Month: December 2016

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A Christmas and New Year Message

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May peace fill all the empty spaces around you, your family and your friends and your colleagues at this special time of year, and in you, may contentment answer all your wishes.

Raise a toast to yesterday’s achievements and tomorrow’s brighter future.

May comfort be yours, warm and soft like a sigh.

And may the coming year show you that every day is really a first day and a new year.

Let abundance be your constant companion, so that you have much to share.

May mirth be near you always, like a lamp shining brightly on the many paths you travel.

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Work with the best of your abilities in 2017 and show to the world your power to create wonderful and superior things.

New Year 2017 may turn out to be a year when you are put on the road to everlasting success and prosperity.

Be the change that you wish to see at your workplace and take initiatives to make things better.

Wish your tomorrow is more prosperous, happy and successful than yesterday and today.

Looking forward to another year with hunger and passion to exceed at work and you are sure to meet with success.

Let new beginnings signify new chapter filled with pages of success and happiness, written by the ink of hard work and intelligence.

May the New Year bring us more wonderful opportunities for success.

Here’s wishing you the gift of peace and prosperity throughout 2017.

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Why differentiation matters

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Potentially we have seen the biggest political landscape change in 2016, most recently with the news that Trump has been voted in as US president. This follows closely in the wake of Brexit and there is no doubt that this is the end, I am sure there are many more twists and turns to come. We are in an unprecedented period of accelerated global change which leaves the business community in limbo with a strong feeling of uncertainty.

Companies are in a challenging period, as the Chinese say: ‘We live in interesting times’ – seizing competitive advantage has never been so important for any size of company. With so much change it is difficult to ascertain what this purported change will mean for business, however, irrespective of the national and cross border challenges, it is important that entrepreneurial drive, spirit is maintained because SME’s who are driven for success will be trend setters that find new and unexpected opportunities from this geo political unsettlement.

It is this very flux that creates opportunity. Change favours the strategic, the agile and those who are prepared to shrug off the status quo, to adapt to change and potentially disrupt their traditional business model to turn adversity into success.

Predicting the future and identifying trends becomes critical to achieving competitive advantage and success. Leaders need to think strategically, creatively and most importantly, quickly. Organic growth is not the only solution; indeed, strategic partnership, joint collaboration and M&A moves centre stage in these disruptive times. Seeking efficiencies is no longer enough, they need to understand, predict and respond agilely to trends and underlying movements to stay ahead of dynamic market flow and change. For businesses to thrive, this must become second nature, business owners have to be in tune with the economic and business jungle drum, it is then they will be able to act with the speed required to create competitive advantage.

Product differentiation is essential too. It allows the seller to contrast its own product with competing products in the market and emphasize the unique aspects that make its product superior. When utilised successfully, sellers gain a competitive advantage by demonstrating why their products are unique.

Standing Out
A company can set itself apart from the competition in two ways: through cost leadership or through product differentiation. Cost leadership emphasises saving money and appeals to those who are on a budget. Product differentiation focuses on providing quality.

Product Differentiation Strategy
A good product differentiation strategy may gain brand loyalty, which is paramount to any successful business. This strategy focuses on a buyer’s perception of value. As long as the seller continues to provide high quality, the customer base will remain strong. Today’s financial climate contains businesses in an intensely competitive market. If a product does not have consistently high quality, consumers will turn to competitors. Creating a product that is unique will not be enough to gain the competitive advantage of product differentiation if the buyer does not value what the seller is differentiating on. When you build your business and have your differentiating feature, you have to make sure it’s something people want. Too many businesses have failed because they built something for their needs but forgot to check if other people were having the same problems.

How do you make sure you’re building something people want? Here are a few ideas:

– Ask people who could potentially be your customers/users.
– Set up a launch page explaining your UVP. Ask for an email address for an early invite. If you don’t get a lot of responses, don’t build it.
– See if there have been any previous attempts to build what you’re proposing.
– Learn about the problems people have with current offerings and determine if your solution is compatible

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Of course, differentiation is not without its pitfalls. Here are 7 things that you need to avoid.

1. Uniqueness that is not very valuable
Just because something is unique doesn’t mean that is has a higher value. Focusing on a characteristic that is either unwanted or not able to be perceived by the buyer will be a waste of time and money.

2. Diminishing returns of differentiation
You might start off with a clear strategy to offer the very best customer service in the industry. This is a good strategy to pursue, but at some point it will hit the law of diminishing returns. Once you become too differentiated, you leave yourself exposed to a competitor that can offer the right level of differentiation at a lower cost.

3. Too expensive
Differentiation allows you to charge higher prices because customers are willing to pay more for products that better suit their needs. However, if you charge too much for your differentiated product, your customers will quickly find an alternative.

4. Ignoring Signalling Criteria
Many companies refuse to invest in marketing or advertising because they believe their superior product is enough to attract significant buyers. However, if you are selling to inexperienced customers or buyers that don’t understand the difference in value of one product from another, you leave yourself exposed to a company that offers a product that is lower value but has a better understanding of signalling.

5. Not understanding costs
Differentiation often requires that you invest heavily in the areas that you are looking to set yourself apart. However, if you don’t fully understand how your direct costs, the price you are able to charge and the buyer’s perceived value are all interrelated – you will not be able to create sustainable differentiation.

6. Focusing too much on the product and not the bigger picture
A company that is focusing on creating a differentiated product will usually focus too much on their own physical product and not enough on the bigger picture of how that product fits into the world. There are many ways to differentiate a product, a lot of which aren’t directly tied to the product at all. It’s important that you fully understand how your product fits into the larger ecosystem.

7. Not understanding the customer
And finally, if you don’t fully understand who you are selling to, their problems and what they value in your product, you will end up creating a product that isn’t really differentiated at all. This leaves you exposed to competitors who actually do understand the market and can focus on meeting the specific requirements of the customer.

As Venus Williams once said:

“You have to do things right to stay in business, and that’s not easy, and that’s a choice on a daily basis, the choices you make in how to run your business and how to have a point of differentiation and how to be true to your brand, how to offer something that people want and to offer something that you love.”

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Bringing corporate culture and values to life

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Earlier in the year I was discussing the subject of corporate culture and the role of boards with my business partner in the US, Mark Herbert – this is a particular hot button for both of us and discussing cross border challenges and perspective’s can create great discussion.

I shared a culture program with Mark that was executed some 12 years ago and importantly the outcomes, Mark commented that this program was way ahead of its time even today, so I commented so what was the problem with adoption 12 years ago and what is the attributed cost to business today of company’s that still reject corporate or company culture?

Mark commented; ‘If values are to be more than just words on a poster they need to be translated into a set of expected behaviours that are meaningful to the company and those who work there.’

Culture is much more about people than it is about rules. Codes of conduct are a baseline; a culture is created by what you do rather than what you say. The alignment and consistency of behaviours of leaders, and how they communicate through words and actions is the essential starting point.

Large organisations, particularly those with global reach, will have sub-cultures which can reflect different geographies, business units and remits. Nevertheless it is realistic to aspire to a common set of expected behaviours based on company purpose and values.
Human resources (HR) has an important role to play in embedding the values in the business. Where there is a separate ethics and/or compliance function the effectiveness is enhanced through close collaboration with HR. Aligning HR policies and processes with the values is a critical step in driving culture. There is a duty to invest in building HR and a people management strategy and capability which focuses on leadership and management culture, and embedding cultural values across all levels of the organisation. The board must work closely with the HR function to create the appropriate organisational culture through aligned strategic human resources management practices, from recruitment, induction, training initiatives, leadership development, performance management resourcing and succession.’

The challenge for boards is how to coordinate across the organisation and build a holistic approach to addressing culture. One large UK bank has recently tasked a number of its business divisions to work together to provide a single report of cultural indicators to the board. The individual functions each track many different data points in relation to behaviour and culture across the bank. Discussion at the board is focussed on a small number of the most meaningful measures that provide crucial insight and can be tracked over time. The chairman is confident this is a significant step in helping the board perform its role in seeking assurance on culture.
Those boards reporting that values, behaviours and culture were rarely discussed, explained that company culture is intrinsic and expected behaviours are understood by all and do not need to be articulated. This may be a result of a long established culture, a sense of complacency or a reluctance to address the subject because it is perceived as difficult to pin down.

Recent research shows that cultivating speak up and whistleblowing policies can lead to an increased level of trust within organisations. Trust is key in influencing the culture of a business. One way to increase trust is through the continuous development of visible policies to encourage transparency around possible bad practice.

This means developing collaborative policies that allow people to speak up, a well-organised set of procedures and an effective system of response to concerns that arise.

Also critical to success is the independence of channels through which whistleblowing information flows. Issues that can affect this include anonymity, the seriousness with which management treat those who speak up and legal issues.

When communication channels are developed effectively, evidence shows that speaking up becomes more engrained in the organisational culture. Measuring the effectiveness of a whistleblowing policy can also be useful to boards in assessing how effectively a culture is embedded.

A healthy ‘speak up’ culture breaks down the barriers than can often exist between the workforce and the board. External publication of the data can also give investors confidence that a genuine culture of openness exists and where it does not that the board knows about it. Demonstrating how the policy is working can also inspire employees to speak up in other ways and the culture becomes self-reinforcing.

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Here are 4 basic tips for bringing your values to life:

1. Put values front and center.
It can be easy to lose sight of company values when focused on the task at hand. Values should guide all aspects of business, from the decisions we make to the talent we source to the way we interact with customers. Values cannot be applied if they are not embedded .

2. Hire based on values.
Building a workforce that lives and works by the company moral code starts with hiring based upon values. For each of the company’s values, develop a list of questions designed to assess a candidate’s character and potential fit.

3. Work (and play) by values.
The best way to bring organizational values to life is to model them. In other words, do not just let them sit on the wall and call it a day. Live, work and play by them on a daily basis.

4. Reward and promote values.
Last, but certainly not least, promote organisational values by rewarding behaviors that demonstrate them. Do not hesitate to publicly reward someone for exhibiting behaviors that are in line with the company’s character. Not only does this make the individual feel good, it also pushes the rest of the company to follow suit.

Finally, defining specific, behavioral examples helps clarify the intention of each value. For instance, a team value of “service excellence” can be interpreted in many ways: Is the customer always right? Do we provide excellent service at any cost? Do we serve external customers before internal customers? Are inquiries answered within an hour, a day, or a week?
If you really want your values to stick with your team, involve team members in the process of clarifying the values. People are committed to what they help create, so let them interpret the values and define behaviors (within your acceptable boundaries).

Facilitate this by asking these four questions:

1. What do our team values mean to you?
2. How do these values make you feel?
3. What specific behaviors do you think best demonstrate these values?
4. What could you do differently to better reflect these values in your work?

In answering these questions, your team will express specific behaviors that will bring your values to life!

As Laura Schlessinger once said:

“Values are principles and ideas that bring meaning to the seemingly mundane experience of life. A meaningful life that ultimately brings happiness and pride requires you to respond to temptations as well as challenges with honor, dignity, and courage.”

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What It Takes To Become An Inspiring Author – Huffington Post interview

Today Huffington Post published the interview that Ehsan Khodarahmi (@eksays) held with me on being a writer, my first book (“Freedom after the sharks“) and my second one (“Meaningful Conversations” – to be published in January 2017). As you can understand, I’m very proud and happy to share it with you – enjoy!

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Having read a book called Freedom after the sharks by Geoff Hudson-Searle, I became curious to find out about the author of the book and to learn what drives him. Here are a few questions I asked him and I believe you’ll find what Geoff has to say quite interesting and inspiring.

Why do you write?

Like most writers, I write through experiences, my first book Freedom after the Sharks was a true story, the facts were that I was planning to write another book. Once a writer starts to put pen to paper the truth will run through them, at times it is impossible to stop. It’s not exactly a compulsion, but it really does come quite close to that. Writing makes sense of one’s world, which is what most of us want to do on some level or other.

Which authors do you admire most?

Some of the most powerful authors that have inspired me or touched my life have come from the business world. The first book was from my late Grandmother authored by T.A.B Corley titled Quaker Enterprise in Biscuits, Huntley & Palmers of Reading 1822 -1972, Mark H McCormack was a huge inspiration to me with What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School, Paul R. Lawrence and Nitin Nohria with Driven, Stephen M.R. Covey with The Speed of Trust, Meister Eckhart with the book of the same name, Joseph Campbell and Hero with a Thousand Faces, Nicholas Sparks with True Believer, Richard Layard with Happiness, Carl Honore with In the Praise of Slow and Robert Greene with The 48 Laws of Power and Mastery.

Describe the route to ‘Meaningful Conversations’ being published…

I started as a writer with a non-fiction and Meaningful Conversations was always to be a fiction the book deals with the constant root cause of today’s plethora of life and business challenges. It explores the whys and wherefores of communications, strategy and development and growth in our ways of thinking and experiencing the world, and then uncovers a way ahead through 50 short stories based by MIT, Harvard, Stamford, Oxford and Cambridge research in to valuable timeless logic. It draws upon Eastern and Western wisdom and blends philosophy with pioneering new thought. Are you up for crossing the threshold? Here we find the answers to our pressing challenges.

In a few sentences please describe what this book is about?

This book demonstrates the relationship between communications (human-to-human), strategy and business development and growth. It is important to understand that a number of the ideas, developments and techniques employed at the beginning as well as the top of business can be successfully made flexible to apply. This book provides a holistic overview of the essential leading methods of techniques. It will provide you with a “hands on guide” for business professionals and those in higher education.

Where do you write from?

I live in London, United Kingdom however most of the creative origins for the book were established with my time in Arizona, United States of America.

Briefly, what led up to this book?

I was writing weekly on communications, strategy and development and growth as a different persona. The terms ‘Communications’, Strategy’ and Business Development and Growth’ have become overused during the last decade and have become devalued as a result. In this book, I aim to simplify these terms and to re-value management and leadership by addressing topics and subjects in each distinctive chapter.

What was the time frame for writing this book?

I wrote this book in direct response to being told that you cannot call yourself an author with only one book, thanks Lisa! Now I have produced my second book, I am being told you cannot call yourself an author with only two books. The time frame between Freedom after the Sharks and the release of Meaningful Conversations was approximately 3 years.

What were your one or two biggest learning experience(s) or surprise(s) throughout the publishing process?

You have to be yourself in your writing. You have to pick a genre that suits you as a person and you as a writer. There are enough obstacles for a new author, don’t create more for yourself, write in a style you are comfortable with. If you are not enjoying writing it, if you are not comfortable writing it, nobody is going to enjoy reading it.

Do not take it personally, I do read the bad reviews, writing is completely subjective you may have 1,000 people that love your perspective, genre and story but 3 people may just not get your point and they never will, you are in the creative industry accept criticism with a smile.

Books and publishing is such an up and down industry – you can be flavour of the month one minute and struggling the next, even when you have had a certain level of success. Until you have enough money coming in to be able to justify it to yourself, don’t give up the day job.

Everyone wants to live the dream and write full time, but it is a very difficult industry to get into and a very difficult industry to stay in. Learn to write around your day job in the beginning.

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Looking back, what did you do right that helped you break into writing?

I think it was what I did wrong that helped me break into writing. In life you survive. You move on but with a purpose. A great philosopher and friend in the US once told me that you are in this world by divine right and you have the right to reach your highest potential through your own uniqueness. I know so many people who are only in bliss when they are miserable. They blame their parents, their spouse, their family, the system, their employers and event friends.

You can do whatever you have to do to get past the challenges of writing and writer block etc., you can do it. The question is how much you want the right way, your dream or the purpose.

On that note, what would you have done differently if you could do it again?

Every audience has a different dynamic, a different rhythm, and a different reaction. The audience wants, needs, and expects pertinent, real-life information to enhance and support their lives and importantly what they’re facing. I believe it was my destiny in life to push things to the limit. You only get one chance to make an impression. I gave Meaningful Conversations every opportunity I had and I believed to be right book at the right time for readership, I am not sure I would change a thing given a second opportunity.

In what ways do you ‘service’ your books?

If one is fortunate enough to have one’s books taken up in a significant way, there is a tremendous amount to do in ‘servicing’ the books. Speaking opportunities, blogging, social media, interviews, PR, travelling and often attending book festivals and other events all over the world. Although it can be quite burdensome, it is always very interesting to meet the readers, and I think that is what keeps me going.

What advice would you give to an aspiring novelist?

Trust yourself and never give up. Be determined right to the end. You should always write about what you know and love. This is not just a matter of principle but solid writing advice. Editors and readers have a good understanding whether a book has a purpose, it is their intuitive know-how.

You have a story to tell that cannot be told by anyone else, in any other way, and if you’re talented and lucky and work hard, you will find the right way to tell it. In other words, be truthful to yourself and you can communicate the truth to others through writing. This is not to say that you cannot be creative, but rather that your voice, your true voice, is what will draw people in to your manuscript.

On another note it is quite possible that one publisher will reject your book for a number of reasons while another loves it for those very same reasons. The trick is to secure a great editor and find a publisher whose interests align with yours.

My advice is to write a book and then immediately go on to the next one and to the one after that. In other words, the more you write, the better you will become.

Best piece(s) of writing advice we haven’t discussed?

Always, in every place across the world, people have written. Writing has not changed since the Roman days. Writing affords me a chance each and every day to just sit with my thoughts and be still. I live in a very busy city with people everywhere on mobile devices, and I love that. But I also think it’s important to sit and be quiet, to reflect and to use creativity with yourself and your thoughts. Writing for me is very meditative and calming, and helps to keep me peaceful in a very frantic world.

Every writer is influenced by everything they’ve ever read or seen. All the books and news articles that have passed through your hands have also somehow made their way into your thoughts, whether you are aware of it or not. I love that idea. I love to think that when I write, I am in some ways sitting down with all the books I have ever read, and in some ways, sitting down with the writers who wrote those books. I like to think that I’m connected to a long line of people just like me; people who also loved to write with the ability to leave a legacy of my work that someday will be read and hopefully inspired upon by others.

What’s next?

As my good friends and colleagues constantly remind me on a daily basis, I must write version 3.0. I do have some quite amazing and credible ideas. This is in my thoughts and given the time I am sure it will come. I need to be in a creative space with my notebook and some great coffee. It will happen! Outside of 3.0, I am enjoying my weekly blog writing, spending time with fellow authors, sharing experiences, PR, interviews, and of course my day job which is always challenging and interesting, never ceases to amaze and surprise me in life.

Meaningful Conversations will be available via Amazon in late Janauary 2017. I hope this interview with Geoff Hudson-Searle proved to be helpful to you if you’re planning to write your first or even second book.

ehsan khodarahmi – Follow Ehsan Khodarahmi on Twitter: @eksays

To download this artical in PDF-format, click HERE.

This interview was originally published on 6 December 2016 by Huffington Post UK here: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ehsan-khodarahmi/what-it-takes-to-become-a_b_13200850.html

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Is virtual communications revolutionising work or are two heads better than one?

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There really is no replacement on the value of face-to-face interactions. It breeds human connection, strengthens trust and builds credibility. But traveling to face-to-face meetings may not always be feasible, economical or the best use of time. Communicating over email, text or phone works but often these messages get misinterpreted and the personal connection may be lost. Over 90 percent of how we communicate is through nonverbal gestures and facial expressions and that simply does not translate over asynchronous communication mediums.

As most successful executives and management have said for years, there’s no substitute for the face-to-face meeting. Even with today’s quickly evolving technology, the old cliche of “putting a face to the name” still holds true. In-person interaction fosters positive connections, forges better relationships, and encourages better internal collaboration.

This presents a dilemma for entrepreneurs and executives who are forced to run their businesses, manage their teams or connect with far-flung executives while on the road. Despite all of our technological advances, it is still impossible to physically be in several places at one time.

A video from your CEO, group chatting with colleagues in a different office, and becoming part of the generation of ideas without having to go to endless meetings, but in todays business is this really effective as we are to believe?
In corporate and business life, closed door meetings and endless conversations that never seem to lead to anything positive, Silos, bad organisational structure, bunkers with employees separated by title or geography. Brilliant ideas overlooked because there is no method of communicating them to the people in charge and those people that can make an informed decision. The other issue is remote workers left out of the communication loop, feeling isolated and unmotivated. These are just some of the problems facing organisations today. And they are stifling productivity and innovation.

However, Facebook are looking to revolutionize this with their new product Workplace’ which combines business and personal social media benefits to employees on one platform with such features as News Feed, Groups and Chat. Some of you may remember some time ago I wrote a blog called “Can you merge your business life with your social life?”
These days the technologies that exist to allow most meetings to be held virtually. From conference calls, to web conferencing, and lately even video conferencing, there are many different options to choose from in determining what type of meeting to run.

In addition to saving time online meetings are also more environmental friendly due to the reduction in the carbon footprint resulting from less traveling to and from meetings. However, there are times when in person meetings are vastly preferable to remote meetings and vice versa. Sometimes the two can be used in parallel. MeetingKing, the meeting facilitation and documentation tool, has the distinct advantage of being able to support both online and face to face meetings.

Virtual meetings (also referred to as online meetings or remote meetings) are an excellent option for when distances between participants are very great. These meetings can be more time-efficient because travel time is significantly reduced. These meetings can enhance productivity in your business, especially when MeetingKing is used to prepare the agenda, write the minutes and keep track of tasks. In support of online meetings, MeetingKing can be effectively utilized in combination with Skype, Webex, GotoMeeting, MeetingBurner and other similar tools. The conference login details may be entered into the location field of the meeting invite, so that all participants are aware of how to access the meeting, and can find this information quickly. Another example of all information in one place.

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However, there are some situations where online meeting simply will not be the enabler for effective communication and collaboration. In particular, sensitive meetings relating to human resource matters such as grievances, disciplinary action or one-to-one meetings with employees should almost always be held face to face, especially if they involve the sharing of difficult decisions.
In addition, if a meeting involves a presentation or demonstration of any kind, or brainstorming using a physical whiteboard, inviting some participants to a conference call won’t work either. These callers will get lost when they can’t see the props that the other attendees are referring to. In this case, only an in person meeting or at the very minimum, a video conference will suffice.

Body language tells us a lot about what others are thinking. It is a key component of communication. In any situation where it is important to be able to gauge what a person is thinking not just by what they are saying, but also through their body language (yes, sometimes these do not say the same things!) anything other than a face to face meeting may prove to be inadequate.

Even if you have an effectively operating distributed team and run your organization exclusively with remote meetings, an occasional in person meeting is highly recommended. It will foster team spirit and on-line interaction is easier after you have met a person face to face.

Advantages of meetings:
In business organizations meetings are used for a variety of purposes. There are some advantages of meeting which are stated below:
1. Democratic process: Meeting is a democratic process of taking decision. Noone can blame the other for the decision because it is taken in presence of all the members.
2. Improve decision: Because every matter is discussed, pros and cons and nothing is left over unconsidered. Proverb says: ”Two heads are better than one.”
3. Participative management: All the departmental heads and supervisors may sit together for taking decision.
4. Help in co-ordination: Meeting can help for co-coordinating the work as a whole because all the parties or members are presented in the meeting.
5. Covey information to a large gathering: Meeting can convey information for all departments. Besides the presented members exchange their views, idea, opinion and feeling at a large gathering.
6. Others: Provide necessary information to a group of people, report on some incidents or activities, create involvement and interest, formulate policies etc.

Disadvantages of meetings:
There are some limitations and disadvantages of meetings. These limitations and disadvantages are discussed below:
1. Time consuming: Meeting takes much time to take decision. We know that to hold a meeting is very time consuming.
2. Costly: It is too expensive. Because the company has to decorate the conference room, pay the T.A. and D.A. to the members, pay for cards etc.
3. Formalities: There are many formalities to hold on a meeting. Agenda, minutes, regulations are needed for a valid meeting.
4. Difficult to control: Sometimes it becomes very difficult for the speaker or chairman to control over the meeting because proverb says, “Many men, many minds.”

Preconditions of a valid meeting:
A valid meeting should have the following elements:
1. Legal objectives: Any meeting must have legal objectives. Meetings on illegal or unethical purposes cannot be valid in the eye of law.
2. Convened by proper authority: A valid meeting should be convened by the proper authority of the company.
3. Serving proper notice in proper time: Notice of a meeting must be served timely by maintaining rules and regulations of the companies act.
4. Presence of authorized persons: To make a meeting valid person who is entitled to present in a particular type of meeting should be present in the meeting.
5. Presided over by a chairman: A valid meeting should be presided over by a chairman who will be selected by the members.
6. Specific agenda: A detailed agenda should be prepared before the meeting and the meeting should be operated by following agenda.
7. Quorum: Quorum is the minimum number of persons that must be present in the meeting to make it valid.

A final summary of thought, I think there needs to be a balance of video conference, virtual tools, email, social media and collaboration tools for communication and why would you even contemplate using these tech-tools without full intimacy of the relationship in the first instance. What ever happened to picking up the phone? Or meeting people and talking to someone face-to-face? Or do we not have time?

There is an interesting saying: “Two people may be able to solve a problem that an individual cannot.” The origin is from this proverb which was first recorded in John Heywood’s “A dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue, 1546:” Some heades haue taken two headis better then one: But ten heads without wit, I wene as good none. ‘Head’ here means ‘mind’, as opposed to heart or spirit. The notion of two being better than one, although not specifically two heads, was also expressed in the Bible; for example, this chapter from Ecclesiastes, 4:9, in in Miles Coverdale’s Bible, 1535:

The moral to the proverb is:

“Therefore two are better then one, for they may well enioy the profit of their labour.”