When you don’t understand a thing, you start chasing. It’s mob behavior. You sign up for some new software or social media because others are doing it. It’s easy to sign up. That’s what the vendors are good at doing – making it look easy.
Then the real work starts. You have to start thinking about how this new toy will make something profitable happen. If you are not committed, then the enthusiasm fades over time and now you have a virtual dusty artifact to show.
So the cycle continues. Typically it’s from blind spots:
- You cannot see the difference between tools and mastery
- Accessibility makes things look easier than they are
- It’s hard to admit when you don’t have talent
- It’s hard to recognize experts
I often wonder at how to help people who are stuck in blind spots. I have come to the conclusion that B.B King stated, “Some people…if they don’t ask, you can’t tell them.” Ultimately, personal failure is the path of recognition.
The strategy is the key thing. It always is. How you use something matters more than what you have as a possession. If it was about the tools, we would all be successful. We can all open an account and pull out our credit cards.
Strategy is talent. It means being able to see the invisible and lining up the steps to make something successful where others merely see what’s in front of them.
This can likely relate to your own expertise in an area. You can see the behaviors and tendencies of amateurs. Some industries expose amateurs more readily than others. Some use certifications to differentiate talent. There’s always a gap between someone who knows what they are doing and the ones who buy the souvenirs hoping.
Can you tell the difference for yourself?
