Weekly Pulse is a content curation and highlights from readings, books, videos, podcasts, insights, ramblings and other interesting things I discovered and digested during the last week.
So, let's go with some discoveries from the week!
#1 - Major Sales: Who Really Does the Buying
#2 - That Discomfort You're Feeling Is Grief
#3 - Why Decentralization Matters
#4 - More Tasks, More Ideas
#5 - What You’re Getting Wrong About Burnout
#6 - The Conway's Law
#7 - Book Notes: Agile Business - Bob Gower
Major Sales: Who Really Does the Buying
Source: Harvard Business ReviewAuthor: Thomas V. Bonoma
Year: 1982
Summary: When is a buyer not really a buyer? How can the best product at the lowest price turn off buyers? Are there anonymous leaders who make the actual buying decisions? In this article, first published in 1982, Bonoma sets up a procedure for analyzing buying decisions and tells sellers how to apply the resulting framework to specific situations.
3 Highlights:
"... While I would like to claim that some new technique will put sound psychological analyzes magically in your sales staff’s hands, no such formula exists. But I have used the human-side approach in several companies to increase sales effectiveness, and there are only three guidelines needed to make it work well..."
"... Though power and formal authority often go together, the correlation between the two is not perfect. The selling company must take into account other clues about where the true buying power lies..."
"... Gathering psychological intelligence isn’t easy. The most powerful decision-makers in your target company aren’t always obvious. And their motivations may turn out to be entirely different from what you expected. But taking time to understand the human side of selling pays big dividends..."
That Discomfort You're Feeling Is Grief
Source: Harvard Business ReviewAuthor: Scott Berinato
Year: 2020
Summary: During the global pandemic, a palpable sense of collective grief has emerged. Grief expert David Kessler says that grief is actually multiple feelings that we must manage. It’s absurd to think we shouldn’t feel grief right now. Let yourself feel the grief and keep going.
3 Highlights:
"... Acceptance, as you might imagine, is where the power lies. We find control in acceptance..."
"... Even now people are realizing they can connect through technology. They are not as remote as they thought. They are realizing they can use their phones for long conversations. They’re appreciating walks. I believe we will continue to find meaning now and when this is over..."
"... This is a temporary state. It helps to say it..."
Why Decentralization Matters
Source: Chris Dixon SiteAuthor: Chris Dixon
Year: 2018
Summary: Centralized platforms follow a predictable life cycle. Decentralized networks can win the third era of the internet for the same reason they won the first era: by winning the hearts and minds of entrepreneurs and developers.
3 Highlights:
"... The internet is still early in its evolution: the core internet services will likely be almost entirely re-architected in the coming decades..."
"... Some crypto networks, such as Ethereum, are general programming platforms that can be used for almost any purpose. Other crypto networks are special purposes, for example, Bitcoin is intended primarily for storing value, Golemfor performing computations, and Filecoinfor decentralized file storage..."
"... Decentralized networks can win the third era of the internet for the same reason they won the first era: by winning the hearts and minds of entrepreneurs and developers..."
More Tasks, More Ideas: The Positive Spillover Effects of Multitasking on Subsequent Creativity
Source: Journal of Applied PsychologyAuthor: Chaitali Kapadia and Shimul Melwani
Year: 2021
Summary: Results from the study and second lab experiment suggest that multitasking increases creativity through activation and cognitive flexibility acting in tandem. Together, this work gives important theoretical and practical implications for managing creativity in a fast-paced contemporary workplace.
3 Highlights:
"... We demonstrate that while multitasking behavior may result in low performance on analytical tasks, it may potentially improve performance on creative tasks as well as describe how this increase in creative performance arises only for subsequent tasks, but not current tasks..."
"... Higher levels of multitasking, involving concurrent processing of task-related information and goals, may operate to enhance creative, though not analytical, performance on subsequent tasks through an affective and cognitive process that unfolds over time..."
"... Those who perform high levels of multitasking may gain benefits first through the generation of high activation, which leads, in turn, to high cognitive flexibility, resulting in higher creativity on the subsequent task..."
What You’re Getting Wrong About Burnout
Source: MIT Sloan Management ReviewAuthor: Liz Fosslien
Year: 2021
Summary: Have you ever come back from vacation feeling rested and re-energized, only to find yourself feeling fried again just a few days later? The burnout crisis is here, but many managers are failing to address the root causes of stress for employees.
3 Highlights:
"... If someone is exhausted because they’re pulling long hours, help them better prioritize their tasks and see if there’s any work they can put on hold for the time being. If it seems like they don’t find their day-to-day activities meaningful, help them see how their work positively impacts others by sharing a customer story or connecting their tasks to the company mission..."
"... A lack of autonomy puts people on a fast track to burnout..."
"... As many teams transition from fully remote to hybrid work environments in the months to come, the turbulence and uncertainty that characterized the early months of the pandemic are fast becoming a reality of the new normal as well. Organizations that don’t help their people feel a sense of purpose, belonging, and progress amid these forces will see burnout persist..."
The Conway's Law
Source: William Meller - New articleSummary: The Conway’s Law is an observation that the design of systems is significantly affected by the communications structure of the organization. Exactly because of the that, large organizations have been investing in digital transformation, where technology, products, and services are the consequence of a change in mindset, the breaking of a paradigm and structure secular.
3 Highlights:
"... Conway’s Law is a little-understood yet incredibly powerful concept that describes how deeply connected an organization’s communication structure is with the final product or service it produces..."
"... Conway's Law reflected the perception of the mirroring of organizational idiosyncrasies in its solutions and software – in practice, the quality, complexity and waste in the development of a project reflected the social reality and communication of the organizations that produce..."
"... As new communication networks are formed, communication is established in a fluid and self-organized way as needed..."
Book Notes: Agile Business - Bob Gower
Source: William Meller - Book NotesAgile Business: A Leader's Guide to Harnessing Complexity contains practical real-world advice from over 30 coaches, executives, developers, and managers who are actively using Agile in their organizations and helping others achieve Agility.
Written in a way that can be easily grasped and put to use whether you have previous Agile experience or not. Whether you're looking for an introduction to the topic or want to deepen your own practice, Agile Business will help you understand and apply Agile principles to your business and your life.
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