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A book that teaches you how to get rich is flash. A book that teaches you the inner workings of the financial system is substance.

A handbag that has the logo of a company printed all over it is flash. A handbag that lasts for 20 years and remains aesthetically pleasing is substance.

A customer support service that uses sophisticated phone and computer systems is flash. A customer support service that solves customer’s problems with speed and courtesy is substance.


Does your business focus on flash? Or on substance?

Are you sure?

If you set the bar too low, it’s not worth doing.

If you set the bar too high, it’s unrealistic.

If you set the bar comfortably where people know they can do it, it becomes a mundane chore.

If you set the bar uncomfortably high where people believe they can do it with some hard work and faith, then it becomes an invigorating challenge.

This is the sweet spot to target for yourself and others.


Bonus: The more you stretch, the better you become.

Last time, we talked about how you need to relax to solve difficult problems.  This is part 2 of 2, discussing how can improve your memory and skill by being sure to get a good night’s sleep.

Sleep isn’t just resting, your brain is working on processing your experiences so that when you wake up, you’ll remember things better, pick up new skills faster, and maybe even acquire some new insights.  This is all backed up by studies showing how people performing a variety of tasks (ranging across memory, coordination, and math) do better if they’re allowed to sleep between practise sessions, instead of just relaxing while awake.  Read more.

In fact, you get this benefits not just from nighttime sleep, but also from daytime naps.  Since there’s a natural tendency to be tired in the mid-afternoon, this is a great time to take a nap, also known as a siesta in places where this is the norm.

If working smarter and increased productivity aren’t enough to convince you to get a good night’s sleep and encourage napping at your workplace, keep in mind that well-rested people have better moods, making it easier to work productively with others.

A high-stress, deadline-driven culture in your organization might pump out more mundane work for little while.  But a proper appreciation for rest and relaxation can help you work smarter, developing more game-changing insights and skills.  And it’ll make your organization a much better place to work, helping you to attract and keep great people to work with.

You’ve probably heard of Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia and the 8th most popular site on the internet.  The main idea behind it is that anybody can contribute knowledge by adding a new article or editing an existing one.  This idea has allowed Wikipedia to grow enormously quickly, with broader content and faster updates than traditional encyclopedias.

Have you ever thought of setting up a mini-Wikipedia within your company?  This is a great way to organize all sorts of information.  You can share it with other people, especially newcomers, and anybody can update it, so it’s easier to keep complete and accurate.  No more digging up old emails to find information that might be obsolete.

With an internal mini-Wikipedia, you can collaborate and keep information on almost anything:
- A checklist for the order-taking process
- Ideas for new products to carry
- A list of advertising opportunities
- Your quality inspection guidelines when receiving products
- A list of employee expenses to be reimbursed by the company
- A selection of customer testimonials for marketing purposes
- Phone numbers and email addresses for everyone within your company

Here are two websites that allow you to do this for free, while controlling who has access to the information:
- PBwiki
- Google Sites

Try it out, and enjoy improved information sharing within your company!