What do our feathered friends have to do with entrepreneurship?

byShellBee2020

101 followers

4 years ago

I’m not sure if this is a strictly European thing, but it is widely accepted in folklore that magpies are the premier thieves of the bird kingdom.

So, when I first heard the term “shiny object syndrome” or SOS, the image that immediately came to mind was that of a magpie, swooping down and stealing any and every shiny object it could find to stash in some far away nest. Coins accidently dropped from pockets & purses; bits of foil discarded from chocolate bars; jewellery plucked from some poor unsuspecting lady’s ear… the list goes on.

I always wondered what magpies did with those shiny objects they stole. Surely they wouldn’t have eaten them? Perhaps it was a male magpie thing – the ornithological equivalent of “blinging up” for the ladies. Shiny, sparkling nest = attract a mate? Curious. Maybe it was just something implusive that they did: see shiny object; collect shiny object; stash shiny object away. Or it was simply attraction? The birds were attracted to the “beauty” of the objects but never really did anything with them.

SOS – not addicted but definitely a victim

Is it just me, or is there are stark similarity between the behaviour of magpies and that of many entrepreneurs? The tendency to chase after the latest shiny object but make absolutely no use of it whatsoever?

I suppose that could be one explanation of SOS. But in relation to my very short entrepreneurial journey, that explanation didn’t fully define what SOS has meant for me. Let me explain.

I considered I might be suffering from SOS when I realised two things:

I was simultaneously trying to learn four new skills relating to making money online;
I was not making progress in any of them.

I became a member of WA because I wanted the best training to be able to create my own online business, and I am ultra-motivated to do this. So I joined 3 other programmes as well, chasing new skill after new skill, wanting to learn as much as possible about different aspects of money making, in as short a time as possible. Guess what? I ended up knowing nothing about everything. Truly a Jill of all trades, mistress of none.

So for me, SOS has been about distraction and loss of focus. The tendency to get distracted and chase after the latest shiny object, instead of focusing on the one, main shiny object in front of me.

An appropriate bird-related saying here might be “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Why would I risk losing the benefits that WA provides, by chasing after something that might initially seem worthwhile, but may not actually prove to be so? What a waste of time, money and effort that would be!

Neophobia – a warning from our feathered friends?

And speaking of birds…

Funnily enough, it turns out that magpies don’t like shiny objects after all. Far from it, in fact. Research conducted by scientists at the University of Exeter showed that the birds were actually nervous of these types of objects. Europeans, it seems, have been unfairly maligning the magpie for centuries.

The scientists’ studies showed that, when shiny objects (e.g. metal screws, small rings, piece of foil) were placed about 30cm away from food, the magpies often ignored or avoided the objects altogether. (Yup, the birds were totally unattracted to the bling!) The scientists also observed that the magpies often did not eat as much when those types of objects were near. According to lead author Dr Toni Shephard, the magpies’ responses to the shiny objects indicated something called “neophobia” – a fear of new things.

Bird intelligence?

Are there are some lessons to be learned from magpies’ actual behaviour? I believe so.

When confronted with shiny things, the magpies’ reactions were to stay away from them, possibly because the objects were new and could therefore be dangerous.

Now I am not saying that all new things are bad. Of course not! But they can be very distracting and, as a result, can cause you to lose focus on your main goal. I know this first-hand, because that’s exactly where I found myself.

So now, the number one priority for me is FOCUS. If I want to grow my brand and my business successfully in the long term, then I have to buckle down and learn everything that WA has to teach me. It's not a bird-related saying, but I am in this space to run a marathon, not a sprint!

Final thoughts

Several WA members have written about SOS, offering their own definitions and opinions on the subject. I was particularly struck by Glen B’s 4 step checklist to avoid an SOS purchase, as well as his final, final check question:

“Does this distract me from my current business goals?”

I know where my focus has to be now, but I will be asking myself a variation of this question any time I feel myself slipping!

And finally, any WA members who are familiar with the TV show “M.A.S.H” might recognise this rephrased quote from one of its main characters. I though it an appropriate way to sign off:

“Do one thing at a time. Do it very well. Then move on.”

Shell Bee