Betting on Zero, a chilling documentary on the reality of how far a business is willing to go to increase shareholder value.
I don’t like the stock market. This documentary reaffirms my beliefs in that.
The movie Betting on Zero is the tale of one venture capitalist versus another. A good battling evil story for the ages. But if you’re anything like me you probably Googled the company before the end of the documentary and were completely disappointed with our world.
Herbal Life is a pyramid scheme but it continues to grow and the stock price has increased since the movies release
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/You-Shouldnt-Take-Moral-Issues-To-The-Stock-Market.png5371000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2017-07-20 07:30:462017-07-20 14:34:34“You Shouldn’t Take Moral Issues To The Stock Market, You’re Going To Be Disappointed”
Who would you rather have operate on you, a newly minted Doctor recently out of her residency or a surgeon with 16 years of experience?
The statistics would indicate the later is more error prone than the former. That means if you think experience in the operating room matters you may be wrong. This post uncovers the hidden side of the medical industry that you never knew about. Freakonomics did a three part series called Bad Medicine, below are the three podcast and one marketers banter.
What else could we simply be wrong about in the medical establishment?
Prescription opioid use has gone up about 300-400 percent since the year 2000.
83% of all Oxycodon sales come from the United States.
Medical error is the third-leading cause of death in the United States.
Do you think that the United States has 83% of the World’s pain?
America is a world leader in the consumption of painkillers? We’ve created a pill dependant society always searching for the next quick fix. It’s always so easy to ask the doc for one more prescription, just something different, maybe a new pain killer will work. Maybe not.
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/the-marketing-of-medicine.jpg5601000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2017-07-10 23:10:492018-01-08 23:14:56The Marketing of Medicine
He stands up for what he believes in. Love him or hate hime, Banksy makes you think different.
One of the most prolific artists of our time and the most famous street artists in the world. Banksy’s style of anti-authority and entertaining political commentary within his art, makes him loved by many and hated by some. One thing is for sure, you can’t ignore street art. It makes your city look better and it creates inspiration out of a blank space. The more artists the better.
“This was not my dream.”
“Let them eat crack” beside the infamous Banksy Rat. A spin on the ol’ “let them eat cake!”.
A caveman delivering a fast-food meal.
The crying kid might be my favourite, I think it sums up our society quite well.
“Kissing Coppers”
Einstein with a bottle of Jameson is the funnier part of this Banksy piece. To top it off he adds “Just Google it!”, another comment on society’s addiction to simple solutions and no longer worries about the bigger problems in our world.
Many people recognize the original sayings he’s using, then he makes it “Banksy” by adding “cancelled” by the desperately looking painter.
Stop Wars.
The stop and search painted in Palestine.
In Palestine….
Enjoy your lie.
Making sure he’s go to go for school. A constant reminder that unconditional love is unconditional love.
“No Ball Games!”
Robot Graffiti.
“Graffiti is a crime”
What we do in life echoes in eternity.
“If graffiti changed anything-it would be illegal.”
Pretty relevant in our world today. We’re so quick to call the boss, manager, Mom, teacher or whoever, and call in a preverbal Airstrike.
No parking.
“One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings.” -Diogenes
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/social-media-by-banksy.jpg11862342Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2017-06-26 09:27:002018-01-08 23:16:28The Most Infamous Street Artist of All Time
Maverick written by Ricardo Semler in Brazil published in 1993. A transformational business book from start to finish. Completely counter what you’d come to expect from a Brazilian industrial tycoon. I think Mr. Semler is one of the most thought-provoking, honest, most humble leaders I’ve ever come across.
Semco, a heavy duty industrial manufacturer has no rules to live by. You pick your own hours, pick your own pay, pick your own vacation times, heck you even vote on your own managers regularly! Twice a year you fill out a 30 question questionnaire about your management and division you work in.
No one has a long term contact. No one is employed longer than 6 months. Everyone’s salary is openly known by anyone who cares to know.
Semco is the most democratic company I’ve ever read about, and they did it in a 1980’s Brazilian economy. Not the beacon of sought after economies you once thought, on the contrary, Brazil was avoid by many businesses because of the government, high inflation rates, and a fast growing unpredictable future. It’s astounding what Ricardo and Semco accomplished during this period in Brazil.
How did they get it so right?
Ricardo lucked out in a sense, his father build a multi-million dollar company. He became of age and realized it would never last in its current state. Plus the fact that second generation wealth is squandered 70% of the time, Ricardo had to make a gamble.
He was courageous in his decisions but the theme throughout his career and the book was that he cared (and still cares) dearly about people. It’s so refreshing to see in someone like him in a leadership role, putting people before profits.
Telling, forcing, commanding, never works. Inspiring, helping, listening, always does.Read more
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Imagine-if-you-could.jpg11662000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2017-04-17 09:32:352017-04-18 15:07:38My Favourite Business Book of All Time
In Ricardo Semler’s Maverick he tells the story about the first few times he came in on a weekend. The first thing he noticed “people dress differently when they come in on the weekend, why is that?”. They did it to be more comfortable. But don’t we want everyone to be comfortable when they are working all week long?
The dress code era at Semco was ended.
The executive dealt with the obvious backlash. “What if someone doesn’t want to do business with us because of the way someone is dressed in a meeting?” Ricardo’s answer; “if someone doesn’t want to do business with us because of the way one of our employees ‘looks’ then that’s probably someone we shouldn’t be doing business with”. Wow, that’s leadership.
Isn’t that simple? Why do you try to make your staff conform? Because you’ve always done that? That’s not a good reason why. Ask your staff, what they think, you may stumble upon a smart way to make your company culture better.
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Why-You-Wont-See-Any-Blouses-or-Ties-at-the-Stratlab-Office-1.jpg13362000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2017-04-16 13:54:492017-04-17 01:10:26Dress Code? Nah. Why You Won’t See Any Blouses or Ties at the Stratlab Office
You don’t sell by selling anymore, you sell by doing something different.
Different enough to get someone to talk about you. That’s it. Not different to be goofy, no, different to be top-of-mind in your market space. That spot is left to the most innovative companies in the world, and you can do it too.
Vacuum cleaner sales people no longer exist. At one time what a great profession! Think about it, you choose your own hours, you get exercise while working, you get to meet new people all the time and you choose how much money to make. Based on the amount of hours you put in, you can make a lot in a very little amount of time.
You can see why many people went into this profession, good wages, fun work, what more could you ask for. The better you could manipulate sell people on a vacuum, the more money you were to make. The problem is that way of thinking doesn’t work anymore.
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/If-Vacuum-Cleaner-Sales-People-No-Longer-Exist-How-The-Hell-Do-They-Sell-Vacuums.jpg7931299Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2017-01-11 08:40:002017-01-11 08:41:09If Vacuum Cleaner Sales People No Longer Exist How The Hell Do They Sell Vacuums?
To the devil’s advocate: STOP IT! The devil is doing fine on his own, he does not need your help.
Do you ever find argumentative people love to talk about the exception to the rule? Finding the one in a millionth chance and using it as “evidence” for what could happen. It’s a great way to stress yourself out. Also a good way to determine if one is a know-it-all. Do they like proving someone wrong by arguing the exception to the rule?
Why do we do it though? Why do we cause this undue harm on our minds always trying to determine “what’s the worst that could happen?” Sure it’s good to understand what’s the worst that can happen, but to act upon it, or be planning based on it is silly. If we’re constantly worried about what’s the worst that can happen we never look at what’s the best thing that can happen! Ever bring that up in a planning session? Probably not because optimism isn’t generally looked fondly on in the business community (until lately!)
What’s the WORST that could happen? What’s the BEST that could happen?
A part of our brains are built to do this, to protect us. But that same part of your brain telling you to run from danger in a dark alley is the same part that’s holding you back from doing something amazing. In ancient times running away from what scared us was a smart tactic but in today’s world we need to seek out what scares us and push through it. Playing devils’ advocate is a way to assess what’s the worst that could happen. They problem with this is that the “worst” rarely ever happens, but our brains love to focus on the smallest negative piece of feedback. So instead of finding a solution to the obstacle in the way we think about how bad the feedback was and we never move on.
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/want-to-annoy-people-play-devils-advocate.jpg6101000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2016-12-12 11:51:582016-12-14 20:22:15Want To Really Annoy People? Play the Devil’s Advocate
A couple weeks back I got to interview Greg Moore from Look Agency here in Regina.
I love Greg’s opinion on marketing, he’s a genuine nice guy and tends to disagree with me a lot (that’s why get along so well).
Today’s topic: isPokémon really a thing? Greg’s here to tell us why.
I love what he says about some things don’t need a goal, a monetary outcome or a defined purpose, Pokémon is such a popular thing to a wide variety of people. Sometimes it’s okay not to know why. Sometimes these fads come for a reason, we need to learn that reason and make the proper adjustments to our own organizations.
Here’s what Greg taught me: everything doesn’t have to have a defined “why”. Just because you don’t Ike something doesn’t mean others will follow. No matter how you feel about things, the crowd will always show you some truth to your idea.
As always, thanks Greg!
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1472655875106.jpg5931076Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2016-08-31 09:07:002017-01-03 00:13:25Pokémon a Go-Go? or Pokémon a No-No? | Eps 54 #InTheLab
“I now appreciate public transit.” –Conrad Hewitt, 2016
Trying to see peoples’ points of view isn’t something that comes natural to humans. As we’ve evolved, the softer skills in life have become much more important to our survival than the hard skills (fight or flight) as of the last hundred years. In business it’s even more rare. Empathy is a word that is not often discussed in the board room. Love, Kindness, generosity, all words never uttered in the corporate world. Until now.
There are many unforeseen benefits of seeing the world through another persons eyes here are three.
It’ll cause you less stress. You don’t need to constantly be “right”. It’s counterintuitive when you think about it. Usually we go into a discussion to be heard or to get our way, but if you’re smart about it you’ll go in trying to learn and adapt your point of view based on the new knowledge you discover.
The next time someone tries to argue with you try and agree with what they’re saying and come up with a better solution all together.
The smartest people in an argument will change their mind, one of the hardest things to do, on a topic to see the issue through a different lens. This take willpower, empathy and some mental Jujitsu but it a very powerful tool.
Your clients perspective is a great reflection of your business. Your brand is what your customers say about you. Every interaction is showing others a reason to like or dislike your organizations brand. Smart organizations are asking customers what they think, how could they do better, and what they love about their service or product.
You gain empathy when you show empathy to others, when you truly know how people feel about you.
You’re not the most important person in the world. The sooner we all come to grips with this the better. It’s easy in a moment of lost baggage rage to freakout on the airport attendee, afterall, you needed your bag for tonight! Get over yourself.
Nothing can happen to you that is so bad that you have to ruin someone else’s day over it.
Remember, you aren’t the most important person in the world and that service worker that you’re about to reem out about an over charged phone bill could be having the worst day of their life. You never know when showing someone kindness could mean the wo rld to them.
The next time someone thinks you’re about to get really mad at them do the opposite. You’ll see it in their eyes, that priceless look of a genuine human ‘thank you’.
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/The-importance-of-accepting-anothers-point-of-view-e1462290981761.jpg6151074Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2016-05-03 09:57:182018-02-14 00:09:25The Importance of Accepting Another Person’s Point of View // eps 51 #inthelab
This week on #InTheLab I get to talk to Kirstin from Wiegers Financial & Benefits. I’ve talked about them lots over the past year. They do things differently, they aren’t afraid to zag in a market of a lot of zigging going on. They do things like “Wiegers Care For Kids” which this past year raised $225,000 for the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan. They have a very dedicated staff, they seem like a high level sports team. They just click.
I asked Kirstin about culture in the video above and what it’s like working at Wiegers in beautiful Saskatoon.
It’s a “Work hard, play hard” mentality around the Wiegers office
“It’s really hard here some days”, Kirstin says, “it’s a demanding job and you work a lot some days but that’s what makes the fun days so worth it.” They’re a very busy financial and benefits firm that has been doing business in Saskatchewan for over 20 years. Started by Cliff and Deb Wiegers, they’ve built the company from the ground up. It’s truly a Saskatchewan entrepreneurial story.
Start a social committee
Scavenger hunts, dress-up days, office valentines, potlucks, and BBQs just to name a few. The Social Committee collects a fee from every employee (approximately $24 per year) and with it they plan themed days that get the team outside the office and outside their comfort zones!
Unapologetically have fun at work
I thought for sure they would have some pushback from employees who may not think a scavenger hunt is a “professional thing to do” for a business like Wiegers. But Kirstin said everyone loves to be a part of a “fun” office. It allows people to get along outside of the workplace walls, where you can really get to know someone.
We all need balance in life
If you expect unbelievable results from your employees you better be able to provide unbelievable culture. All these little “perks” add up to create a career It’s a lot easier to try and over-deliver at work for a company that cares about you and is willing to The heavy workloads are followed up with lots of training opportunities and of course all the different team building days they host.
The best employers understand what their team values
I think all organizations can learn something from Wiegers. They aren’t the “norm”, they are anything but boring, they care about company culture. If you expect people to perform at a high level day in, day out, you better be prepared to treat them at a high level.
TL:DR
For the cost of $24 per year, the staff pay into a fund that creates the coolest team building experiences possible.
***Side note about teams. I can relate. Every year a Volleyball team of mine doesn’t do so well, it 9/10 is because they didn’t get along good enough. A team that doesn’t get along off the court will never get along on the court. I discovered it the hard way. Don’t make my mistake, make sure your team gets along before playoffs start!
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/What-makes-company-culture.jpg26604000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2016-01-15 20:15:142016-12-07 23:30:50What Makes Company Culture? // eps 44 #InTheLab
