How To Change Your Results By Changing Your Strategy

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"
- Albert Einstein

I love hanging out in cafes and coffee shops - well actually anywhere with sofas: hotel lounges, swanky bars, the gym. In fact, I do most of my writing on the Blackberry whilst sitting on a sofa somewhere.

A few days ago I was sitting in a very nice central London cafe enjoying my cappuccino and newspaper when I saw a fly a few feet away from me by the window. It caught my eye as it was furiously trying to get out of the coffee shop by constantly smashing against the window.

Every time it hit the window it fell to the window sill before buzzing and rolling around madly. It would crawl around for a few seconds and build up some energy before flying up at the window determined to get out, only to smash into the glass once again with same result.

"Are you insane?" I thought to myself. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting to get out was, to me, ridiculous.

But if Freddie the Fly (I'm sure it was a male fly) shifted just 4 feet to the side, he would have been able to fly out of the coffee shop effortlessly through the open door!

After watching him for 5 minutes I decided to go over and help Freddie out the door (I partly felt sorry for him, but also his buzzing was driving me nuts).

So I went over and gently helped steer him out of the coffee shop through the open door with my newspaper. After initially resisting my help by buzzing furiously and staring at me in a stubborn 'leave me alone, I can do this myself' way (...see, I told you it was a male fly!), he realised I was trying to help him and gave in to my support.

Within a few seconds, he was flying out the front door effortlessly into the sky.

Faced with same glass window, what the poor little fly needed wasn't more determination and hard work, but a different strategy and a little bit of help.

I see lots of people doing exactly what Freddie the Fly did. They keep doing the same things over and over again in the false belief that they'll get different results if they just work hard.

But despite trying so hard to achieve a career goal, they keep hitting glass windows and ceilings. They get frustrated, angry, disheartened, but then get back up and try the same strategy and tactics over again in the misguided belief that being determined, focused and trying hard is what will deliver the results.

Sound familiar?

Instead of doing the same insane thing over again, what you could is:
 
1. Step away from the window or problem
Step away from your situation. Go for a walk, take a weekend away - just stop trying and do whatever will help you temporarily switch off.

2. Calm down
My best ideas come effortlessly when I'm relaxed and stress free. Which is why I end up doing most of my writing in relaxing environments like coffee shops. Being stressed and frustrated instantly kills your ability to be creative in finding solutions. 
 
3. Look for a different route
Whether you're looking for a new job, career change, freelance work or simply trying to be more effective in your current role, there is always a different route. And often it's effortless - like the open doorway for Freddie.

4. Allow others to help you
When we're frustrated, we often let our pride and ego take over. But when we allow others to help us like the fly eventually did with me, it often allows them to gently guide us towards a doorway that we can't see because we're so close to the problem. 
 
5. Think about a different destination or goal
Sometimes the glass window teaches us that it's time to change direction completely. A different kind of job, a different kind of career, a different kind of client. The fly could have turned around and enjoyed the coffee shop full of sticky cakes and pastries before flying out the back door. Can you maybe look at a different direction? 
 
It was very easy for me to look at the fly and think it was insane. But that's because I could see the problem from a different perspective and so couldn't understand why the fly was having such a hard time.

If you get caught up in a similar pattern, just stop and look at taking a different approach and try to find someone who may have a different perspective on your predicament.

As Einstein would say, to keep doing the same thing is just insane. 

By Sital Ruparelia

Comments

[Morie Yu]

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[Ernie Perez]

Very insightful article. Most people may know these steps intuitively and is is good to see someone else say them

[Julie O'Malley]

Freddie was one lucky fly! Most people faced with a buzzing, annoying fly and having newspaper in hand would have chosen a very different resolution to the problem.

Excellent reminders of what we all know but rarely practice!

[Craig A]

Sital,

First-rate proof that inspiration can come in the strangest of packages. I'll never look at a frantic fly the same way.

Especially in this current climate, we flies may need to resort to a contingency plan more than ever. There may be detours, but we need to keep our sight on the goal line just the same.

We may just accidentally find ourselves in an unexpectedly pleasant surrounding once we get brave enough to stray off the beaten path. I'm in just that situation myself due to a lost position and am thoroughly enjoying my new, altough quite different, surroundings.

[Sital]

thank you all for taking the time to comment

Craig, good to hear you're choosing to enjoy the new path your taking. Best of luck!

Sital

[Tim]

Sital:

Nice story and great tips which will hopefully keep us a little more sane in this challenging time. There are days I feel like Freddie and other days I feel like Tom Peters taking on a new project. I guess we're all trying to get to our "destination" but I suppose it is a journey that we need to be mindful of.

[TC]

Cool posting and I like the fly analogy.

Now what about changing strategy if you've been recently and dramatically fired instead of laid off:

http://iloveclosing.com/2009/05/24/5-ways-to-get-fired-now/

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[The 405 Club]

Great article and analogy. I feel like Freddie the Fly at times.

Reblogged: http://www.the405club.com/post/116228886/how-to-change-your-results-by-changing-your-strategy

-The 405 Club: New York's Official (Un)Employment Network
http://www.the405club.com

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[Will]

Great post. Unfortunately, I don't think may people really have a 'job-search strategy' (or process) so instead of looking holistically at their overall search, it is much easier to "focus on the familiar" which is usually the resume - with the belief that "if I had a better resume then I will get a job". For your example, it would be "if I had a different hand, then I would kill the fly, so I need a different hand". Because there is no 'process awareness' people will go back to what they think works (i.e. re-re-re-writing your resume).

Here is my take on the perfect-resume myth: http://virtualjobcoach.com/blog/?p=1205

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