Rufus Evison is now advising start up companies at the business start up blog!
Rufus Evison
Friday, 8 October 2010
Friday, 26 February 2010
Socialisation and cognitive dissonance as a way of getting things done.
If you want to get something done then tell people you are going to do it. If you tell enough people a few things will happen:
1) you will become convinced that you are going to do it and will start tyalking about when.
2) People will offer help and advice that move you forward.
3) People will offer objections. This is a big and very useful one. In talking through the objections you will form the plan that you need to execute to go ahead. It will be a mroe robust plan because it has takne the objections into account.
4) you will feel obliged to take the leap because you have told everyone you are going to.
With the weight of obligation on you and a robust plan it is much easier to actually go ahead. Many years ago I was in my first real job and I wanted to go traveling. I told people it was going to happen.
They told me great stories of their travels that helped to enthuse me. They offered advice abtou what to take and what to do whilst traveling. I learned a lot.
They also raised objections. They objected that I couldn't go as I had a mortgage. They opbjected because I had a house that I rented to my friends and so was tied down. They objectedd because I had a job that I would lose. They also objected because I was in debt and had a low income. Talking around all these things and explaining why it was possible I learned a lot more.
Finally they objected because people always say they are going to do stuff but it was bound to always be "one day" so I set a date. The date was months (nearly a year) in the future. As the date got closer they were surprised that it didn't change. I had signed up to that date and I was not about to back down.
When I went I was the best equiped traveller you could meet. I didn't have much money but I had all the things I needed and the benefit of everyone's experience. My single ticket to Venezuela and $300 lasted me nine months.
Rufus
1) you will become convinced that you are going to do it and will start tyalking about when.
2) People will offer help and advice that move you forward.
3) People will offer objections. This is a big and very useful one. In talking through the objections you will form the plan that you need to execute to go ahead. It will be a mroe robust plan because it has takne the objections into account.
4) you will feel obliged to take the leap because you have told everyone you are going to.
With the weight of obligation on you and a robust plan it is much easier to actually go ahead. Many years ago I was in my first real job and I wanted to go traveling. I told people it was going to happen.
They told me great stories of their travels that helped to enthuse me. They offered advice abtou what to take and what to do whilst traveling. I learned a lot.
They also raised objections. They objected that I couldn't go as I had a mortgage. They opbjected because I had a house that I rented to my friends and so was tied down. They objectedd because I had a job that I would lose. They also objected because I was in debt and had a low income. Talking around all these things and explaining why it was possible I learned a lot more.
Finally they objected because people always say they are going to do stuff but it was bound to always be "one day" so I set a date. The date was months (nearly a year) in the future. As the date got closer they were surprised that it didn't change. I had signed up to that date and I was not about to back down.
When I went I was the best equiped traveller you could meet. I didn't have much money but I had all the things I needed and the benefit of everyone's experience. My single ticket to Venezuela and $300 lasted me nine months.
Rufus
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