Monday Mornings with Madison

Monthly Archives:
April 2019

Perception and Reality

It’s been said that seeing is believing. We tend to trust what we can see with our own eyes. In truth, one’s eyes should not be trusted. What we “see” is not always what we get. Or rather, what the brain perceives through its senses cannot always be trusted. There can be a big difference between a perception and reality. But, in business, perception often becomes reality. So, it is important for entrepreneurs, leaders and managers to understand such distortions and perception errors, and how that could work for and/or against them. Continue reading

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Beware the Dangers of the False Consensus Effect on Business

False Consensus Effect is a pervasive type of thinking error. In this distorted pattern of thinking, people overestimate the degree to which their own behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and viewpoints are shared by others. In business, the False Consensus Effect may seem benign but it can actually be quite harmful to companies whose leaders make decisions based on this. Those decisions can lead to mistakes in product development, market direction, hiring and acquisitions, and result in the loss of staff and revenue. It even kills companies! Here are real world examples and how to combat this common, but often unrecognized, decision-making problem. Continue reading

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How to Handle Mistakes at Work

Employees are prone to mistakes, mishaps and miscalculations. No one is perfect. Therefore, companies – which are comprised of people – make mistakes too. The issue isn’t “if” a business will err, but rather “when” it will err. It happens. When someone makes a mistake, how is it handled? Minimizing the frequency of mistakes and managing such issues well – even when trying valiantly to avoid errors altogether – is what elevates some companies above others. When things get jumbled, there is a better way to deal with it. Continue reading

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Increase Your Brand’s Stickiness

Is your company introducing a new blog or drip campaign? Getting ready to deploy a new product? Developing a new marketing campaign? Launching a new division? Great. Is the information you are sharing “sticky”? It should be. Sticky is good. Sticky means memorable, relatable and impactful. According to Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick, there are six basic principles to follow to ensure that any new idea, message, product, campaign or brand sticks to your target audience. Before you deploy, make sure your next big effort passes the “sticky” test. Continue reading

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