Pattern recognition

I am telling a story and it is taking a long time. Partly because I do not think I have a sold out room yet. Every article I have written has either a few more or a few less viewers. Nothing has quite blown the doors off in terms of viral sharing, so tweet this if you get the chance. Or send it in an email to someone, but please don't make the header "This will totally shock you!"

I had a great conversation with a friend of mine recently. Halfway through the conversation we got to talking about pattern recognition because ultimately everything we discussed up to that point was essentially recognizing an existing pattern, and attempting to break it.

Recognizing patterns is a good thing. I really recommend that it is something that everyone gets better at. I have been told that I am good at recognizing patterns. I also know that people don't like it when I tell them I am good at it. See? I recognize that is a pattern of behavior. And now most of you are irritated by what I am writing, but I hope you will stick out the rest of the article, more for your sake than for mine.

People are not very good at breaking patterns. This is actually the super secret to really successful businesses. They create patterns of behavior, or alter patterns of behavior. I will follow that up with a random sounding example, that by the end, will make perfect sense.

This is another pattern people use in writing.

I purchased a Volvo a number of years ago. Not so old that I won't need another one for 20 years, but new enough that it will be hard for me to own several kinds of cars ever again.

Volvo was one of the companies that built their cars with keyless car entry. I walk up to my car, the door unlocks itself, I open it and go inside.

Someone else without my key walks up to my car, they try to open it, the door is locked.

It is freaking magic.

It is also a reason why I cannot own specific kinds of cars anymore. Specifically cars that require me to unlock them with a key.

I dread driving my wife's vehicle anywhere. Not because it is a minivan, I have no insecurities about the fact that form follows function and minivans are functional for children.

But the whole exercise of walking up to the door, reaching into my pocket, and unlocking the door is like going back in time for me. It takes away the magical experience of just walking up to my car and hopping in.

The mental effort needed to try to open the door, feel embarrassed that I tried to open a locked door, reach into my pocket, and hit an unlock button is jarring. It is like someone shouting the names of random species of birds while I am trying to watch a movie.

It is like having to go out to the stable and placing the horseshoe on the horse before going to get the saddle then hopping on the horse. Completely unnecessary.

And a sign of a good habit that they created, at least for the Volvo Car Company, and what ever companies make keyless entry vehicles. They have established a pattern of behavior for me that I simply do not want to break.

I mention this because many of you reading this are "From the Silicon Valley Area". Many of you "Have the Title of Chief _____ Officer" and some of you are second degree connections or worse. Maybe I should say more. I am silently judging you for not knowing me as a passive aggressive way to ask you to send me a LinkedIn Invitation So We May Grow Our Networks. I usually don't say no. Especially if you say you read one of my articles. Telling me you are a fan is likely to curry favor. It is a pretty easy pattern to see.

Just don't offer to sell me something five minutes after you send me the invite.

This is also a pattern of behavior. And not one that is conducive to getting a favorable result.

In the future I am going to come back to pattern recognition, and talk about changes we all need to be making.

Just not yet.

There are not enough of you gathered in front of my little soap box.

In the meantime, I would love for a few of you to comment on interesting patterns you have seen in the workplace, and also if you have had any luck with Breaking Your Own Patterns. To Be More Successful.

Please share!