Assume the BBP...

Most people like bananas. I like them any way you want to fix them: Banana splits, banana sandwiches, bananas on my cereal, and of course, just a banana by itself. One time I ate a banana dipped in chocolate. Mmm! Mmm!

But before a banana can be eaten, there's some business to take care of -- the peel has to go. A banana peel is actually a double problem: it tastes bad and if you step on it you'll slip and fall. Everybody knows that. Indeed, the banana peel has become our metaphor for danger underfoot.

So with two of the three things we know about bananas being bad, when we see a banana why do we first think about how good it will taste? Why don't we dwell on the two negatives instead of the one positive? It's because we know that if the banana is handled correctly by removing and properly disposing of the peel (including the strings, I hate those), we can have a pleasing and healthy result.

So what if we looked at problems in our businesses the way we look at a banana: A good thing wrapped in a distasteful and possibly dangerous peel? I call this the Blasingame Banana Principle (BBP): Many of the problems we face in our small businesses won't have any worse odds than a banana -- 2:1, negative to positive.

So how do you assume the BBP? When you're presented with a problem, instead of dwelling on the negatives, imagine the possibilities. But just imagining won't get the job done. Just like with a banana, you must first deal with the problem's outer peel.

Road test the BBP this week. Work on becoming an expert at properly disposing of a problem's peel so you can get to the good stuff. If you can make the Blasingame Banana Principle your default approach to problems, I'm convinced that your world will change.

By the way, I like my banana sandwiches plain, please -- no mayonnaise or peanut butter.

By Jim Blasingame ©2008 All Rights Reserved