Doing the same thing repeatedly

Definition of insanity is, according to Mr. Albert Einstein, "Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. -" I guess then we all are insane to some extent. Definition of genius is, according to me, "Doing the same thing repeatedly once you see good results -" Mr. Warren Buffett and Sam Walton are geniuses in that respect. This really does not take super intelligence to figure out. Though it takes nerves of steel to stick to the model as long as it works. Buffett did not budge from his chosen path during the dot com days, even though there was tremendous pressure. In fact, many a investers pronounced him dead.


Most of us, in business or otherwise, are so intellectually bankrupt despite our high intelligence that we can not see patterns of our own behaviors. That is precisely the reason why we are stuck where we are. This goes for not just individuals but also companies. For five years Kraft sold Oreos Cookies in china with limited success. When led by a new people and research they changed the size, price, and sweetness. The new people were locals. The result - Oreos is now the best selling biscuit in China.

Granted it was not simple to accomplish this feat and a lot of marketing was involved. What is hard to understand though is why a firm would not use local input when selling internationally. This is a very simple rule. It is a no brainer. It is an 80/20 rule. It is like General Custer going to battle without adequate information. Corporations, both big and small do this over and over again. Little bit of research can make a huge difference.

There are so many companies selling services from India into the US. Many of them do not have a single native person on their staff. There are many examples of similar corporate behavior.

Individuals, on the other hand, also refuse to learn. Insisting upon consistently incorrect behavior patters. Most people detest cold calling, knowing fully well that it is a learned and a successful behavior. There is plethora of research pointing to that fact. Still most sales people refuse to make sales calls, which is a key to sales success. But more about that later.