This Week's Herman Trend Alert Purpose Emerging as Important Driver of Engagement

The Herman Trend Alert March 10, 1999 Velocity of Life Have you noticed how your life is speeding up? Probably not. The change is subtle. There's an old proverb about a frog in boiling water. As the story goes, if you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will leap right out! The frog doesn't want to be in that hot environment. However, if you plop the frog into a pot of room temperature water and gradually turn up the heat, you can boil the frog alive. (We don't recommend you try this at home!) Distasteful as that parable may be, it illustrates an important point. When change is introduced slowly, we adjust to it much more easily than if a major change is thrust upon us all at once. The moral is that people accept change better if it takes place progressively. Right or wrong, we adapt. Over the past few years, our lives have changedùalmost imperceptibly. Everything seems to be moving faster. There's less time available . . . and more to do. Messages we used to send by mail, for delivery days later, are now sent overnight for 8:00 a.m. deliveryùor sent electronically in seconds. Project deadlines have been shortened to the point that we hardly have time to make careful decisions. A recent study by Copernicus: The Marketing Investment Strategy Group and Gazelle International, suggests that executivesùparticularly menùmake decisions too quickly. The 293 marketing managers surveyed, said male marketing executives make decisions quickly (89 percent), are focused on short-term versus long-term results (73 percent) and are always in a rush 65 percent). These results are a symptom of a deeper problem. Although female executives face the same challenges as their male counterparts, they're not perceivedùin this study, anywayùas being as "testosterone-rushed" as men. Women are also making decisions faster now than they did a few years ago. Faster decision-making means decisions are not as well thought-out as they should be. There's a serious risk here. Be aware. Slow down. Take time to make the right decisions. Your results will reflect your moderation. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." WHO SENDS OUT YOUR NEWSLETTERS? We are convinced there is no better choice than ours! We have happily used DataBack Systems to deliver The Herman Trend Alert for over 10 years and. Visit their website (http://www.databack.com) or call Byron directly at 503.941.0427. You'll be glad you did. IS YOUR EMPLOYER AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE®? Our effective, onsite seminars, workshops, and consulting can help you get there. We offer 1-, 2-, 3-hour, and full-day programs to help you communicate what it takes to become an Employer of Choice® and inspire your folks to get it done. In the future, being an Employer of Choice® will not be optional. Call Carol at 336-210-3547 to arrange a no-obligation conference call. Or order the electronic version of the Employer of Choice book on your desktop for only $17.80 @ http://hermangroup.com/store/books_all.html#2. STRUGGLING TO FIND THE PEOPLE YOU NEED? VETJOBS CAN HELP! Recently, hundreds of thousands of jobs remain unfilled due to a lack of capable people. If you are looking for qualified candidates, you need to hire a veteran using VFW-sponsored VetJobs, the largest military employment site on the Internet. Thousands of returning veterans are looking for good jobs now. Mention this ad in The Herman Trend Alert and receive a 10% discount on job postings. Call Ted Daywalt at 877-838-5627 or inquire at info@VetJobs.com. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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