"Meanwhile the successful, the survivors, attribute their ‘results’ to their skill. Nonsense – success comes from doing the right things and being in receipt of a generous dose of good luck!" Robert, I like you, you pursue a noble cause and help a great number of people. I really don't understand your recent SME posting, perhaps you can elaborate exactly what you meant by them? On the one hand it seems as though you believe that skills have little influence on the outcome, i.e. survival. That being a 'loser' and thus not even attempting to be proactive, take on the challenges one faces every day, (alas one hundred fold in a recession,) is sufficient to land said loser in the general vicinity of the 'winner,' who has gallantly put in a huge amount of effort in keeping the lights on and the wages paid? Is this your inner-sage's advice to those currently seeking perls of wisdom in darker times? Does this not make a complete mockery of your own, quite excellent books and seminars? As for the second 'installment,' you state that the 'middle-path' is surely more sensible than that of the potential loser or winner - the sitting on the arse person vs. the trying to be different and stay strong for one's self, one's team and one's customers person - and that "Hope is not a method!" Was this confusing set of words meant to depress us further? Has Craven thrown in the towel, or his brilliant mind gone awol? These are the questions your articles have raised, (in several of your readers known to me, as I had to ask in case it was indeed I who was amiss,) and have certainly succeeded in giving all those on their quest what the titles forewarned.... May I suggest that you put into your blog that which you put into your books and seminars? No-nonsense, clear-cut advice and tools? Something we can actually use, and which serves to give us hope against the dark stories of failure that currently bombard us? I apologise if this is asking a lot, but surely better this than the oh so safe vanilla of late? Respectfully yours, VSBE et al P.S. Perhaps you didn't "press the wrong button" and the button was trying to tell you something?...
P.P.S. Your books and seminars have empowered and saved so many budding entrepreneurs and ethical SME, friendly bank managers - for this, you will always be loved.
I will divide my answer into two (and try to be brief).
POINT ONE RE "Meanwhile the successful, the survivors, attribute their ‘results’ to their skill. Nonsense – success comes from doing the right things and being in receipt of a generous dose of good luck!" the intention is simply to convey...:
some winners (eg bankers, stockbrokers etc) attribute their winning to great skill; in fact they just happen to be in the right place/right time etc (see Fooled by Randomness by NN Taleb). I was just trying to convey this simple point but it often gets misunderstood!
You are seeing a series of blogs that have been chopped up from a larger article. There is a Part Three etc.
The simple point "The typical survival approach is like a doom and gloom monster" (not my recommended position) - Hope is not a method etc... OR You could "stand out from the rest" (to be discussed briefly in Part Three blog)
but many will take a middle path.
Sometimes one's (my)words/inflections/sarcasm are misunderstood. I will try harder!!
"Meanwhile the successful, the survivors, attribute their ‘results’ to their skill. Nonsense – success comes from doing the right things and being in receipt of a generous dose of good luck!" Robert, I like you, you pursue a noble cause and help a great number of people. I really don't understand your recent SME posting, perhaps you can elaborate exactly what you meant by them? On the one hand it seems as though you believe that skills have little influence on the outcome, i.e. survival. That being a 'loser' and thus not even attempting to be proactive, take on the challenges one faces every day, (alas one hundred fold in a recession,) is sufficient to land said loser in the general vicinity of the 'winner,' who has gallantly put in a huge amount of effort in keeping the lights on and the wages paid? Is this your inner-sage's advice to those currently seeking perls of wisdom in darker times? Does this not make a complete mockery of your own, quite excellent books and seminars? As for the second 'installment,' you state that the 'middle-path' is surely more sensible than that of the potential loser or winner - the sitting on the arse person vs. the trying to be different and stay strong for one's self, one's team and one's customers person - and that "Hope is not a method!" Was this confusing set of words meant to depress us further? Has Craven thrown in the towel, or his brilliant mind gone awol? These are the questions your articles have raised, (in several of your readers known to me, as I had to ask in case it was indeed I who was amiss,) and have certainly succeeded in giving all those on their quest what the titles forewarned.... May I suggest that you put into your blog that which you put into your books and seminars? No-nonsense, clear-cut advice and tools? Something we can actually use, and which serves to give us hope against the dark stories of failure that currently bombard us? I apologise if this is asking a lot, but surely better this than the oh so safe vanilla of late? Respectfully yours, VSBE et al P.S. Perhaps you didn't "press the wrong button" and the button was trying to tell you something?...
P.P.S. Your books and seminars have empowered and saved so many budding entrepreneurs and ethical SME, friendly bank managers - for this, you will always be loved.
4 comments:
"Meanwhile the successful, the survivors, attribute their ‘results’ to their skill. Nonsense – success comes from doing the right things and being in receipt of a generous dose of good luck!"
Robert, I like you, you pursue a noble cause and help a great number of people. I really don't understand your recent SME posting, perhaps you can elaborate exactly what you meant by them?
On the one hand it seems as though you believe that skills have little influence on the outcome, i.e. survival.
That being a 'loser' and thus not even attempting to be proactive, take on the challenges one faces every day, (alas one hundred fold in a recession,) is sufficient to land said loser in the general vicinity of the 'winner,' who has gallantly put in a huge amount of effort in keeping the lights on and the wages paid?
Is this your inner-sage's advice to those currently seeking perls of wisdom in darker times? Does this not make a complete mockery of your own, quite excellent books and seminars?
As for the second 'installment,' you state that the 'middle-path' is surely more sensible than that of the potential loser or winner - the sitting on the arse person vs. the trying to be different and stay strong for one's self, one's team and one's customers person - and that "Hope is not a method!"
Was this confusing set of words meant to depress us further? Has Craven thrown in the towel, or his brilliant mind gone awol? These are the questions your articles have raised, (in several of your readers known to me, as I had to ask in case it was indeed I who was amiss,) and have certainly succeeded in giving all those on their quest what the titles forewarned....
May I suggest that you put into your blog that which you put into your books and seminars? No-nonsense, clear-cut advice and tools? Something we can actually use, and which serves to give us hope against the dark stories of failure that currently bombard us?
I apologise if this is asking a lot, but surely better this than the oh so safe vanilla of late?
Respectfully yours,
VSBE et al
P.S. Perhaps you didn't "press the wrong button" and the button was trying to tell you something?...
P.P.S. Your books and seminars have empowered and saved so many budding entrepreneurs and ethical SME, friendly bank managers - for this, you will always be loved.
I will divide my answer into two (and try to be brief).
POINT ONE RE "Meanwhile the successful, the survivors, attribute their ‘results’ to their skill. Nonsense – success comes from doing the right things and being in receipt of a generous dose of good luck!" the intention is simply to convey...:
some winners (eg bankers, stockbrokers etc) attribute their winning to great skill; in fact they just happen to be in the right place/right time etc (see Fooled by Randomness by NN Taleb).
I was just trying to convey this simple point but it often gets misunderstood!
RC
RE the second article
You are seeing a series of blogs that have been chopped up from a larger article. There is a Part Three etc.
The simple point
"The typical survival approach is like a doom and gloom monster" (not my recommended position) - Hope is not a method etc...
OR
You could "stand out from the rest" (to be discussed briefly in Part Three blog)
but many will take a middle path.
Sometimes one's (my)words/inflections/sarcasm are misunderstood. I will try harder!!
"Meanwhile the successful, the survivors, attribute their ‘results’ to their skill. Nonsense – success comes from doing the right things and being in receipt of a generous dose of good luck!"
Robert, I like you, you pursue a noble cause and help a great number of people. I really don't understand your recent SME posting, perhaps you can elaborate exactly what you meant by them?
On the one hand it seems as though you believe that skills have little influence on the outcome, i.e. survival.
That being a 'loser' and thus not even attempting to be proactive, take on the challenges one faces every day, (alas one hundred fold in a recession,) is sufficient to land said loser in the general vicinity of the 'winner,' who has gallantly put in a huge amount of effort in keeping the lights on and the wages paid?
Is this your inner-sage's advice to those currently seeking perls of wisdom in darker times? Does this not make a complete mockery of your own, quite excellent books and seminars?
As for the second 'installment,' you state that the 'middle-path' is surely more sensible than that of the potential loser or winner - the sitting on the arse person vs. the trying to be different and stay strong for one's self, one's team and one's customers person - and that "Hope is not a method!"
Was this confusing set of words meant to depress us further? Has Craven thrown in the towel, or his brilliant mind gone awol? These are the questions your articles have raised, (in several of your readers known to me, as I had to ask in case it was indeed I who was amiss,) and have certainly succeeded in giving all those on their quest what the titles forewarned....
May I suggest that you put into your blog that which you put into your books and seminars? No-nonsense, clear-cut advice and tools? Something we can actually use, and which serves to give us hope against the dark stories of failure that currently bombard us?
I apologise if this is asking a lot, but surely better this than the oh so safe vanilla of late?
Respectfully yours,
VSBE et al
P.S. Perhaps you didn't "press the wrong button" and the button was trying to tell you something?...
P.P.S. Your books and seminars have empowered and saved so many budding entrepreneurs and ethical SME, friendly bank managers - for this, you will always be loved.
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