Vanilla

How would you feel if some say your company was “vanilla”? So often we equate vanilla with boring or bad but isn’t vanilla the most successful and longest lasting flavor ever? Paul Leinwand and Cesare Mainardi recently discussed just this issue in the June 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Leinwand and Mainardi stress the importance of focusing intensely on what you (or your company) do (does) best. They call it the coherence premium. In general the coherence premium tells you to stick with your companies “vanilla” or what you do best.

Companies today are so focused on innovation and creativity that too often they lose focus on what they have done that was successful. They suggest that companies should create their strategy from the foundation of “what they do best” with the marketplace. They further illustrate that coherence in capabilities correlate strongly with greater profitability (as measured by EBIT margin). When you think of innovative companies you may think of Apple. But when you look with a “vanilla” eye you can clearly see that they have built off of their strengths (i.e., technology). Working off your organizations vanilla doesn’t mean being boring! To build a successful strategy there needs to be alignment between the people, organization and strategy. So start with vanilla, and build from vanilla.

Success is the new vanilla!

What do you think? Should companies stick with what they are good at or jump on the innovation wagon and create something new.

A Woman's Touch

Company EEOC programs often warn against hugging and touching your coworkers because you may not be able to read when it is or is not ok. A study published in the April issue of Psychological Science indicated another reason men may not want a woman’s touch in the office and it’s not why you think. The study examined the financial risk taking behave of men who received a handshake, a pat of the back or no contact from a woman before entering a meeting where they were going to make financial decisions. Results indicated that those men who received pats of the back or a pat on the back were willing to risk more financially (and reported feeling more secure) than me who received handshakes. While those who received handshakes still took more risks than men who did not receive contact. A control group with men delivering the touch did not illustrate any significant different than the non touch group. So men, be aware of another’s touch before you make a big decision.


Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers

Harvard Business Review on Women in Business (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)

Increase Performance with a Cup of Joe

Have you somehow let your health conscience coworker get you to kick your caffeine addiction? Well, think again about that cup of joe. A recent study from the London School of Tropical Medicine in England found that caffeine in any form (i.e., pills, energy drinks and coffee) improved performance on cognitive tests of memory, attention, perception and reasoning compared to participants without caffeine. So cut it out for now, but the next challenging project you have to work on may be best accompanied by a cup of joe.

Online Consulting in the Digital Age

Technology is developing faster than we can keep up. Unfortunately, that also means it is growing faster than regulators can make policies. Journalist Amy Schatz, who covers tech policy and the FCC for The Wall Street Journal reported that congress will be meeting in June to discuss communication laws that were last examined in 1996 and were created back when the internet didn’t even exist. The challenge is to create policies and laws that will be flexible enough for changing technology but detailed enough to enforce privacy on the web.

However the opportunity currently exists for practitioners to speak their voice about their concerns regarding client information and telepsychology. We need to ensure that confidentiality and informed consent are critical in providing telepsychology services. If you don’t think this is relevant to your business today…it will be!


The Ohio Psychological Association was the first state to issue telepsychology guidelines for its members. Check them out at www.ohpsy.org/professionalissues.aspx

Global Voices

Nothing compares to experience whether it Is in the workplace or through travels but global voices online is a comparable option for those individuals that can’t take the time off, spend the money or physically go places an opportunity to learn globally. As mentioned in my post on attitude change, humans have a difficult time changing their perceptions of people and places without an experience that influences a change. Global Voices is a collection of political, social and economic stories written by citizen and professional journalists across the world. Americans can now access all this information without ever leaving their computers.

People in Power May Be Better Liars

Have you ever thought about the non verbal cues you send to others while you are telling a lie? Do you try to look them in the eye; sit still; blink less? These non verbal cues are caused by anxiety and stress from lying. Dana Carney, a professor at the Columbia University School of Business recently found that people can hide these non verbal cues but that some people, specifically people in power position, actually experiences less emotional distress when lying than people in non-power positions. The participants of Carney’s study were instructed by a computer to steal a $100 bull. If they could convince an interviewer they hadn’t taken it, they could keep it. She found that lying bosses displayed fewer involuntary signs of dishonesty and stress. On all measures, liars with power were hard to distinguish from subjects telling the truth. In essence, Carvey’s study tells us that if you give people power, they’ll be more comfortable lying. Watch out for interaction where you’re not in the power position and keep a skeptical outlook.

Networking Tips

Finding a new job is not always easy and often depends on who you know. People with whom you have formed relationships can become walking, talking advertisements for you. There are many techniques for building up your networking including joining organizations, holding positions on non-profit boards, and becoming a resource for others. Although informational interviews, follow ups or personal recommendations are traditionally part of networking, social networking can be utilized in a similar manner to broaden and develop contacts. Whether you are networking in person or online you need to be on top of current events. These days everyone listens to NPR, so how are you going to be original, interesting and memorable? Mentalfloss.com is a fairly new website with intriguing bits of information and conversation starter. This site provides great conversation ideas for that silence in a conversation.