lhowell

What I Learned Today: Day 335

In Uncategorized on December 2, 2009 at 12:00 am

When negotiating contracts, it is best to remain patient and let the game come to you. Here is what I mean: people who are low in rank, but with great powers to influence should be held in very high regards. Unfortunately, most people tend to overlook their value.

This is where my Gen X and Gen Y friends often miss a great opportunity to close deals successfully. These key influencers are often times savvy and actually quite bright; it’s just that they often don’t get let out of the house, so to speak. So, remember it’s not the rank that counts when negotiating a deal or gathering intelligence to win a new deal or extend a contract or to have on approved.

What I Learned Today: Day 334

In Uncategorized on November 30, 2009 at 10:26 pm

I learned about the idea of “concerted cultivation“.   I was in a meeting with my client and my client sponsor, that’s the person who authorizes my contract, shared the concept from the book, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.  He talked about in the context of poor children and middle-class children.  The concept is best understood in terms of “natural growth” where poor families tend to say, “ya’ll educate my child”.  By contrast, “concerted cultivation” is about active participation with one’s child.

When a family is poor or faces financial hardship, you can imagine the pressures of the parents to organize structured social events or activities that feed the spirit and early development.  By contrast, more affluent families tend to think constantly about how to improve their child’s experience.  It’s interesting, but I see very vivid examples around me, that are startling with so-called affluent parents.  Here’s what I mean: parent makes lot of money, they outsource the care to a nanny.  Or, they travel so much that there is no relationship and thus disconnected.  Also, parents get so caught up in materialism that their way of showing appreciation is to outsource childcare through a Wii or MTV, BET or the Disney Channel.  There is some fascinating literature on this concept, so you be the judge.  Oh, and remember, too much of a good thing can be bad.  Until tomorrow…when I share something new I learned.

Starting a New Daily Series Called:

In Uncategorized on November 30, 2009 at 10:13 pm

“What I Learned Today”. In my line of work as a management consultant, I get exposed to some of the most fascinating situations and problems one can imagine. I have been away from the Mindset 3.0 blog, for a while now, but I am back.

I realized that blogging had become a chore of sorts and I was not having fun with it. I am NOT trying to make any money or become some Internet sensation, just want to share. That’s it.