Multifinality: Many (Potential) Endings
Last month, a wrote a little about problem of equifinality. I realized I left the story only half finished, so I decided to write a very short note about the flip side of this. Multifinality is when single cause can lead to many different possible effects. The principle is that similar initial conditions may results […]
Read MoreEquifinality; or, All Roads Lead to Rome
Equifinality is a great $10 dollar word; however, I really believe the underlying concept is very important for everyone in the 21st century. The term was coined by Ludwig von Bertalanffy, the founder of General Systems Theory, a biological precursor to modern chaos, complexity, and systems theories. Equifinality is the principle that many different causes, independently, […]
Read MoreThe 5 Big M’s of Business
After working with many clients, I’ve decided there are Five Big M’s of Business that every entrepreneur should know like the back of their hand: Market Model Management Mantra Marketing M is for Market Although people joke around about having the skills to sell snow to Eskimos, a sustainable long-term business must be built upon […]
Read MoreSt. Patrick: Productivity Mastermind
You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind. – Irish Proverb March 17 is celebrated by millions as St. Patrick’s Day, including many secular individuals of Irish descent. Nevertheless, before enjoying a pint of Guinness this evening, I thought I’d share a few historical notes about this very interesting goal-setter. Although […]
Read MoreGoals Give Direction
“Nothing happens unless first a dream.” – Carl Sandburg Happy New Year. This is a great time to refine your goals. Over the years I’ve talked to a number of people who do not believe in goal setting. They argue that they do not forget to eat or go to bed without having goals to […]
Read MoreSix Timeframes for Goals
Just having one set of goals for each individual year is not enough. You should have goals over diverse time spans to achieve successful short-term and long-term planning. Here are the six time frames that I suggest: Quarterly Goals Annual Goals 3-Year Goals 5-Year Goals 10-Year Goals 20-Year Goals Although you might have special targets […]
Read MoreAudio University
For years, many motivational speakers have encouraged their audiences to join ‘Automobile University’ to grow mentally during long commutes in their car. Over the years, inventions like the cassette Walkman, CD players, MP3 players, and today’s smart phones have opened up new avenues with the same end-goal. Personal Audio Players are wonderful devices. I brought […]
Read MoreHow to Read Magazines
Cull the Herd Over the years, I’ve subscribed to a wide variety of periodicals, including the literary periodical The Atlantic, the scientific journal Nature, and the luxury lifestyle magazine DuPont Registry Autos. One day in 2002, I realized I had 11 different magazines coming to my house, on a weekly or monthly schedule. I could not […]
Read MoreIs It Important?
I love email. It is a great way to send quick messages to family, friends, clients, and colleagues…even at 3:00 AM. It is a non-intrusive, asynchronous form of communication. Yet, we all know that the sweetest roses have thorns. Email is so easy that in the past few years, many people now receive 100, 200, […]
Read MoreSchedule Time Cushions
During my very first management job in my 20s, I often allowed my schedule to become jam-packed, with no breaks. The end-result was that I often let my daily calendar look like a multi-layer cake with 8 or 9 hours of meetings without break. Sounds productive, right? It appear that I did not waste any […]
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