November 24, 2016

By Intrigue

1. The Law of Diminishing Intent

After being laid off from his job with the Yankees, George Costanza finds out that he is being given three months salary as severance. He interprets this as having three months to do as he pleases and so he declares this “the Summer of George.” Later Jerry Seinfeld follows-up with him to see how the summer is going to which he responds saying that he is currently “decompressing.” As the episode moves forward we see it from the perspective of Jerry who finds that George is literally doing nothing with this time.

The law of diminishing intent is discussed in John Maxwell’s, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. This concept states that when one decides to take action, the more time that passes between this initial decision and the action itself, the less likely they are to actually do what they intended to do. Another way to think of this concept is the related concept of inertia – “things in motion stay in motion, things at rest stay at rest.” When George finds out he has the summer to himself he feels a burst of energy and is ready for action. However by taking two days to “decompress”, he losses all of his momentum and finds himself at a perpetual state of rest.
The lesson here is to take action quickly when you intend to do something. If you intend to go to the gym, the longer you wait before acting on that intention the less likely you are to do it. If you need to make a phone-call to have a tough conversation, it’s better to do so immediately.

2. The Importance of Perceptions

In “The Caddy,” George locks his keys inside his car and is forced to leave it in the same parking spot at work for days. This has an interesting unintended consequence – George finds out he may be promoted. The reason is that he has one boss, George Steinbrenner, who is the first one in every morning and another boss, Mr. Wilhelm, who is the last one to leave every night. Both of these bosses consistently see George’s car parked in the same spot, implying that he works longer hours than anyone there. As Jerry puts it, “locking your keys inside your car was the best career move you’ve ever made!

The lesson of this episode is that perceptions matter. You work hard for your clients, but do they perceive it that way? If you’re not in an industry that is based on hourly-billable, it may be a bit too aggressive to outwardly tell your clients about the long hours you put in for them. However, through small and consistent touch points it is possible to enhance this perception.

3. Do the opposite

Most of us have experienced a moment where our instincts were to take the most comfortable path. It may be that an opportunity flew in front of us and we froze under pressure. In “the Opposite” George decides that every decision he has ever made in his life has been wrong and declares he will do the opposite. Elaine challenges this plan when a beautiful woman flashes George a look at the coffeeshop and encourages him to go talk to her. After being persuaded, George takes action and soon finds himself with a new girlfriend who eventually gets him a job with the New York Yankees.

Our instincts often guide us to do the most comfortable action. After all, the best way to avoid rejection is to avoid putting yourself into situations where rejection is possible. The problem with this line of thinking is that learning to tolerate rejection is a necessary part of life.

 

What valuable life lessons has George Costanza taught you? Leave a comment below.

Intrigue is a Canadian digital marketing company delivering solutions to help businesses get noticed and found. Guided by a commitment to empower leaders to strengthen communities, Intrigue offers website design and development, branding, online advertising, content marketing, graphic design, video production, SEO, and analytics. Take your marketing to the next level and Get Noticed. Get Found.® intrigueme.ca

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