What's The Point?

 

What's the point?

It was the subject of one of Seth Godin's blogposts that we discussed at a LinchPin Meetup in San Francisco, hosted by @JayBergers. As facilitator,  I chose that post because it's a question posed to me for over three decades by my best friend, the wise Lana Teplick. In fact, I included that question (attributed to her, of course) in several books, including Face To Face.

More than just about our businesses, careers or job searches, asking ourselves that question as we move through life's situations as well as business networking issues is grounding and gives us that moment to pause for reflection on the perceived value, level of importance and potential outcomes of what we plan to do or say.

Why take the time?

Asking yourself "what's the point?" is a time- saving technique whether from the unnecessary meeting or conference call or email volley.  It's also one that could save us from saying or doing something which we should not say or do. In other words, it's a repercussion-saving technique as well.

What can hijack the point?

As humans we rationalize towards the answer we want. On a perfectly fine, sunny work week day in the Bay Area, I was at the stadium formerly known as Pac Bell Park (it will always be PBP to me) watching the Giants play the Cubs. I'm from Chicago and live here in San Francisco....it was a "no lose" game for me. I wasn't working; the players, coaches and grounds crew were.  BTW, Giants won after a "splash hit" homer, a Grand Slam and a great 9th inning!

The point?  You tell me!

 

Comments

[Thomas]

Great topic. I think it really ddpenes on the book and the author since what works for some may not work for others.In the mid 1990's, for my second novel (and my first for Bantam), I organized a giveaway of autographed copies of my first book with selected romance-friendly Waldenbooks. (It was a gamble because the giveaway book was a romantic mystery and the Bantam book was a romance.)It took a lot of time and a lot of money in postage (I received 1,000 free copies of my first novel), but it worked.