Obliquity is the idea that implies that complex goals are best achieved indirectly. The book explains why the happiest people aren’t necessarily those who focus on happiness, how the most successful cities aren’t planned, the most profit-orientated companies aren’t usually the most profitable.
This means to attract your customer indirectly, by making them curious, by being different, unpredictable and extraordinary in thy way you promote your business. Some aspect of this behavior is partly manifested in adolescent hood. So, people of that age, tend to be different, follow the trend, they tend to do the things the adults say not to do etc. And as we all know, at the end the adolescents are at the center of attention of teachers at school and at families at home. So what business needs to do in this competitive world is to “imitate” adolescents, is not to say things directly but they have to be wise by winning indirectly.
I would like also to add that it is of great importance that one often has to take a step backwards in order to move forward because in taking a step back a person becomes less attached with his or her goals, almost loses sight of them, and is then able to see things in clearer perspective without focusing continuously on one thing. The aim of a company is to sell his product or service and raise the profitability, but by focusing in the customers needs and complains, that company achieves its aim and retains its customers.
The experiences perceived during the time that you want to achieve something are more important than the result itself (this is addressed more to personal life experiences than to business). The intentions are more important than the results, as intentions construct our experiences and judgments, makes us learn and improve even if we fail at the end. The happiness is achieved and is perceived by us when we experience and live special moments. When we are focused in our goals, may be we run the risk of loosing opportunities that can appear in the way out.
As the known quotation says; everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
As the known quotation says; everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
I like your phrase"one often has to take a step backwards in order to move forward".
ReplyDeleteTo succesdin life is not imprtant only to go ahead always sometimes you need to look what you let behind in order to give a refresh of your ideas.Giveing a step backward not always is sign of weekness.
Direct approaches are often impracticable because the world is too complex, so problem solving needs to be iterative and adaptive,take a step backward to aim better forward i would say.
ReplyDeleteHi Jerina, I think having customer satisfaction through providing high quality service or products is not the type of complex goal that is mentinoed in the book Obliquity. To have a profitable business even should be considered out of the range of the book, depending on the sector or field the business is in. In well known areas. The examples given in the book are usually misleading to conventional business owners. I think the book's ideas are true with the new horizons, complex cases of enterprenurship and excentric business ventures, but indirect methods only work in the cases where the chaotic nature of the problem does not allow you to chose a straight forward planning. I think in an ordinary business there's no oblique way of success. If you're a grocery store owner there's no other way to satisfy your customers than providing fresh tomatoes with reasonable prices. You can not convince them for example that an orange is an alternate way getting the same vitamins. You will lose trust of your customers if you try to do this.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Mehmet
Dear Mehmet,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you regarding the book ideas, but let me explain my idea in the blog that i posted regarding obliquity:
I wrote that:This means to attract your customer indirectly, by making them curious, by being different, unpredictable and extraordinary in thy way you promote your business. To promote your business indirectly does not mean to attract your customers by using the opposite way; by offering a bad product with a very high price, as this is nonsense.
Using obliquity means finding other ways, finding indirect approaches not the opposite ones; A business fights in order to win and retain its position in the market, and fighting indirectly is to me a kind of strategy that the business can make use.
This is what i meant,
Regards,