Too often, entrepreneurs or executives hesitate to reach out to others — even people who like them a lot.
Sometimes it's because they don't want to be intrusive: "She's so busy, I don't want to bother her." Other times, they'll self-deprecate ("she won't remember me") or shrink from perceived conflict ("he'll be angry I want something from him"). Or they may take the "high road" and profess a distaste for self-promotion, vowing that their reputation will speak for itself and quality will eventually triumph.
Unfortunately, those are all excuses: they're scared.
Each day managers throughout the world are provided with the same reports they’ve had for years (with all sorts of apparently business critical numbers on). After seeing the same report regularly, managers begin to take the data for granted, make assumptions about the figures and risk missing out on the real information.
Don’t believe me? Then try this…
Without looking at it, take your watch off and put it in your pocket, in a drawer, somewhere.
Now either draw or describe the watch face, clasp and strap in as much detail as you can.
Take as long as you like. (Bearing in mind that you see the watch dozens of time per day)
Now study the watch and see how much information you got right in your drawing/description.
How much information are you getting each day from the reports/systems you use? If the answer’s not much then it’s probably time for a refresh. Before you miss something important…
The Hawthorne effect is a form of reactivity whereby subjects improve or modify an aspect of their behaviour being experimentally measured simply in response to the fact that they are being studied, not in response to any particular experimental manipulation.
When a fast food restaurant faced with the problem of customers disposing of valuable and reusable trays, rather than putting signs up to admonish careless customers (and in the process trying to make the loss of trays their customers' problem) this famous restaurant chain simply designed-out the problem.
Don't fix the problem - design it out so it can't happen in the first place.
This is a lovely example - where could you apply it?
