Some certain wins

There are very few certain wins or sure things in this world. These are the things we do that are all upside and no downside, which some people are grateful to us for and appreciate, and no-one is annoyed about.

Some sure things include:

Recycling. I have never met anyone who is displeased by seeing someone recycling. When I was a representative of some students, I used recycling to generate a common context which I could use as an excuse to legitimately approach my constituents to find out their problems and answer their questions. I used to go around and collect their recyclables every fortnight. Many people participate enthusiastically when given the chance to recycle their rubbish.

Saving a life. Some people are going to love you for it, and no-one is going to dislike you.

Setting up a web site. Setting up your own web site nearly always puts you in a better position without leaving someone else worse off. It gives customers and interested parties another way of getting in touch and finding out information. The only people who could object are competitors, but they often comprise the most frequent visitors to your site!

Web site translation. Having summaries of your documents in several languages generates a lot of goodwill from people accessing the Internet, which is after all a global medium. You should expect people with different mother tongues to visit your site. You should encourage them by helping communicate your message in their language. Some people love having a French summary available, and those who don’t use the utility simply don’t use it.

Situations such as these where we can make somebody better off without making anyone worse off are precious. As such, each and every one of us should pursue certain wins wherever we find them. If you have other examples of sure things, feel free to share them by posting a comment below.

 

Author: Simon Buckingham

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To make a comment to the author, send e-mail to simon@unorgan.com

 

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