how to be happy in business – venn diagram
June 3rd, 2009 • posts i've written
click the pic for a full size image
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UPDATE!: I’m blown away by how this spread, the comments I’ve received back, and the links across the web. In almost every post about the image, someone asked for a poster, or mentioned printing it out to hang somewhere close by. So I’ve created a poster, using Zazzle, with a much higher res image:
Get the smaller (and cheaper) version
OR
Get the larger size with better paper
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I’ve been working at start-ups and small businesses since I was 14 years old. My father and his father before him owned and operated their own small businesses. There’s something about the fight for survival for a small team that’s coded in my DNA. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy working at Undercurrent so much. We’re small and thus we’re nimble. We’re lean and thus we’re malleable. And our age and our medium demand both.
I doodled this little venn diagram in my notepad the other day when we were talking about our own kung-fu and I realized it’s basically the conversation I’ve had for the last 12 years.
Over the years, I’ve found myself facing the following scenarios. (and I’ve added my two cents on how to move forward)
We can’t determine how to make enough money from the things we want to do, and do really well. I’m constantly surprised at what can be monetized. And on the web, there’s a market for almost anything. But this problem requires you to rapidly iterate your positioning and the type of clients you serve. Often, we’ll get transfixed on a single direction early on (because we’re desperate to solidify our business) and we’ll miss our chance to radically experiment with the market.
We’ve found things we want to do, and can be paid for, but we’re not the best game in town. Mediocrity is not a sustainable strategy. Being able to recognize your own weakness is a profound strength, and acting to improve what you do is key to any kind of long term growth and stability. Find the best talent and steal them. Learn how your competitors run their businesses, and copy what works.
We’ve come across things people want us to do, that we do well (or at least better than the competition) that we really don’t want to do. This is perhaps the most fatal trap for any business I’ve worked in. These are the sirens calling you to shipwreck. You’ll hemorrhage your best people, you’ll stop loving what you do, and you’ll lose the passion that built your business in the first place. Start saying ‘No.’
Have I missed anything? Does this resonate for you?
Related posts:
265 Responses (add your comment)
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Oh and how about putting stuff like this under a creative commons license so we can legally reblog it? Just asking
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@julie_k June 3, 2009at 11:26 pm
Here here…
“Learn” is indeed the antidote. Without that no, there’s less growth, and maybe the beginnings of having to say yes.
Simple but says it all… so I had to illegally reblog. Sorry.
The monetizing part is a big block for a lot of creatives, I believe. We avoid when we should just make our way through and know more the next time.
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LOVE IT! You’ve expressed so simply and clearly what’s been in my head and what I’ve been trying to articulate to myself for a long time. nice work Bud!
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Reminds me of this: http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/2006/05/16.html
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Love it. The ‘learn to say no’ area is something I constantly fall down on. Thanks for the kick.
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Gaelen Green June 4, 2009at 4:01 pm
Ha, yes! This is something I know but always need to be reminded about: I *always* fall into the do-well/earn-money sector when I really want to be at want-to-do/earn-money! Learn better, indeed. I am making this my wallpaper! Thanks!
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If you had any idea how this is indeed the daily struggle with the group I work with at my agency. This is what it really comes down to. The fact that many clients are actually looking for ways to commoditize the services we as an industry provide is one of the many external factors that could also affect how anyone positions themselves in the market.
What are you feelings about external factors that could impact your diagram? GREAT STUFF, thanks for sharing
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Great stuff.
I’m pinning this on the wall of our office (and highlighting ‘Learn to say’No”). -
Excellent and precisely what I wanted to hear today – thanks!
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As always Bud, you’re thinking. I dig the way you present things simply; it’s powerful. I’ll definitely be running myself through this lens. Thanks my friend.
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Maureen June 5, 2009at 11:07 am
This is great – almost the same as the Hedgehog Concept from _Good to Great_.
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fapestniegd June 5, 2009at 11:44 am
Comparing anything Good to Great diminishes the said “anything”.
http://www.businesspundit.com/why-good-to-great-isnt-very-good/ -
Bud’s (good to) great “value added” are the distinctions of “say no” “learn to monetize” and “do better”. Subtle. Useful. Brilliant.
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@hazeliz June 5, 2009at 12:14 pm
This is great, both visually and how you have written it.
Play hard and work hard, but mainly play. If we could only keep some of our “kid-spirit” we would play more, everywhere, with everything we do. -
elmas June 5, 2009at 1:12 pm
“Find the best talent and steal them. Learn how your competitors run their businesses, and copy what works.”
Not in the new socialist America.
see nytimes article: http://tinyurl.com/rdo2qw
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Bravo! A much improved take on the “career satisfaction” our team uses … http://404uxd.com/2007/08/02/a-rewarding-career-is-a-balancing-act
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Boy does this *ever* resonate. I love seeing what feels like complicated life choices boiled down to a very simple diagram. I think I’ve found a new motivational poster for my wall.
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Really great stuff. I its possible to organize seemingly complex things into simple yet elegant expressions like this. Dugg: http://digg.com/business_finance/http_whatconsumesme_com_2009_what_im_writing_how_to_be_hap
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Mediocrity is not a sustainable strategy:
- Ryanair
- Computer Associates
- EDS
- KFC(actually many of those are appalling, not mediocre. Possibly being utterly crap works, but mere mediocrity doesn’t).
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Interesting about the diagram is the nature of the action given in the intersection of only two sets. In two of the three intersections, the action is to develop – monetizing and doing better – which would absorb the intersection into the hooray part and in the other case it is: say no, which would leave what we don’t want to do out of the hooray part. If you’d want to absorb that part into the hooray-part too (in which case you would be overjoyed at doing absolutely anything) the text would have to be: ‘learn to love this’. You’d be left with one circle only, containing everything. On the other hand, if one would label the intersection of only two sets uniformly as ‘learn to say no’ that would mean that you go with the hooray as it is, and hope to be so lucky the intersection is not empty. What makes more sense to me is to add some nuance in the actions taken. Identify what makes sense to monetize and what not (you might love to do something and be good at it, but monetizing might not be possible or not be morally right), identify what would make sense to become better at and what not (you don’t have to be good at everything) and maybe don’t just say no, but sometimes play with the idea, see if it could play with you.
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I like how you put exhortations in the intersections … my version from a few years back just emphasized the demographic consequences.
http://mengwong.livejournal.com/30258.html
great stuff!
meng -
this post which i came to via twitter and @transitionqueen is so wonderfully helpful to me. thank you
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“Mediocrity is not a sustainable strategy.”
I would have added “…except for Microsoft” to that sentence… but the way things are going, it looks as if it’s no longer working for them either.
Seriously–great post, Bud!
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Mike Lee June 7, 2009at 8:08 am
Love the simplicity and the no BS visual on this … I’ve started 3 businesses (and counting) and it’s ALWAYS a fight to remember these truths.
That said, I have never seen anything quite so “visually articulate.”
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Hey! I really like your graphic description of this. It is very clear, simple and to the point! The only part that doesn’t work for me is the intersection of “WHAT WE CAN BE PAID TO DO” and “WHAT WE DO WELL”. We can have collaborators do this as we oversee, or teach others to do it (a team within the group that still wants to offer this). I would say OUTSOURCE/NETWORK. That way, you still give value to people who are seeking WHAT YOU DO WELL and are willing to pay for it. You can also get some monetizing there, like a finders fee or payment for coordinating efforts.
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Hedgehog Concept June 7, 2009at 11:39 am
Been sketching this diagram on the back of napkins in countless bar conversations for almost 10 years, ever since I heard Jim Collins map it out at a Fast Company conference. Hit up Google images and search for: Hedgehog concept.
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this is good, but as another commenter mentioned, it’s alarmingly close to what Collins calls the Hedgehog Concept in his book, Good to Great.
the Venn diagram of the Hedgehog Concept is: what you are passionate about, what you can do best, and what your economic driver is.
I’d really add some sort of caveat here.
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Priscilla Hammond June 7, 2009at 7:17 pm
I’m not a business owner, I’m a pastor. (A pastor with an MBA.) I love this. It transfers to what I do as well as it does to any business or personal goals. I find myself in ‘learn to say no’ territory a lot. I am learning to do what I want to do better.
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Yea, verily, you speaketh good sooth.
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Steve Mallory June 8, 2009at 3:40 pm
Like you, it’s what I’ve been doing for a long time. But having it on paper makes it so much more substantial. Already sent it to everyone I know.
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I think you forgot about important one: acknowledgement (acceptance). You results must be useful for somebody, othervise you may feel yourself useless.
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Great post.
About to print this out and and it above my monitor -
Great post.
About to print this out and put it above my monitor -
I am so glad I found this post. I’m always looking for great visual ways to explain things and this does an excellent job. Thank you for sharing!
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Wow, we had the same idea to transport a bundle of factors. Look at this:
If you need translation, lat me know, I’ll do…
Thanks for your posting, it’s great…
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Very Good! Sehr Gut! Muito Bom!
Yeah, I really like it. It’s amazing when you can translate things into simple words or drawings like this one.
I decided to translate it to portuguese like somebody did to german. All credits mentioned, ok?
Please take a look: http://normannkalmus.com.br/blog/2009/06/09/economia-de-convergencia-o-caminho-da-felicidade-no-trabalho-esta-na-zona-oba/
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My experience is very different so I hope you don’t mind if I share it here.
If you sit down and think about it, it’s strange that we have find purpose at all. It’s there, or it isn’t. It’s not at the intersection of ability, desire, enjoyment; certainly, our purpose is not in the middle of Venn diagrams…it’s there in stillness, in presence, in the Here and Now. If it isn’t, it’s not time yet.
I’ve written eight books on awakening…my advice is to let of go of fear and be present, and purpose will arise.
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This is a great diagram and SO profound. I used this concept to find my ideal work.
Thanks!
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Bud,
I have always been a fan of your blog, but this is my favorite post to date!So insightful, will put this to great use!
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Thank you!
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It is a brilliant piece and thank you. I have used it in my clipmarks account (http://subbuu.clipmarks.com/)
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Aliza June 11, 2009at 7:08 pm
You need penumbras around the circles, because humans are analog devices.
Still crystallizes a lot of concepts quite nicely.
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excellent. my favorite: “learn to say no”.
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Wouter June 14, 2009at 2:18 am
What a great diagram! Elegant, simple and spot on.
The consistency with Jim Collins’s diagram in his book Good to Great is commendable. He talks about Passion “what we want to”, Economic engine “what we are paid to do” and Greatness “what we are good at”.
Thanks.
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GREAT image! So simple, yet so powerful! How about putting this on a coffee mug too?
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De Dutch version of the venn diagram
Hoe gelukkig te zijn in je bedrijf – venndiagram
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernohannink/3629486267/ -
A simple diagram “How to be happy in a business”
Happy is define as satisfaction and you have achieve your goal. In business there are different goals. Do what you like to do and stay focus…you will be happy.
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Nice perspective.
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Mohan kathe June 21, 2009at 6:08 am
What we do well? What I do well? The business knowledge. The product knowledge.
The way I can gain out of the knowledge I have. And how can I be more specific on decision making process and be blunt enough to reject proposals if found growth to null both in the term of at short and at long.
What do we want to do?
I desperately need to find the match between desire and ability. Lesser the gap higher the success.
What can be paid to do?
Money matters in every walks of our life. My every ethical move in business should bring in the fair amount of contribution and the complete satisfaction thereby. -
I reposted the graphic with different colors and with a Chinese translation: http://www.wissel.net/blog/d6plinks/SHWL-7T97YB
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nomalab June 22, 2009at 5:28 am
AlI I can say is: Thank You. Spot on.
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Very interesting, i find this on twitter and now i retwitted this, too.
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A great post and succinct diagram – which I think sums up both a happy place to be (the ‘hooray!’), and also a journey that successful individuals and / or companies naturally progress through.
Our strategy as a youngish company is to move through the 3 phases… starting with building proficiency and an expert team (What we do well), through to developing a successful business / monetization model around this (What we can be paid to do) which then frees us up to try exciting and innovative new directions (What we want to do).
Each new initiative, product or direction hopefully follows the same route – proficiency, profit, and ultimately pleasure and the space to try whatever we want to do next… happy happy, joy joy!
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Thank you so very much. I’ve explained this diagram verbally so very many times as I coach fellow Independent Business Owners. I appreciate the visual.
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Well said & well done. Shout out to you @ siatomiclabs.com today.
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Your diagram is the road map to being successful both from a financial and life force perspective. I think the challenge for many people is being able to find that what the “hooray” in their lives is.
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Wow. What a great Venn diagram. Perfect proportions – it is all so true!
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Very timely for discussions we’ve been having this quarter. Services in particular are challenging to monetize.
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Just had a moment of clarity.
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Sorry if I missed it — 957 responses would be a lot to read — but how does “Learn to Say No” emerge from an intersection of “What we do well” and “What we can be paid to do” ?
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yep, i have see on twitter
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Paul Bleicher July 24, 2009at 4:07 pm
This concept comes directly from the Hedgehog Strategy of businesses in Good to Great, by Jim Collins, complete with Venn diagram. Publishing it without attribution stretches the bounds of acceptability.
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Just stumbled upon this by accident. It’s just awesome.
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Heather July 29, 2009at 8:55 pm
I think I first saw this soon after you posted it — and months later, I still think of it often. It’s a memorable goal and I ask myself where am I today? Where do I want to be? What can I do to make the gap smaller. Thank you for summing this up so perfectly.
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Dear Bud,
Maybe it’s a case of great minds thinking alike, but this model (almost to a word) was presented, off the cuff, by Jim Collins at a Fast Company conference, oh gosh, a number of years ago. You might want to connect with Jim (author of books like From Good to Great) on this. It’d be pretty weird cool if you both had such similar diagrams. Or maybe your paths have crossed somewhere.
Marcia B. -
annie ting September 3, 2009at 2:19 am
that figure describe the worker is very suitable..
I think that’s true..learn to say no to we can do well, and paid to do..
I couldn’t agree with you more…P.S.
my English is not very well, maybe make some mistakes..
excuse me for that… (smile^^) -
everyman September 23, 2009at 11:01 am
I saw this concept in Good to Great as well … but … still love your diagram and printed it and put it on my bulletin board. And yes, great minds do think alike.
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Very inspirational. We should all be happy with our work.
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Very to the point!
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for successful business implementation one must have to follow the given steps in diagram and fridge the gab between each step. If one is lacking whole process may suffer and result may get worst.
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Thanks, this is perfect for my Website, nice Weddingrings, Thanks
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Stuff is great….. Thankz.
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you pointed it…good work and good information!
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Very nice. Great work
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This is great, my experience is pretty similar to your graphic above. My favorite post of this blog!
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So simple and so powerful. I print this out and put it above my monitor.
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Great information and I will pass this on to some other people I know would be interested. Good job.
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Fabulous visualization of what should be a simple concept, but in fact is a constant struggle. Thanks!
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Wow, I like this diagram very much. It shows how we can be happy and achieve wealth at the same time – great!
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I am surprised because of your really hot topic just about this topic. You made that as the freelance writers , hence, you deserve a really high price for this, I think!
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Very nice. Great work!!
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So true.
Now it’s my desktop background
Thx
This is absolutely spot on. I really dig this. My favorite part is that if you only do what you’re good at for money, you have to learn to say “no” cause you’re not doing what you want to. Good insight. Thanks, Bud.
Btw. how about installing the “subscribe to comments” plugin for Wordpress? That would really help to stay in the loop with ongoing discussions.