Monday, January 21, 2008
Saturday, September 15, 2007
iPhone headphone adapter workaround
If you want to use other headphones of choice with your iPhone, you don't need to spend on the headphone adapter (besides it's obnoxious form-factor). Just cut the silicone cover over the (2-ring) pin about 2mm and it should then fit-in the iPhone jack. I just did that with my Panasonic headphones (see pic) and it works great!
Using the Science of Influence to improve the art of persuasion ?
We were asked If Employers should influence emlpoyees ? Here's what I could initially gather...
I think it is always a balance in how much companies can influence employees - their biggest asset.
Companies should influence in positive rather than manipulative ways to produce changes that is effective and ethical. Some of the universal principles to effect a desirable changes are Authority, Reciprocation, Social validation, Scarcity, Mutual Liking etc. Applying these prniciples unnaturally or for ones own agenda produces one-sided gain that is temporary. We see these situations often in the Enrons and Worldcoms. Such prolonged situations gives birth to mistrust and ambiguation which, sometimes results in employee unions perceived to protect employee interests.
On the other hand, Not influencing is like a lost opportunity for beneficial changes for everyone involved.
But when done right, it uncovers the powerful principles that naturally reside in the influence situation and brings them to the surface to the long-term sustained advantage of both parties. These are the companies like Google, GE, SAS etc. which, naturally attract and retain talents in this uber competitive landscape.
What is intriguing to me is how to internalize or make it(Zen of Influence) part of the DNA of a company (read processes) within the boundaries of available resources and time. As processes sometimes work counter-intuitive in these situations. I would think it all starts from the interview process - afterall, you can 'choose' your corpoprate citizens. But more importantly it is the bi-directional information flow which helps 'earn' trust. The processes needs to be proactive such that for any task plan ahead carefully and do the due-deligence, execute efficiently and then follow up to analyze the results incorporating the 360 degree feedbacks. It is an iterative process and needs constant fine-tuning. As an agent of influence, the manager/initiator must ensure that the change he or she creates is effective, ethical, and lasting.
I think it is always a balance in how much companies can influence employees - their biggest asset.
Companies should influence in positive rather than manipulative ways to produce changes that is effective and ethical. Some of the universal principles to effect a desirable changes are Authority, Reciprocation, Social validation, Scarcity, Mutual Liking etc. Applying these prniciples unnaturally or for ones own agenda produces one-sided gain that is temporary. We see these situations often in the Enrons and Worldcoms. Such prolonged situations gives birth to mistrust and ambiguation which, sometimes results in employee unions perceived to protect employee interests.
On the other hand, Not influencing is like a lost opportunity for beneficial changes for everyone involved.
But when done right, it uncovers the powerful principles that naturally reside in the influence situation and brings them to the surface to the long-term sustained advantage of both parties. These are the companies like Google, GE, SAS etc. which, naturally attract and retain talents in this uber competitive landscape.
What is intriguing to me is how to internalize or make it(Zen of Influence) part of the DNA of a company (read processes) within the boundaries of available resources and time. As processes sometimes work counter-intuitive in these situations. I would think it all starts from the interview process - afterall, you can 'choose' your corpoprate citizens. But more importantly it is the bi-directional information flow which helps 'earn' trust. The processes needs to be proactive such that for any task plan ahead carefully and do the due-deligence, execute efficiently and then follow up to analyze the results incorporating the 360 degree feedbacks. It is an iterative process and needs constant fine-tuning. As an agent of influence, the manager/initiator must ensure that the change he or she creates is effective, ethical, and lasting.
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