Human factors they don't always teach

I am writing less and less and keeping more and more of my business and technology blogs private again. I know: bad bad bad boy! :-) But something happened to me recently, that got me back into posting.

Warning, this is a bit of cheesy post!

I read a book by Guy Kawasaki a few years back on selling. I didn't like the book frankly, but I liked Guy without having ever met him. Recently I came across another book from an author at Stanford, and felt exactly the opposite. Good book, strange author.

I got to meet the two of them.

I heard Guy at an event where he described his experience with Trumers.com. It was funny, instructive, and inspirational; well put together by a self proclaimed evangelist. I then heard Kawasaki give the same talk at PARC, the only part different was him sharing his painful experiences with the bloggers. He also talked about "positive Karma" and how he has used his network to help others, and how his network has helped him. His frankness was refreshing, and it was also clear -- in fact, he made it clear -- that he was shamelessly selling as well as mentoring :-)

We have never formally met, but I like Guy enough, that I have been thinking to set up my browser to launch a trumers tabs just to help his site out :-)

In the way of full disclosure, I get Guy's blogs via email too. Some I read, many I ignore due to lack of time, and a few I have disagreed with. But I almost always like what I read. Like he said, there is an element of "positive Karma" -- and I am a scientist that doesn't believe in voodoo. Even when his is complaining about things, or puts himself down, or he says things that I can not agree with, there is a worthwhile take away. Incidentally, reading Guy's blog on 10-20-30 rule for doing presentations (to VC's) is a must read.

But here is where it gets interesting. I accidentally met the fellow from Stanford whose book I liked. We were introduced by first names, so I had no idea this was the fellow whose writing told me he would be creepy. To the form, after spending a few minutes with him, I felt the urge to move on. I had a sever case of the hibby-jibbies !!! To wrap up the conversation, I gave him my card and he gave me his. I saw his surname, and asked him if he had written the book I had read earlier. Biiiig mistake. I had opened a new can of worms. He asked me bunch of questions, and I replied honestly, that I thought the book was interesting and worthwhile. I politely pealed myself away, went home, soaked my head in the shower, and wished him a lot of good Karma! :-)

Peace,
Esfandiar
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Esfandiar Bandari, PhD, MBA
e.bandari@gmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ebandari