For Everyone

For Everyone
10
Dec 2011

Does creative mean dishonest?

Last week, an interesting psychology paper was published, titled “The Dark Side of Creativity: Original Thinkers Can Be More Dishonest”. Written by Francesca Gino of Harvard University and Dan Ariely of Duke University, the paper’s abstract includes:

Creativity is a common aspiration for individuals, organizations, and societies. Here, however, we test whether creativity increases dishonesty. We propose that a creative personality and a creative mindset promote individuals’ ability to justify their behavior, which, in turn, leads to unethical behavior.

In 5 studies, we show that participants with creative personalities tended to cheat more than less creative individuals and that dispositional creativity is a better predictor of unethical behavior than intelligence (…)

The results provide evidence for an association between creativity and dishonesty, thus highlighting a dark side of creativity.

The full, 47-page study can be downloaded from Harvard (note: PDF file) but I doubt you’d want to do that. It’s a long and technical read.

Harvard Business School has a short review of the paper that’s much easier to read.

— No comments yet. Your thoughts are welcome.

For Everyone
4
Nov 2011

The importance of memories

“Of all the many things that make up a wedding, few are more important than the photographs.”

That’s the opening sentence in a NY Times story about an ongoing lawsuit where a groom is suing his wedding photographer for $4,100 (cost of the photography) plus $48,000 to recreate the wedding so it can be re-photographed.

The groom claimed the photographer missed the last dance and the bouquet toss. He also stated he wasn’t happy with the finished pictures and that the two-hour wedding video was too short. His claim for emotional distress has already been denied.

And now some details: the wedding was in 2003; the couple separated in 2008; he filed the lawsuit in 2009 just before the six-year statute of limitations expired; the divorced was finalized in 2010; he has no idea where his ex-wife lives.

Read the New York TImes article for lots more information.

Last month, author Seth Godin wrote a blog post titled “Memories of Bitterness”. Although his post has nothing to do with the groom’s lawsuit, the underlying point to Godin’s post might be somewhat applicable. Customer service is about providing the customer with a positive buying experience.

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In an unrelated story, the LA Times reported that a wedding photographer was sentenced to 510 days in jail for failing to deliver photos to dozens of his clients. The photographer must also pay full restitution to all victims plus $19,542 for investigative costs.

 

— No comments yet. Your thoughts are welcome.

For Everyone
7
Oct 2011

Best and Worst Jobs 2011

Take this list of the top 200 jobs for 2011 with a big grain of salt. Lists like this are always very subjective and behind the times. To show how out-of-date this list really is, it says that the obsolete job of darkroom worker (“Photographic Process Worker”, position 90) is better than that of photographer (position 144).

The job of photojournalist ranks 185 out of 200. It beat out other “bottom-end” jobs such as meter reader, taxi driver, roofer, lumberjack and roustabout.

What jobs are better than that of photojournalist? Barber, security guard, janitor, shoe repairman, carpet installer, maid, garbage collector and dishwasher. But then again, with the current state of newspapers, maybe these jobs are better.

— No comments yet. Your thoughts are welcome.

For Everyone
26
Aug 2011

Check Please

Earlier today, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation released this handout photo of a $40 million winner:

Maybe I’m being too picky but someone at the Lottery Corporation doesn’t know how to fill out a cheque properly.

Sure, it’s just a ceremonial cheque being used as a photo prop (which is much better than using the actual little cheque). But why not take an extra minute and do it right?

Big cheque photos are hokey clichés that should be avoided but that’s another post.

Also, when doing a photo-op in a construction site, factory, laboratory or medical setting, both the PR people and the hired commercial photographer must check that all appropriate safety equipment is being used and being used properly. Ignoring proper procedure might risk a health-safety violation against the company and also make that company look foolish.

The PR folks and photographer should also check that any equipment or prop is being properly handled. Otherwise, the photo can backfire. For example:

• A publicity photo showed a company president holding a baseball bat. But for some reason, he was holding the bat cross-handed. This made the executive look awkward and “unsportsmanlike”.

• A handout photo showed a provincial government minister behind the wheel of an electric car. But she wasn’t wearing her seat belt.

• An annual fundraising bicycle run, backed by a large pharmaceutical company, handed out a picture showing a dad and two kids on bikes. The dad was wearing a helmet but not the kids.

This is not about being politically-correct. It’s about showing that the company or organization behind the photo-op understands proper procedures and respects industry regulations and public laws.

If you’re not sure what’s proper then check, please.

— No comments yet. Your thoughts are welcome.

For Everyone
1
Aug 2011

Dreaming of reality

whattheduck.net

Chasing a dream can sometimes turn into running from a nightmare if you’re not prepared.

— No comments yet. Your thoughts are welcome.

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