Small Change is a free ezine from Shannon Bradford to help you get more done, feel less stressed, and enjoy more success.

Mind Capital - Thinkology®
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IN THIS ISSUE
On My Mind: Our Reluctance to Ask
Thinkology™ Tools: Get Your Ask in Gear
Shared Assets: Comments on the "Great Magazine Logout"
Recommended Investments: 21 Ideas for Managers by Charles Handy

ON MY MIND
Our Reluctance to Ask

Last month's issue about the "Great Magazine Logout" obviously struck a chord with you. I received a lot of feedback about your experiences, frustration and response to those "renewal notices." See some of the comments in Shared Assets (below).

So, what's on my mind this month? The concept of "asking," which keeps popping up in my life.

While meeting with a coaching client, we talked about the reasons his employees might not ask him the questions that would help them do their jobs better. Talking with a friend, we explored why we're reluctant to ask other people for help. And when I spoke to the Promotional Products Association of Florida this month (a great group of people), one of the participants made an insightful comment about how suppliers and distributors--in a perpetual tug of war--don't ask questions to learn about the other's viewpoint.

I began to wonder: how much time and energy do we waste because we are reluctant to ask? I suggest ways you can put asking to work for you below.

Enjoy a productive (and inquiring) March.

Regards
Shannon Bradford

THINKOLOGY™ TOOLS
Get Your Ask in Gear

If you start to pay attention to the numerous situations in which you don't ask (at work or in your personal life), you might be surprised. When we don't ask, we make assumptions that can turn out to be false or misleading. When we don't ask, we miss out on opportunities. When we don't ask, we tend to fill that blank space with negative conclusions (The Principle of Bermuda Triangles).

Why don't we ask? One reason is that in the old economy, it just "wasn't done." Employees didn't feel they had the right to ask, information was power, and people who asked questions were labeled as "troublemakers" or not "team players." Another reason is that in the old economy, there were lots of closed questions that had right answers, and we were supposed to know the answers. Asking meant we didn't know. Because of this, people are still reluctant to ask because they don't want to be seen as incompetent or ignorant. In some situations, we don't ask because we don't want to be rejected when someone refuses to answer a question or refuses our request. In other situations, we don't ask because we are afraid of the answer.

When we do ask, surprising things happen. We get insights into our colleagues, businesses and customers that help us succeed. We might learn about a trend in the industry, a new idea or different way of doing something. When we ask, we benefit from opportunities that otherwise would slip by. We also take back control of our lives and our jobs.

This coming week, how about trying one courageous ASK? Some suggestions:

+Ask your boss for feedback on your performance. Or, for the opportunity to work on an intriguing new project.

+If you're the boss, ask your employees what they like and don't like about their jobs and what changes would encourage them to stay with your organization.

+Ask your customers how you're doing, what processes you could change to serve them better, or what needs they have that you're not currently serving. Or, ask your former customers if you could help them with their business.

Take back control--Get Your Ask in Gear.

SHARED ASSETS (GREAT QUOTES)
Small Change Readers Speak Up

I thought I'd share a few of your comments about the "Great Magazine Logout."

Diana Doty wrote: "You can add me to your list of subscribers who are boycotting the frantic attempts on the part of publishers to sign us up for life. I felt the same frustration and came to the same conclusion--I would wait and see how many magazines it actually took before I ran out. This switched the situation (for me at least) from being an annoyance to being a science project I had control over."

Jim Stiles wrote: "I share you and your father's disgust with the advanced billing for subscriptions. I make it a practice to keep a list of when I subscribed and the expiration date. This reassures me when I think that it is too early to be receiving subscription payment notices. I kinda figure that if they can get the money from all of us early, they can invest it and make a profit from our money for whatever length of time we pay in advance. Considering the number of subscribers this could amount to quite a boost of revenue for the company."

Gail Moncla wrote: "The practice you refer to regarding magazine subscriptions also applies to other annual contracts such as health club memberships. My husband and I are no longer members, due in part to the constant barrage of renewal notices we received. It was extremely annoying to continually receive these notices as though we were non-paying customers."

RECOMMENDED INVESTMENTS
21 Ideas for Managers
Practical Wisdom for Managing Your Company and Yourself
By Charles Handy

Charles Handy is a former oil executive, economist, consultant, and professor at the London Business School, who now thinks and writes about business. He is the author of a number of excellent books about business and organizations, in which he shares his philosophy on how organizations need to operate in this new, competitive business world. In 21 Ideas for Managers, Handy turns his talent toward the practical, instead of the theoretical.

21 Ideas is basically a collection of short essays that provide nuggets of wisdom. The ideas include: A World of Differences, The Secret Contract, The Territorial Itch, The Actor's Roles, Marathons or Horse Races, The Stroking Formula, Tribes and Their Ways, Counting and Costing, and The Customer is Always There. As is typical in his writing, Handy continually challenges old ways of thinking about the business world, about people, and about management.

Favorite quote: "When several thousand managers in America were asked about the circumstances in which they did their best, they did not talk about competition but about goals that were exciting and challenging, about autonomy and ownership, high visibility and accountability and an exciting task. The thrill of the race was there, but it was taking part that mattered, not the winning...In tough competitive situations, people like to be surrounded by people less competent than themselves because it gives them a better chance of winning. That is not good news for the organization. Nor do people always, or even often, take the risks or make the creative leaps that competition is supposed to encourage. The fear of failing is usually much stronger than the hope of winning, so people play safe."