The false assumption of scarcity

What if there is enough for everyone?

We seem to be wired to make the assumption of scarcity – that there is not enough for everyone, so we have to make sure that we get our share.  The primitive part of our brain experiences some level of fear and we clench.  Life becomes a game of musical chairs – don’t let go of the seat you’ve got until you’re sure that the next one is open and you’re sure that you can beat Aunt Sally to it.

What if life is less like musical chairs and more like the rest of the party?

There are lots of chairs and lots of people.  True, the supply of chairs is finite – and the number of chairs may be less than the number of guests at the party.  But when we’re not worried about being able to find a chair, there are always enough to go around because at any given moment some of the party guests don’t want to sit.  They’re at the buffet, standing to talk, dancing or something else.  Everyone relaxes and no one worries about chairs.

Read the rest of this entry »


Me – in one sentence

One of the exercises I’ve done in work to explore my personal brand was to capture my unique promise of value in a single sentence.  This relates primarily to my professional life but as discussed in other posts here – personal and work lives seem to merge as I get older.

It was hard to do.   And my sentence is probably too long.   It’s still a work in progress, but here the current draft:

I embrace the global challenge of sustainable value creation through differentiated alignment insights.

It’s long, like many mission statements for organizations, because I want to pack it with a bunch of things that are important to me.  Here are some of the chunks of stuff that found their way into that mouthful. Read the rest of this entry »


LinkedIn Feedback from Colleagues

Current and former colleagues have endorsed me at LinkedIn with comments such as:

. . . incredibly intelligent and has a tremendous ability to steer through difficult circumstances while staying cool under fire.

. . . a true “outside of the box” thinker and leader. He possesses a unique intellect that stands out in any situation.

. . . an energetic and creative sales leader with deep business acumen and insightful knack for creating high value solution offerings to meet sophisticated customer needs

. . . he was the best manager I’ve had.   He is honest, credible, and intelligent. Our customers adored him and so did the team.

. . . stood toe-to-toe with the best and brightest minds at Oracle, able to quickly grasp complex technologies and leverage that expertise across the spectrum of selling, engaging, delivering, managing, and supporting.

. . . widely recognized as one of the thought leaders in the organization and was frequently called upon to help paint the picture for the clients on how revolutionary technology applied to their specific situation.

View Rick Gage's profile on LinkedIn


Alignment Insight

What is Alignment?

It’s talked about with terms like:

trusted advisor          shared vision

skin in the game            virtual supply chain

shared risk / reward              cross-goaling

Keiretsu ……… mutual success / failure

a common enemy        virtual company

integrated supply chain         common goals

With any of these terms, alignment is what’s happening to the relationships between individuals and between organizations.

You can probably think back to a time when you’ve been in a team that was well aligned.  It feels great.  Its productive, fun, challenging and exciting.  Why doesn’t it happen more often?  Why does it seem so hard to achieve in relationships between organizations or companies?

Why Alignment Insight?

Major improvements don’t come from working harder or execution refinements.

Changing the game . . .   Taking it to the next level . . .   Creating sustainable differentiation . . .

. . . all require leaps forward based on strategic insight.

It isn’t lightning that strikes unpredictably or a mystical art practiced by those with some secret knowledge.  Its grounded in the hard work of relentless innovation.

Alignment Insight explores the steps which can predictably achieve insights that can transform your organization and your business relationships to create greater alignment.

Rick Gage is the Founder and President of Alignment Insight.