I say Business Contains Only 3 Things: People, Process, & Situations.

My friend Roelf says, "People need to go through different processes to get to the same place."

Roelf's wisdom certainly resonates with me. 

When we arrive in Situations we bring with us our People-stuff. We bring our Self-Image, Our Self-Esteem, and Our Mental Attitude. Here's a link to more on that topic. We bring much more. We bring what we are.  Here's a link to more thoughts on what we bring. 

When you and I meet in a Situation I bring my package of People-stuff and you bring your package of People-stuff. Each package contains the results of the experiences we have had: our people experiences, our process experiences, & our situation experiences, which contain a heavy flavour of People and Process.

Here's the way I picture it...

Just before we meet in a Situation we each have our Packages of People & Process stuff:

When we meet in a Situation our Packages may have much in common: 

Or our Packages may have very little in common:

Regardless of the things we have in common, there is much difference. We are unique People with, at best, some things in common. 

Let's consider personal comfort, an extremely important ingredient for constructive change.

Say we are together in a Situation. You may be very comfortable in it while I may be somewhat comfortable or possibly very uncomfortable.

Situations are snapshots in time. We have a Situation and things continuously happen to change it. Situations are fluid and rapidly changing...like a series of picture frames in a movie film. Except, in real-life Situations a change in each frame influences the contents of next frame. Even little things can create significant/material changes in Situations.

The little thing could be a little piece of Process...for example, the injection of an agenda into a meeting that had no agenda. Visualize a Situation where that happens. Would you be comfortable with the injection of an agenda into a meeting that had always been agenda-free? Assume you are and I am not...or vice-versa. The injection of a process, an agenda, just changed one person's comfort level. The effect is: at least one person has changed. And that could be a huge change, capable of turning the Situation upside-down.

When you and I arrive in a Situation we bring different packages. We cannot assume My Package and Your Package are equally comfortable with the Situation, or equally interested in the Situation, or having the same thoughts about the Situation, or sharing similar feelings or emotions in the Situation. If we assume these things then we may be totally disconnected with one another and not even know it.

If we assume our Packages are the same then we may take the wrong next step...miscommunicating, misinterpreting, misunderstanding, and missing the fact, "People need to go through different processes to get to the same place."

If we assume our \packages are the same then we will miss the facts:

People need to go through different processes to get to the next place.

People need to go through different processes to get to the next Situation.

People need to go through different processes to get to the desired-outcome Situation.

If we miss these facts then we will have little ability to help People achieve their goals.

If we miss these facts then we will have little ability to influence People toward success.

There are lots of problematic people issues out there. Many people are struggling with anxiety. Many people are struggling with depression. Many people are struggling with respiratory issues and allergies. Many people are struggling with stress and a range of other maladies.

In reaction to these maladies, we have many new government rules... accessibility rules, scent-free rules, non-smoking rules, and a range of rules covering food preparation and food services. And, in reaction to these maladies we have much advertising...cold remedies, flu shots, breakfast cereal vitamins... and medicines to ease or cure everything from shingles & COPD to hair loss & erectile dysfunction. You know all these things and more; you watch TV.

"Future shock is the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time."

"Man has a limited biological capacity for change. When this capacity is overwhelmed, the capacity is in future shock."

Alvin Toffler

'Future Shock', (1970)

Clearly, many people are struggling with varieties of physical-health and mental-health problems.

And there is a great deal of activity aimed at helping people with their problems. In addition to government rules and the media, 'wellness' products and services are being introduced into business environments. Much time, effort, ad money is being spent to address the maladies experienced by business people.

About people maladies in the small-business sector…

For the most part, the small-business sector is being tolerant, silent, perhaps confused, and perhaps with blinders on. In the tolerant & silent small-business sector, maladies consume vast quantities of energy and create a broad-and-deep range of interpersonal dysfunction and sunk personnel expenses.

In summary:

Technologies have changed exponentially.

People have not.

People have taken on then fed on maladies.

What’s missing in the small-business sector?

The missing ingredient is common sense…simple common-sense thinking and simple common-sense action. The missing thinking & action awaits accurate perceptions and simple/straightforward plans.

And, the missing thinking & action begins with self. 

Consider your maladies.

Don't embrace them. Cut them down to size.

Throw away the thought that you are too busy...know - You DO have time! Time is yours now...this instant.

You DO have time! You have time this very moment to begin to adjust your thinking. You have time this very instant to avoid the sweeping wave of 'Future Shock' that, apparently, is catching so many others.

Recognize 'Future Shock' is an avoidable and treatable malady. It feeds on "I am too busy" and "I do not have time". It feeds on tolerance of woes, misery loving company, & tolerance-avoidance of unacceptable symptoms. It feeds on laziness. It feeds on bad news. It feeds on negative media. It feeds on TV prescriptions. It feeds on mind-numbing 'Reality Shows'. It feeds on the ignorance of other people.

And, most dangerous of all, it feeds on ignorance of self.

Immunize yourself!

***

"The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn."

Alvin Toffler

***

PS: This 'Future Shock' is so vile and pernicious it is even squeezing the joy out of NFL football. 

Thought Tweet #880 Negative feelings by their very nature tend to alienate and isolate us. Then they go about wasting much energy.

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Feelings are mind states where egos are at work justifying their appetites.

While the voices of ego are little, they are incessant. Barrages of little voices fight to serve and satisfy the huge appetites of egos. Egos, their appetites, and their little but incessant voices are not to be ignored.