How’s your sense of proportion - and is it holding you back in your career?
Commonsense is the realized sense of proportion. Mahatma Gandhi
I’m not one to fly off the handle, though I know lots of friends and family members that do. Not that I don’t have a temper, but I’ve learned to tame it (mostly) because my experience of life tells me I’m probably overreacting when it happens. Why? Because I know I’m a human and I’m filled with an overdose of self-importance just like the rest of us. It can be a bitter pill to swallow that I’m one of 7.53 billion voices, each encouraged to be selfless, each subconsciously wanting to have a voice, to make a contribution, and to define themselves. If, when we spring into life, our left foot were tattooed with the latest number of our global population, it might just help to remind us now and then that we are, as individuals, relatively insignificant.
So, put all of that into that context, if I’m perturbed that some guy in his BMW has cut me up on my commute, or a work colleague has put the coffee back in the wrong cupboard or turned up late for a meeting (and not for the first time!!) I try like billy-oh to take a breath, shake it off, let it go, get a sense of proportion, …remind myself in the scheme of things it’s not a big deal.
Because it probably isn’t a big deal.
I spend my life helping businesses to grow — or sell. I get excited by the potential of people, technology, and ideas. When I’m in meetings listening to clients as they describe their business opportunities and challenges (I can’t help it, and I know it’s a terrible thing…) my head is being fed a steady stream of ideas that could probably help my client’s organization to succeed. AND YET AGAIN, I have to temper my enthusiasm to ‘help’ with that little voice on my shoulder that says, ‘Get a sense of proportion, you might not be helping.
Here are some good ‘sense of proportion’ reasons why giving a business your bright ideas might not be helping.
Most companies will die whatever you say or do
If you’ve ever read any of Geoffrey West’s research into why cities survive and companies scale, you’ll know that of the 28,853 companies that traded on the U.S. stock market from 1950–2009, almost 80% were gone by 2009. Fewer than 5% of companies lasted 30 years. It’s not all down to bad management decisions or a lack of innovation. It’s not easy to design and run a predictable business that churns out profits.
’New, new, new’ almost never works
The challenges of doing something new can often kill companies faster than anything else. As Geoffrey West explains, many companies wait until it's too late to reinvent their business models because they’re making too much money from the old ones. When they do, they don’t have the profitability ‘health’ to cover the cost of change while carrying on their existing business. So they die. Research by the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton in the 1990s identified Companies that change one aspect of their business model (such as a new product to an existing customer group sold through an existing sales channel), are more likely to succeed against organizations that repeatedly try to change two or more aspects of their incumbent business model.
Humans are truly awful at ’processing’ shifting paradigms
Think of a paradigm as a new box to put things into that humans have never encountered before; a concept that seems two or three steps away from how the world works today. Whenever that happens — think machine gun, the Colossus computer, WWW, repulsine engine, mobile phone, codeless software development, etc. — humans are truly awful at embracing these innovations for what they are — game-changers.
Other priorities have a habit of conflicting and contradicting whatever you say or do
Your idea might be awesome, and the activity you’re working on might actually be really helpful, but there are many other humans out there playing their own game and doing their own thing that ALSO BELIEVE they’re doing or saying the right things for the right reasons. Without leadership and consensus, ideas and actions can be more disruptive than they are positive.
Even the greatest of innovations — yep, the game-changing ones — aren’t always good for your career, or the business you serve. Remember the guy who invented the Internet? — aha, m’hmm, Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, that’s the guy — well, he isn’t a billionaire as you might expect. Neither is Dan Bricklin who, if you’re not familiar with the name, is credited with inventing the most successful app us case ever — spreadsheets. Nope him neither. But Gary Dahl, the guy who took rocks off of a beach, dropped them in a pretty box, and sold them as pets? Yep, millionaire! Go figure. (He rock-ed, get it?)
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to be an entrepreneur
Having a sense of proportion throughout our daily lives is important because it helps us all to put our gifts, ideas, and woes into some sense of balance. We’ve to trust the world will continue to spin without our contribution. Most of us die in obscurity. Some of the happiest and nicest men I know are gentlemen who never did anything stand out but live amazing lives. And how many awesomely happy celebs can you think of?
My message to you is that it’s okay if you don’t stand out. Doing your best (and attempting to better your best) never feels too terrible. Neither does helping others along their life journeys and knowing you made a tiny difference.
So do yourself a favor — put the kettle on, take a deep breath, and find your sense of proportion.
Ian.
About the Author
Ian Tomlin is a seasoned marketer, entrepreneur, and business leader with a 30+ year career at the intersection of strategy, technology, and marketing. As the founder of successful businesses, including Newton Day Ltd, Ian brings a wealth of expertise in guiding companies toward compelling brand stories. Reach out to Ian via LinkedIn to transform your marketing approach and tell your brand story effectively.
