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Persuasion

Unpaid Gigs for ‘Exposure’—Is It Ever Worth It?

February 21, 2024 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Unpaid Gigs for 'Exposure'---Is It Ever Worth It? As a freelancer, you’ll constantly receive requests to write blogs, help with videos, provide ‘expert’ advice, perform a show, or attend events—all without pay, but with promises of experience, prestige, or that ever-so-alluring “exposure.”

But should you say ‘yes’ to these unpaid gigs?

It’s utterly unfair for people to assume you’re desperate for attention just because you’re starting out. And it’s downright rude if these organizations have the budget to pay only some individuals while leaving you high and dry.

For many new freelancers, doing freebies feels like a rite of passage. But speak to the old-timers, and they’ll likely warn you that unpaid gigs often lead to more unpaid gigs with zero real payoff. Plus, those promising “exposure” might not even have much exposure themselves.

So, is it ever worth it to hustle for “exposure”? Maybe, but only if it’s for a cause, charity, or group you’re genuinely passionate about.

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Filed Under: Career Development, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Career Planning, Entrepreneurs, Innovation, Marketing, Negotiation, Persuasion

Why New Expatriate Managers Struggle in Asia: Confronting the ‘Top-Down’ Work Culture

February 12, 2024 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Why Expatriate Managers Struggle in Asia: Confronting the 'Top-Down' Work Culture Running the show in Asia is a whole different ball game compared to the West.

The management culture in Asia is primarily characterized by a pronounced top-down structure. Hierarchy based on position and seniority calls the shots.

Employees often see themselves more as executors of decisions that come from above, rather than being actively involved in the decision-making process. On top of that, there’s a fear of speaking up, worried they’ll stir up trouble or get sidelined.

This lack of creativity and proactive engagement stifles innovation and hampers organizational effectiveness. Even when employees recognize serious issues, they keep mum, sticking strictly to what they’re told.

Idea for Impact: For new expat managers, the key is getting people to open up, share their ideas, and challenge the status quo. Dive in, listen up, and make everyone part of the decision-making process. Their insights could be the game-changer your organization needs.

Take time to build those personal connections and create a vibe where everyone’s pitching in. Understand the influence networks and ditch the old-school compliance mindset.

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Filed Under: Leading Teams, Managing People Tagged With: Assertiveness, Conflict, Critical Thinking, Getting Along, Persuasion, Problem Solving, Teams

When It’s Over, Leave

January 27, 2024 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

When It's Over, Leave Persistence is admirable, but there’s a thin line—it can easily tip over into stubbornness. Continuing to nurture or sustain something that has hit a dead-end or has ceased to thrive is futile and may even be detrimental.

Once a situation or relationship has run its course, investing more time and effort into a lost cause is just a waste. Resilience kicks in when you let go of specific expectations and embrace the current reality. Instead of stubbornly clinging to the past, shift your focus to what you can control. Quitting isn’t always a sign of weakness.

Idea for Impact: When it’s over, leave. Pivot. Don’t water a dead flower. Acknowledge closure, let go, and channel your energy toward fresh opportunities or areas of growth instead of holding on to what’s in the rearview mirror.

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Filed Under: Living the Good Life, Mental Models Tagged With: Assertiveness, Balance, Decision-Making, Discipline, Persuasion, Wisdom

The Problem with Hiring Smart People

January 23, 2024 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Smart people are puzzled by initial resistance and slow uptake Hiring smart individuals indeed adds valuable intellectual capital to organizations, but it also brings about unique challenges. The struggle emerges as these individuals try to grasp why their brilliant ideas face initial resistance and why others don’t catch on as quickly.

Smart individuals become frustrated when dealing with skeptics among their colleagues, having to invest precious time in aligning the team without coming off as bossy—especially when collaborating with peers over whom they lack direct authority. The aggravation intensifies as they would prefer to generate more genius ideas than get caught up in the challenge of convincing others about concepts that seem like a no-brainer to them.

Idea for Impact: Smart folks, don’t overlook relationship-building skills; intelligence isn’t everything for your goals.

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Filed Under: Effective Communication, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Communication, Conflict, Getting Along, Hiring & Firing, Negotiation, Persuasion

Pitch Problems, Not Ideas

January 4, 2024 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Many teams impede innovation because they center innovation on ideas and not problems.

Ideas make people rush to solutions—problems make people identify with them and commiserate. Ideas are easier to kill; problems aren’t.

When you anchor a proposal in a truly great problem, you’ll find that colleagues are more likely to build on it rather than attempt to destroy it. Problems promote listening and building reciprocal trust.

Idea for Impact: Innovation should be centered on problems, not ideas.

Encourage everyone to pitch problems, not firm proposals.

Sell the problem, and you’ll get less resistance.

As I’ve mentioned previously, the best marketing minds work on creating a customer—previously unaware of a problem, the customer becomes interested in considering the opportunity and finally acts upon it.

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Filed Under: Business Stories, Mental Models, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Creativity, Innovation, Persuasion, Problem Solving, Thinking Tools

Conflict Hack: Acknowledging Isn’t Agreeing

December 25, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Conflict Hack: Acknowledging Isn't Agreeing In disagreements and conflicts, a common blunder is mistaking acknowledgment for agreement.

Recognizing someone’s emotions doesn’t entail embracing their perspective or emotional response. For example, saying, “I understand your frustration with our communication,” differs substantially from affirming, “I agree that our communication is lacking,” or resorting to blame with phrases like, “You should communicate better.”

Deep down, we all yearn for acknowledgment as rational beings, even when our actions might suggest otherwise. Neglecting to acknowledge someone’s feelings can further intensify conflicts, pushing them to raise their voices and intensify their agitation in a quest for recognition when they sense they’re not being heard.

Idea for Impact: Acknowledgment, an expression of empathy without judgment, is a mark of respect that has the power to disarm conflicts. It’s the initial step on the path to conflict resolution.

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Filed Under: Effective Communication, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Anger, Conflict, Conversations, Getting Along, Meetings, Persuasion, Social Skills

When Bean Counters Turn Risk Managers: Lessons from the Ford Pinto Scandal

December 4, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi 1 Comment

When Bean Counters Turn Risk Managers: Lessons from the Ford Pinto Scandal During the 1970s, the Ford Pinto scandal became a notorious and impactful episode within the automotive industry. This scandal revolved around significant safety concerns and ethical dilemmas associated with the Ford Pinto, a subcompact car. At the center of this controversy was the Pinto’s design flaw, which rendered it susceptible to fuel tank fires in the event of rear-end collisions.

The Pinto’s fuel tank was located in a highly vulnerable spot just behind the rear axle. This design flaw meant that, in the unfortunate event of a rear-end collision, the fuel tank could rupture, resulting in fuel leakage and, tragically, sometimes even fatal fires. Concerns regarding the safety of the Pinto were raised both internally within Ford and externally by safety advocates and engineers.

After at least fifty-nine lives had been lost, the scandal escalated dramatically when it came to light that Ford had conducted an internal cost-benefit analysis, which demonstrated that rectifying the design flaw and enhancing the Pinto’s safety would be more expensive than potentially settling legal claims for injuries and fatalities stemming from accidents. Ford had, with unwavering determination and, at times, dubious tactics, lobbied against a crucial safety standard that would have compelled them to address the risk and redesign the Pinto’s fire-prone gas tank.

This episode served as a stark lesson for the nation in the principles of cost-benefit analysis. The cost of implementing rubber liners to fix the problem was estimated at $137 million, while a meticulous calculation of the all costs associated with those who suffered and perished only amounted to $49.5 million.

Overall, society has made significant progress since the Ford Pinto scandal. Across various industries, from construction to healthcare, aviation to retail, automotive to hospitality, the principle of “safety first” is not merely a hollow industry slogan. Projects and endeavors now prioritize the well-being and protection of individuals, employees, and the general public.

While some may resent our increasingly litigious society and the abundance of frivolous lawsuits that burden the legal system and public resources, it is important to acknowledge that this litigious nature has played a crucial role in holding companies and regulators accountable.

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Filed Under: Business Stories, Mental Models Tagged With: Conflict, Critical Thinking, Decision-Making, Goals, Mental Models, Persuasion, Risk, Thinking Tools

Beyond the Illusion: The Barnum Effect and Personality Tests

November 30, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Beyond the Illusion: The Barnum Effect and Personality Tests In 1948, the American psychologist Bertram Forer conducted a personality test with his students, after which he provided what he claimed were personalized personality descriptions based on their test scores. In reality, Forer handed out the same generic newspaper astrology column to all students; therefore his personality descriptions were applicable to the majority of people.

Surprisingly, Forer’s students found these vague descriptions to be incredibly personal and highly accurate. Forer compared this psychological phenomenon to the captivating showmanship of P.T. Barnum, whose acts and deceptions enthralled audiences by making them believe they were witnessing something truly extraordinary. This phenomenon became known as the “Barnum Effect.”

The Barnum Effect, also referred to as the Forer Effect, involves subjective personality validation. This effect helps explain why individuals readily embrace horoscopes, personality tests, and fortune-telling, even when these sources provide generalized, positive statements that appear tailored to them but, in reality, apply to a wide range of people.

Idea for Impact: Be wary of the innate human inclination to seek personal validation and meaning in the information you encounter

In the realm of personality tests, it’s crucial to exercise caution. Many widely used tests have notable limitations and lack substantial validation. Without being employed scientifically and within the appropriate context, along with a healthy dose of skepticism, personality tests may simply serve as enjoyable group activities. They are particularly good at initiating conversations, injecting a playful and light-hearted aspect into social interactions.

In a broader sense, it’s wise to be wary of anyone who promises swift psychological diagnoses. Watch out for charlatans, self-proclaimed psychics, dubious psychotherapists, and faith healers who assert they can unveil the depths of your psyche in a matter of minutes. Stay inquisitive, but discerning.

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Shrinkflation: It’s All About How We Conceive the Changes We Perceive

October 27, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Shrinkflation: It's All About How We Conceive the Changes We Perceive Shrinkflation is a pricing tactic where manufacturers covertly reduce the size or quantity of familiar products while keeping the package price the same, or even slyly increasing it. Shrinkflation is a subtle means for consumer goods producers to conceal a rise in unit prices by giving customers less product at the same cost. This strategy is frequently deployed during periods of inflation and impending economic downturns.

But why not simply raise the prices outright? Consumers are generally understanding of price hikes if they perceive them as reasonable. However, when it comes to products like food and shampoo, they might not fully comprehend the reasons behind these pricing adjustments. As they feel the economic pressure mounting, consumers tend to find shrinkflation and the preservation of familiar package prices more palatable than a direct price increase.

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Filed Under: MBA in a Nutshell, Mental Models Tagged With: Biases, Innovation, Marketing, Persuasion, Psychology

Why Good Founding Stories Sell: Stories That Appeal, Stories That Relate

October 16, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

It’s the most famous “founding” story ever told. Isaac Newton often told it himself. William Stukeley first published it. Voltaire popularized it.

In 1666, Newton was strolling in a garden in Lincolnshire when he saw an apple drop from a tree. The fruit fell straight to the earth as if tugged by an invisible force. (Subsequent versions of this story had the apple striking Newton on the head.)

That mundane observation seemingly led Newton to conceive the notion of universal gravitation, which explained everything from the falling apple to the moon’s orbit. Whether it was true or not, the apple episode probably motivated Newton. But, indeed, he did not arrive at his theory of gravity at that single moment, as is commonly believed.

Most Origin Stories Make a Good Yarn

Fast-forward three and a half centuries, from England to California. Today, the “Eureka Moment” narrative is a Silicon Valley staple.

Most founding stories would rather you believe that brilliant entrepreneurs came about the outstanding idea for their startups in an almost Moses-like manner. In reality, though, that’s not the real story of how some of our iconic companies began.

When eBay launched, it gained loads of fanfare by proclaiming that Pierre Omidyar and his fiancée built the “Auction Web” to buy and collect Pez candy dispensers on the nascent internet. According to Adam Cohen’s The Perfect Store: Inside eBay (2002,) eBay’s public relations manager Mary Lou Song fabricated that founding story in 1997 to interest the media.

Netflix supposedly stemmed when co-founder Reed Hastings racked up a $40 fine with a Blockbuster store for his overdue copy of the movie Apolo 13. Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph’s That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea (2019) debunks that origin myth. Although Hastings’s $40 fine inspired the process, it wasn’t the single “spark of imagination” that cooked up Netflix.

YouTube supposedly began when founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen could not share videos of a 2005 dinner party in Chen’s San Francisco apartment. Everybody accepted the story until it was refuted by the third co-founder, Jawed Karim (who had been sidelined by Hurley and Chen.) Karim produced a prototype of YouTube inspired by HOTorNOT, a dating site that nudged users to upload photos and others to rate the looks of potential companions. Karim was particularly inspired by the concept of user-generated content versus website owners supplying the content. He set out to make a version of HOTorNOT with video. Chen later admitted that he embellished the dinner party story, which was “probably very strengthened by marketing ideas around creating a story that was very digestible.”

Facebook, first called FaceMash, was also inspired by HOTorNOT. Mark Zuckerberg and his dorm buddies created a website to post pairs of pictures from Harvard’s student community, asking users to rate the “hotter” individual.

Many Good Founding Stories are Just That—They’re Good Stories.

No company is ever founded in a single moment. Ideas evolve after assimilation and experimentation over several months, even years. It’s less interesting to say that things just develop, one idea building upon another. You won’t get as much publicity for rendering a normal-but-boring founding story.

If these mythic creation stories prove anything, it’s that people prefer a good story. People like a storyteller who’s more articulate than one who is accurate. Good stories move. Good stories lead audiences on a journey of the imagination.

Telling a Good Story is a Rehearsed Performance

Human beings are not transformed as much by statistics and facts as we are by stories. In All Marketers are Liars—The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-trust World (2005,) marketing guru Seth Godin says successful marketers don’t discuss features or benefits. They tell stories. Stories that readers want to read. And believe.

If humans were rational, we’d make judgments based on facts and statistics. But we’re not rational; we’re more convinced to act on stories, especially with emotional content. So the ability to tell a story well is a beneficial tool to add to your toolkit.

Idea for Impact: Those who can create and tell entertaining and exciting stories will have a marked advantage over others regarding persuasion. Learn to tell clear, commanding stories that make a good metaphor. Stories that appeal to emotion. Stories that relate. Stories that hold people’s attention. Stories that travel fast.

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Filed Under: Effective Communication, Mental Models, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Communication, Entrepreneurs, Likeability, Negotiation, Persuasion, Presentations, Psychology

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About: Nagesh Belludi [hire] is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based freethinker, investor, and leadership coach. He specializes in helping executives and companies ensure that the overall quality of their decision-making benefits isn’t compromised by a lack of a big-picture understanding.

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Unless otherwise stated in the individual document, the works above are © Nagesh Belludi under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license. You may quote, copy and share them freely, as long as you link back to RightAttitudes.com, don't make money with them, and don't modify the content. Enjoy!