Economics The Way

The Way

“ ‘I’m trying to lead change and induce risk-taking at my company. Got any ideas? How should I do it’
I’ve probably heard that question a thousand times or more. For years, in response to that question,
I waffled. I’d launch a little rant on leadership. Whatever. Not wrong. But not right, either.
Lately, I’ve changed my tune.
‘There is only one way,’ I boldly proclaim.
‘Find Heroes. Do Demos. Tell Success Stories’

To elaborate:
We need heroes: Exemplars of the Exciting New Way of Doing Things.
We need demos: Palpable Proof that this Exciting New Way of Doing Things is eminently do-able.
We need stories: Riveting Tales that fire the imagination of the rest of our heroes-in-waiting.”

How do you convince your team to try something remarkable? How do you convince potential customers
to try your product or service? How do you inspire people? How do you become remarkable
and help others become remarkable?

Tom Peters shows the way. After you have decided to be remarkable, after you have identified your
“edges”, you follow the Tom Peters way to create lasting, continued success in your career or business.
Step one is: Find Heroes

What is a hero? A hero is someone who is already remarkable. A hero is a model-- for you and for
the people you work with. Sometimes you can find heroes in your own organization. Sometimes
you find heroes in other companies. Sometimes you read about them in a magazine or book.
Often, your customers are heroes.

The point is-- you need role-models. You need to find flesh-and-blood people who are already
doing remarkable things. They will be your guide. Find them. Examine what they do and how
they do it. Let them inspire you and your team.

Most of my heroes are students. During my teaching career, I continually identified my hero students--
the ones who learned faster and spoke better. I interviewed them. I identified their successful
strategies. I identified the differences between the hero students and the ones who did not succeed.
This helped me create the Effortless English system.

Step two is: Do Demos.
A demo is a trial project-- a fast, cheap, simple version of a product or service. Demos are not
perfect. In fact, they are usually ugly and incomplete. However, they are probably the number one
key to success.

Most people think, plan, and worry too much. They refuse to take action until their product or service
is perfect. They wait-- weeks, months, years. Sometimes they wait forever-- and never start their
own business.

Here’s the truth-- you will never create a perfect business.
The best method is to create something small, fast, and cheap and immediately sell it. It won’t be
perfect, but it gives you something to start with. Once you sell it, your customers will tell you what
they like and what they don’t like.

Then you make changes. Little by little, you improve your demo. Eventually, your demo evolves
into a complete, successful product or service.

This is what I did with Effortless English. Our first website was started with $200. It was ugly.. really
ugly! We had only a few lessons. We had no Mini-Stories Lessons and no Point-of-View Lessons--
which now are our most powerful and important lesson types.

We started with something ugly and incomplete-- but we started! Then we improved. Every month I
listened to members’ suggestions. Every month I improved the lessons. Every month I added more.
That’s how I built a successful company.

That’s how you will build your successful business or career.

Step three: Tell Stories
I hate selling. Most people hate selling. The good news is- you don’t need to sell. I don’t sell
Effortless English lessons, I simply tell stories. I tell stories about successful students. I tell stories
about the people who have used Effortless English to speak English easily, and fast.

That’s what you need to do too. Find success stories. Celebrate success! When a team member
does something well, tell their story to everyone else. When a customer improves or has a great
experience,... tell their story to other potential customers.

Most people try to convince people with facts and logic. Forget it. People don’t respond to “facts”
because facts are impersonal and abstract.

Facts Tell, Stories Sell. Stories are powerful because they are real-- real success examples from
real people. Collect these examples. Share them. That’s how you convince people. That’s how
you create big changes. That’s how you become a great leader. That’s how you create success.

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