomfortable, but being open to them is the only way to grow.” – Marissa Mayer

Marissa MayerIn an interesting blog post where she describes her transition from Google to Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, the current CEO of Yahoo, describes the issues she faced in taking a key career decision. Her choice was to made in a personally challenging context as she was 6 months pregnant and that meant foregoing the long maternity leave she had been planning.

Big choices in our lives generally don’t happen when we are quiet expecting them – and they tend to happen in moments where we really would like to avoid them (and look significantly like additional worries!).

That’s possibly why most people don’t take those opportunities that come to them in those hectic times. Why most people don’t re-plan.

According to Marissa Mayer, “ In the end, we are all capable of so much more than we think.”

Whatever happens in your life right now, if it’s the right opportunity and the good decision… Go for it. And don’t look back.

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Why Conventional Organizations Are Not Adaptable

The basics of the ability of decision-making in uncertain environment is “confidence in the people and the flexibility of systems“. That’s the feedback from decades of military wisdom.

Did you realize that it is exactly the opposite of what large organizations do! They typically:

  • remove responsibility and initiative from the individual in the bureaucratic and hierarchical organization
  • build very inflexible systems (anybody has experience with an ERP system?) for the sake of ‘discipline’

Hands waterIt is amazing how much of my consulting work in the field of large complex projects can often be summarized in giving more confidence and empowering the people; and releasing them from the tyranny of complicated and inflexible systems.

I am almost keen to see a bit more of shake-up throughout the world to destroy those organizations of the Industrial Age that won’t be able to adapt because of these two basics principles which they have forgotten. Systems in particular are often used in such a complicated manner that organizations lose all agility to face unpredictable circumstances.

Maybe those organizations thought they could shape the world as a predictable world.

Luckily giving back power and leadership to people is what worked and what will continue to bring us to the next Age. Why did people forget such basic principles during the Industrial Age illusion of scientific management?

Quote from General Vincent Desportes in his book “Decider dans l’Incertitude” (in French)

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A great sample of applied Fourth Revolution’s organizational culture

Lately, a deck of slides about culture from a company called Hubspot has been quite popular. And it reflects very well what the culture of Fourth Revolution’s organizations will be. There are 150 slides but they are quite worthwhile for you to take a few minutes to scroll through:

 

“Culture happens. Whether we plan for it or not, culture will happen in an organization. Why not create a culture we love?”

This reminds me that it is our responsibility to create the culture we love in our organizations. What do you do about it?

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What the World Needs is More People that Are Alive. How Alive are You?

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive” ~Howard Thurman

becoming aliveIn the Industrial Age, not so long ago, society wanted us to become a standard conforming commodity. A class of weird artists was (barely, sometimes) tolerated. It is now quite obvious that boring conformity is not the best solution, neither for society as a whole (its needs increasing innovation), nor for us as individuals (we need purpose for happiness).

Yet most people are still asleep and need to become alive in the Fourth Revolution. They are not connected with their purpose or whatever would make them enthusiastic.

While it is difficult to envisage an organized world where everybody would be following its passions (some compromise might be needed at some point!), there is certainly a huge leap that can be made to reveal our common potential.

As a coach, what I am achieving most of the time is to make people become alive around a burning passion that they discover within themselves and that they realize can do more of it in their lives.

How alive are you in your daily life? How about NOW for a good time to wake up and start living?

If you want to read more about coming alive, visit Manal’s excellent blog post “What Makes Us Come Alive“, from which I noted the quote that inspired this note.

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Why “Crisis” is a Subjective Concept You Need to Overcome

A crisis is “any event that is, or expected to lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community, or whole society” (Wikipedia).

cannons fortress
Preparing for the crisis

Actually a crisis is often felt as such for people who have something to lose. For people that have something to gain from the situation, it is often called “opportunity”. It is the same event though. It’s just the way we look at it.

An event that is felt as a crisis leads to all sorts of defensive measures. It is important to isolate oneself and one’s belongings and entitlements from a threat that is sometimes difficult to understand. One hides behind walls and prepares cannons to respond to the enemy. It is a very sedentary reaction.

Nomads with a light luggage will be more on the side of the opportunity. They will see a crisis as a possibility for change, for the better or worst.

Crisis is a subjective word. It all depends how you feel threatened and how you respond to the situation. Be on the side of those that take changes for opportunities!

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Stop talking about ‘Crisis’, it’s in reality a Transformation!

I am really starting to get fed up with the usage of the word ‘crisis’ to describe what is currently happening. It looks as if I had always lived in the midst of a continuous economic ‘crisis’ since the early 1990’s with a few short exceptions.

Joblessness for youth is a constant of the ‘crisis’… since 30 years. The decline of manufacturing and middle class is also a ‘crisis’… since the 1980’s

economic crisis wordsNo, it’s not a ‘crisis’, it’s a transformation! It’s just the Fourth Revolution in action, changing our lives, our institutions, our economy, our world! Yes, there is a deep tsunami of changes in our environment, and our Industrial Age social and life model is now obsolete.

It’s only a crisis for those that want to remain where they were. It’s only a crisis for the settled. For many others, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity – in developing countries as well as for some in developed countries. New companies had appeared that have a presence in our daily lives which we could not even imagine ten years ago. They have been incredibly successful at the same time as the ‘crisis’.

Please, ban the word ‘crisis’ from your vocabulary. It’s a transformation, and it is time you surf on its wave.

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8 Lessons from One Year into Entrepreneurship

It’s now a bit more than one year that I am really on my own as an entrepreneur and it’s time to look back and reflect.

Business Plan
Keep your business plan simple!

After starting my consulting company Project Value Delivery on my own as the single… everything (employee, director, accountant, webmaster, technical writer etc etc) we are now 3. Are a real Fourth Revolution company, we still have no office as in our consulting work we are mostly in our client’s premises. The market has been tested, and it is clearly there to sustain the company. The business model has been slightly revised but remains grossly what was anticipated at the beginning.

Here are 8 lessons learnt from this first year:

  1. Entrepreneurship is not risky if you don’t over-develop before checking the market. The key is not to spend too much time developing a great glitzy product to find out nobody wants it. The philosophy is – do some homework to be sure you can do it but get the contract (i.e. a paying client) before you develop it!!
  2. You need to define a niche where you are the best and only in the world – and have the discipline to stick to it! (say ‘no’ to other opportunities and to your other ideas if they are not aligned. Even if you are hungry, better say no to what is not aligned)
  3. Don’t over-plan. Forecasts are wrong anyway. I am working with a 6 months plan that’s quite enough.
  4. Be conservative in your finances. Keep sufficient money in the company. It will give you freedom: freedom to invest, to take time off to create, to say ‘no’ to an annoying client or because you want to stick to your niche.
  5. Everything is in the relationship with the clients. Integrity and commitment are key to long term relationships
  6. What prevents you from starting your activity (or asking for a client to pay the right price) is in your head, nothing else. It’s purely psychological. The lizard brain creates that fear of the unknown. Remember, today employment is possibly more risky than being on your own!
  7. Make sure to have a permanent council of advisors you can rely on (if needed, get them interested in your business)
  8. Once you have found a great idea that resonates with clients, the harder part is to figure out how to scale your idea (I am not yet there but working on it)

I am now looking forward working as a team with exceptional co-workers that have complementary skills, and not any more individually like we started working. Our biggest challenge for the year to come is to figure out how to scale and expand geographically. Stay tuned!

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Shun the Critics. Create a Tribe and Connect with It

Seth Godin makes a great point in the Icarus Deception.

“Shun the non-believers. First you must pick yourself, then you must pick your audience”

Connect with your tribe!
Connect with your tribe!

Seth goes on to explain that the key is to grow your own tribe of believers so that you expose yourself often to people who know you and believe in your ideas. That’s also an other way to deal with critics. Make their voice disappear in the background of your tribe.

The thing is, it takes time, patience and consistent production and interaction to slowly create a tribe that is well connected with you to a point of supporting your initiatives. It is something that needs to be started early. Still it can be done. It must be done if you want to benefit from a louder voice in the world and from support for your projects.

It also requires to take a stand on a number of issues that are unconventional or outright contrarian. Because growing a tribe is like marketing: you need to define a narrow niche market where people that are particulary interested will join immediately.

How can you grow your supporting tribe to deal more easily with ever more difficult projects and endeavors? How can you define better your voice niche?

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What should you do with Criticism?

It’s good to have critics. It shows you are contributing to a worthwhile shift. It means people pay attention to you. It can contribute to improve your product, your art. Here are 6 reasons why criticism is a good thing.

It’s also bad to have critics when it influences you not to give out your best. There are times where you shouldn’t listen to them. There are times you should only listen to you, what brings you alive and what you know the world needs.

Typical critics at work
Typical critics at work

So, when should you shun critics and when should you listen to them?

Let me take an example which is close to my heart.

As I am considering a new book it is clear that the topic of the book is non negotiable. It is a message that is growing within me for some time now and that I need to deliver to the world.

The format of the book, whether it will be a story or a non-fiction style, that’s more open to discussion and suggestions. I will still have a strong opinion and I will own the final format.

Finally, the detailed word-for-word editing is something that I consider to be quite open to criticism and improvement (in particular, as English is not my first language).

So it should be for your creations: the main message should not be negotiable; you should own most of the outline of the delivery; and leave critics deal with the detailed editing.

Alas, many people let critics influence their main message and make their detailed editing not negotiable. Don’t fight the wrong battle. It is your main message, coming from your heart, that is the most valuable.

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Why, even in a Complex World, you Need to Head Towards your Purpose!

In an ever more complex world where many events become difficult to predict, our tendency would be to follow the flow, let the events drive us.

That’s not how we’ll reach greatness. An acute observer of companies taking decisions in complex environments, Jim Collins, the famous author of Good to Great and his latest book Great by Choice, states:

“Most people start with the outside world and try to figure out, how can we adapt to it? Greatness doesn’t happen that way. It starts with an internal drive. And there is really a key question with big decisions: What are your core values and your real aspirations?”

sailing in storm
While the storm might bring you astray from the route, you sure still know where you want to go!

It is vital to have a direction when it comes to taking decisions, even in a complex world. Personal Purpose is essential, aligned with your core values and true aspirations. And actually, Jim Collin’s research shows that the most successful companies are those that maintain their heading the most consistently. Like the captain of a ship in the midst of a storm, he can accommodate temporary changes of direction to minimize the effect of wind and waves, but still knows where his goal lies.

Be agile in responding to events. But keep your eye fixed on where you want to go, and come back to your initial heading! Only then, of course, will you be able to reach it!

Quotes are from the foreword to the book The Greatest Business Decisions of All Times by Fortune Magazine editors

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Why We Need to Stop the Race for Complication

“Simplicity has been difficult to implement in modern life because it is against the spirit of a certain brand of people who seek sophistication so that they can justify their profession” – Nicholas Taleb in his highly recommended new book, Antifragile.

Simplicity quote by Leonard de Vinci
Simplicity quote by Leonard de Vinci

During my time as a civil servant I could not stop wondering (and admiring) how bureaucrats were constantly complicating rules and processes “to better take into account individual situations and avoid threshold effects”. Bureaucrats cannot imagine anything different than complicated systems and procedures. But what they did not realize is that real life is complex. And complication is not the same as complex! Their quest to manage the complex using even more complicated rules is doomed to fail. Yet they continue. Legal systems become increasingly bloated as they try to deal with all sorts of situation. This quest will be lost – nature will always be far more imaginative than the most imaginative bureaucrat.

Let’s stop this stupid quest for complication. The solution lies in simplicity. Because complex systems – real life – will react and adapt to simple messages and solutions. Because the cost of complication is far greater than its advantage. Let’s seek simplicity in all we do – and suddenly we’ll tame complexity.

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