I have found that documentaries are a great way to learn. I wish I would have know about Donald Crowhurst when I was writing Bounce!

In the documentary, Deep Water, Crowhurst, the owner of a less than successful manufacturing business for electrical components. He enters the first Golden Globe competition in 1968 to sail from London single handedly around the world against 8 other competitors. His boat was financed by an English entrepreneur, Stanley Best who used Crowhurst’s only asset, is house as collateral. According to the terms of his agreement, if Crowhurst failed to complete the voyage or quit early in the competition, his family would be homeless and bankrupt.

Although his boat was not ready, Crowhurst launches it by the contest’s October 31st deadline. Only two weeks into his journey (of almost an expected year), his boat begins to leak. If he gives up now, he loses everything. If he goes on to the treacherous Southern Ocean, his boat will sink. Crowhurst struggles to decides what to do.

Crowhurst decides on a third option (WARNING: MOVIE SPOILER ALERT).

He decides that he will lie about where he is. Forty years ago, without the GPS of today, he describes the progress he is making by radio and keeps a fake log book. He continues to fake is location through a series of intermittant broadcasts showing incredible progress and speed. Meanwhile, he is waiting for the other competitors to come around the world and then he will fall in behind him on their way back to London. His plan fails when all the other competitors (except one) sink on their journey and he is expected to be in England with the fastest time. Unable to sail into a hero’s welcome because of his lies, he abandons his boat and drowns himself.

There are so many themes here that I discuss all the time. Why could he not come back from his failure? Why did he see the only alternative as suicide? Was there too much pressure where we bet everything on this one trip? Do we crave that fame and fortune too much and will do anything to achieve it? Do we live in the kind of society that we live in where a man has no choice?

What would you have done? Turn around? Given up? Gone on to certain death?

Scott Allen interviewd me over IM a few days ago about the new book, Bounce! It was my first time I had done this type of interactive interview which was not by phone. I enjoyed it because while it gave me more time to think, but it still was very spontaneous. Read it here!

Scott asks some interesting questions:

• What’s the “867-5309” of the entrepreneurial world?
• But you also say in the book that you only need one great success to be remembered — that they remember you for your success, not your failures.
• You say a few things in the book that flaunt conventional wisdom, for example, “Having too much will make you stupid.”
• The book is an obvious must-read for someone who’s recently experienced a business failure. Why should someone riding the wave of success read it?

I know there can be alot of pressure around this time of year, but I actually love these last few weeks. In keeping with the spirit of “lists” this time of year, here are my top reasons.

1. We slow down. There is an ending date by which people want to do business every year. Today it is the weekend before Christmas. Next week, we all get a free pass.No one calls. No one emails. It feels like August in Europe. We don’t have to accomplish anything. For at least, one week we are guilt free.

2. We take time off to be with their family. I do not believe that life/work balance really exists. This week belongs to your family and friends. See #1.

3. We stop to reflect on their year. We look back on our celebrations, our accomplishments and our failures. We stop and say thanks to those who have been on the journey with us.

4. We make resolutions. I am not a big fan of making resolutions but the intention is in the right place. If we strive for minimal acheivement and make just one, we have more of a chance to achieve it. We have a chance for the change to stick.

5. We give each other gifts. We think about our clients, friends, and families and shop for something they might like or something they might need. Having an excuse to give someone a gift is alot of fun.

6. We greet each other with a smile. We say “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year”. This beats “hey, how you doing?” or “bye”.

Why do you love/ hate this time of year?

I was disturbed by a recent Chicago Tribune article stating that most people think sales people are a ‘necessary evil’. The survey sited that:

“41 percent of consumers rate the quality of the sales profession below mediocre, describing salespeople as “leeches” and “rashes…46 percent also said they would be ashamed to call themselves a salesperson.”

While a few pushy sales people may give the profession a bad rap, being a good salesperson to me is what of the greatest professions in the world. While some people tell my children that they should become doctors, I tell them they should become a salesperson. If you can sell, you will never go hungry. If you can sell, you will always be wanted by any company and always have a job. You will always be able to support yourself and your family. You will be well respected for your talents during all types of economic times.

Besides, the salesperson is one of the top reasons people buy. As most things become widely available through the internet these days, people buy because of the person involved in the transaction.

What do you think?