1000 Cranes Blog

Changing One Thing

I recently bought a bookshelf from a friend who was moving back to Canada, and it helped me to clean out the garage quite a bit. I was able to organize the various home improvement supplies, old books, and recreational equipment that had been placed in a haphazard way.  Once that had been cleaned up, I wondered to myself, "why don't I start backing my car into the garage so that I can immediately drive out of the garage?"  

I slowly eased the car back into the garage that day and have been parking this way for the last few days.  I immediately noticed the benefits!  I am now able to open my car door easier since my side view mirror is not immediately across from my boyfriend's car in the garage.  If I'm in a hurry, it's easier to drive right out of the garage without worrying about backing out of my long driveway.  I've also found that it is easier to unload items into the garage now that I'm backing into it.  All of these benefits came from just doing one thing differently.

By changing just one thing, I've already seen an impact for the better.  In fact, I've been wondering why I hadn't thought about this awhile ago. Often, it's the simple things we overlook when we could have just looked at things in a slightly different way.  I'm now starting to look at other things I do on a regular basis, and ask myself...what would happen if I did that backwards or a little differently?   I'm so glad I embraced this little change!

Have you found yourself amazed when you changed a regular behavior and found new benefits from it? 

Why do you think we are so accustomed to doing things a certain way?

Is there something you've wanted to try a little different but have refrained for some reason? 

Embracing the Smell Phone

Cell phones are now the ultimate multi-tasking tool.  You can read books, play games, surf the Internet, tweet your status and use it as a GPS.   Now, the Department of Homeland Security wants to incorporate a smelling module to provide an alert system for a chemical attack. 

It reminds me of an old episode of SCTV of "Monster Chiller Horror Theatre" where Count Floyd introduced Smell-O-Rama where you could smell what was taking place on the screen. With this technology, if it can detect certain smells, it doesn't sound too far off from a cell phone being able to project certain smells. Who knows...it could be a reality in the not too distant future. 

Upon first blush, the idea of a cell phone that detect smells for you seems a bit bizarre.  When it comes to the idea of embracing change, though, I can start to see the benefits of it.   As you watch this clip, can you imagine 277 million cell phones embedded with this technology?  Just make sure you aren't close to an environment with a high amount of sulfur! 

Does this smell phone make you wonder whether you could embrace this change?

Why is it that when something innovative is introduced, our first reaction is to scoff at the idea?

What would it take to convince you that the smell phone is a good idea? 

Embracing the move to online media

In the latest announcement today that Barnes and Noble is up for sale, it appears that electronic books and media are here to stay.  B&N Is yet another business affected by the change in technology.  With all its brick and mortar stores, this Reuters clip compares the bookstore chain's announcement to similar events that happened to Blockbuster video.  With more and more people moving to eBook readers such as the Kindle and the Nook, there is less demand for printed media.  With online books, there are lower margins making it difficult for the bookstore chain to continue with its current business model. 

Given this technology change and the prevalence of blogs and now "blooks" (blogs that have been converted to books), fiction and nonfiction traditional print books will be harder to find.  In fact, Robert Cyran in this videoclip mentions that perhaps this will be a breakthrough and bright side for the small mom and pop bookstores with the good coffee shop where niche boutique dealers and customers will have an opportunity to continue to meet.

How is your business model adapting to the change to online media?  Do you need to rethink your traditional model?  

If Barnes and Noble begins to close stores, how will you react? 

What opportunities and future directions do you see for electronic media for your organization? 

Adapting to Change Gradually

CHANGE is a fact of life.  So why are humans so scared of change to choose a different path? 

Some animals are "hard-wired" for change.   Chameleons are the most well-known for the ability to change their pigment to hide and adapt to their surroundings.  Starfishes and cockroaches can regenerate limbs when they are injured.  It's a natural part of their adaptation to change. But humans and other animals can become fearful when faced with an unknown path.   When you look at change as a gradual process, then the fear will disappear! 

Keep an open and positive mind when deciding to make a change.  Change comes gradually and adapting takes practice.  For example, developing square watermelons didn't happen instantly.  The watermelons were trained to grow into a specially crafted square box allowing UV light.  Now, watermelons are stackable!  This wasn't genetic engineering...this was adapting the watermelon's natural growth cycle into a special container.  Now watermelons can be stacked neatly and easily cut and prepared!  Thinking from a positive point of view allows for new possibilities.  When you embrace change, you can create a new market. 

How do you face change?

Why do you think change can be so scary for some people? 

What simple step could you take to adapt to something new?