It makes business more interesting when there are a few contrarians around. A Jeff Bezos, a Steve Jobs, or an Elon Musk. Those who challenge commonly accepted assumptions. They get the creative juices flowing.
As it turns out, the start of a new decade is a good time for a little contrarian thought – for looking at things differently. In fact, it may be helpful since we’re entering a period that will present us with far-reaching changes and daunting challenges.
Here are four contrarian thoughts about ideas that may be tried but, as it turns out, are not necessarily true:
Don’t sweat the small stuff. This is good advice since our lives seem to be plagued with endless amounts of irritating, time-consuming and inexcusable stuff that drives us crazy. This is why it’s helpful to take a “water off a duck’s back” approach as a way to keep our sanity.
But not about everything. In a client memo, an attorney used “onerous” instead of “onus.” Small stuff? Just a mistake? Perhaps, but when you’re preparing a legal document that impacts someone’s life, it can be a big deal.
[Now] is a good time for a little contrarian thought.
This is why a “Don’t worry about it” attitude simply won’t cut it in a business environment, one that requires and rewards accuracy, clarity and focus. Vocabulary may not save the world, but it may save your next sale, deal, or even your job.
I’m a good judge of people. Most of us take pride in being good at figuring out others. But if you’re like me, it’s easy to forget about the times you were wrong about someone when it came to telling the truth. But it still doesn’t stop us from thinking we’re a pretty good judge of people.
This has implications in business for hiring, selecting people for promotions and evaluating written communications and presentations, as well as working with consultants, vendors and co-workers.
In his book “Talking to Strangers,” Malcolm Gladwell discusses the Theory of Truth Default, a concept developed by communications researcher Timothy R. Levine. We’ve all criticized others for failing to spot a liar, even though there were some red flags to alert us to a problem. But, as Gladwell says, we should be asking something else: “The right question is: were there enough red flags to push you over the threshold of belief? If there weren’t, then by defaulting to truth, you were only being human.”
Levine holds that defaulting to truth is human, which can be the easy way out. But, when we have doubts, it’s not time to remain silent but to dig deeper.
Keep your head down and go with the flow. That may have worked when the goal was having managers lead organizations. Their mission was to make sure things ran like well-oiled machines. It’s no surprise that surveys indicate that a high percentage of employees are bored, want new challenges and are actively looking for new jobs.
Today, the term manager is fading and being replaced by a leader, someone who is charged with the responsibility of assuring an enterprise meets challenges by helping people succeed.
Everything’s going down the drain. In spite of an abundance of bad news and unspeakable horrors, nothing seems to stop us from hitching our wagons to a star. Even though we’re faced with mountainous problems, nothing seems to curtail optimism that tomorrow will be a better day.
That’s wonderful, except it’s not always the way it plays out in our individual lives: loved ones die, promises are broken, jobs are lost and dreams don’t come true even when we work hard. It’s easy to be bitter, angry and just plain negative.
Not long ago, I spoke with a man receiving palliative care after surgery for stage four pancreatic cancer, which was discovered weeks after his long-anticipated retirement. To keep busy following surgery, he took a part-time job. After a few minutes on the phone, he told me he needed to get ready for work, and added, “I love it!” That’s when I came to understand the awesomeness of resilience and optimism.
John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com.
