L ast year, a friend of mine, who works at a large company (more than $40M/year), complained to me about a massive overhaul they had to undertake to pivot from the small system they’d been using since they started their company to one that handles the kind of volume they actually produce today. To be clear, we’re talking about a system created for small- to medium-sized businesses, which had capacity capped at more than four times less volume than the company my friend works at. And they put off upgrading for years until the system started breaking down and they really had no choice. Instead of costing a few thousand dollars to upgrade, it was costing them over a hundred grand in both system price and labor, not including the cost of lowered efficiencies and frustrated customers while processes slowed down during the implementation of the new system.
handle those kinds of numbers with the same ease we’d grown accustomed to every year prior. We made one of the cardinal mistakes of any company looking toward growth: We were caught unprepared. Through that entire holiday season, we worked major hours of overtime updating spreadsheets, organizing gifts, coordinating with dozens of social workers, and missing personal family traditions as we frantically scrambled to get everything together. We did ultimately get things done on time and with the same amount of care as normal. We also just about killed ourselves while doing it! I realized I had settled into a maintenance mindset rather than a growth mindset. Although I give much of my time and resources to this program every year, I hadn’t considered our capacity to continue Continued on Page 6 ...
I was feeling pretty smug until I got a large slice of humble pie. (Always pride before the fall, as we know.) You see, last year around Thanksgiving, the charity I own — Fostering Christmas — got slammed with an overwhelming need from the community. You may have heard me speak about Fostering Christmas before; in a nutshell, it’s an organization that works with local social workers to make sure all the foster kids in our area have gifts that they would be excited to unwrap on Christmas morning. It’s a program near and dear to my heart, and I usually spend thousands of dollars per year out of my own pocket to make sure all needs are met. Last year in particular, we had such a volume of requests come in that we almost doubled our previous record year. My eyes nearly popped out when I realized we didn’t have the systems and processes in place to
U THINK WITH ‘THINKING, FAST AND SLOW’
Have You Heard the Good News?
He isn’t afraid to engage the reader while still being accessible to those of us who are not well-versed in either economics or psychology. That said, “Thinking, Fast and Slow” isn’t an easy or quick read. The print version of the book clocks in at nearly 500 pages. And while Kahneman’s writing is accessible, he brings in many complex ideas and covers a lot of ground. However, the book tackles many ideas that other books (including business books) don’t touch, as he brings together hard economics and human psychology. Throughout the book, Kahneman gets into behavioral psychology in fair detail, discussing points related
to rational and irrational thinking. Many chapters take a serious look at the human mind, and Kahneman spells out two types of thought processes: System 1 (fast, intuitive, and emotional) and System 2 (slower, deliberative, and logical). Kahneman’s goal is to help you navigate these two systems in order to make better decisions and to become a better, more efficient thinker. That way, you can apply this “new” mindset to the way you approach life, work, and everything in between. The theoretical end result? A happier, more fulfilling life.
Colossians 3:13 — “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 — “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” Psalm 73:26 — “'My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
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