The most practical paradoxes I've found:
(once you see them, you can't unsee them)
(once you see them, you can't unsee them)
The Paradox of Networking:
The best networking never happens at networking events
The best networking environments don't look like networking (e.g. Birthday parties, weddings)
The people you want to network with avoid networking events
They have an abundance of options
The best networking never happens at networking events
The best networking environments don't look like networking (e.g. Birthday parties, weddings)
The people you want to network with avoid networking events
They have an abundance of options
The Paradox of Sales:
The best salespeople don't look like salespeople.
Thiel calls them Sales Grandmasters, where their art is hidden in plain sight.
E.g. Elon Musk looks like an anti-salesman (but he can outsell any salesman on the planet)
The best salespeople don't look like salespeople.
Thiel calls them Sales Grandmasters, where their art is hidden in plain sight.
E.g. Elon Musk looks like an anti-salesman (but he can outsell any salesman on the planet)
The Paradox of Dating Apps:
Instagram is the best dating app in the world -- because it's not called a dating app
Dating apps make dating obvious, which creates a frame of desperation
And attractive people aren't desperate
Instagram makes dating subtle, which is why it wins
Instagram is the best dating app in the world -- because it's not called a dating app
Dating apps make dating obvious, which creates a frame of desperation
And attractive people aren't desperate
Instagram makes dating subtle, which is why it wins
The Paradox of Marketing:
The better the marketing, the less it looks like marketing
Everyone has an immune system built up toward marketing
Same product in a marketing frame, people start off skeptical
Same product in a word-of-mouth frame, people start off intrigued
The better the marketing, the less it looks like marketing
Everyone has an immune system built up toward marketing
Same product in a marketing frame, people start off skeptical
Same product in a word-of-mouth frame, people start off intrigued
The Paradox of LinkedIn:
Twitter does a better job at being LinkedIn than LinkedIn does
The meta idea of LinkedIn is to build a quality network
However, this obvious signal attracts zero-sum players: Recruiters and Salespeople
This kills the quality network
Twitter does a better job at being LinkedIn than LinkedIn does
The meta idea of LinkedIn is to build a quality network
However, this obvious signal attracts zero-sum players: Recruiters and Salespeople
This kills the quality network
The Paradox of Friendship:
The closer the friendship, the more you can mock each other
The playful insults reinforce the friendship
We are so close that we can mock one another
It distinguishes the relationship from casual friendship, as a casual friend could never do this
The closer the friendship, the more you can mock each other
The playful insults reinforce the friendship
We are so close that we can mock one another
It distinguishes the relationship from casual friendship, as a casual friend could never do this
What ties all these paradoxes together is this:
The stronger the signal, the less effective the signal can be.
As a result, the beauty lies in the subtle signals and counter signals.
The stronger the signal, the less effective the signal can be.
As a result, the beauty lies in the subtle signals and counter signals.
Loading suggestions...