September 23, 2011 52 Comments

Cogs

School teaches us to be good factory workers. We are trained to memorize the facts that our systems want us to believe. We interview for jobs that seek simplified versions of our complexity to approach tasks that have often been boiled down to repetitive systems that can be measured.

Sometimes, this is great. I would love all medical professionals to have a high level of predictability in their practices, as a baseline. I would love all airline pilots to have a very similar training level. There are many other situations where it’s nice to have that predictable arc.

But Are YOU A Cog?

Is it fun to be part of a machine? It’s hard to say. Sometimes, there’s something great about that sense of belonging, that rhythm, that knowledge that you’re contributing to something bigger. Those are the great feelings that can come from a collective experience.

The parts that are dull and grey, we all know and feel already, so I don’t have to explain them.

Where Cog Behavior Bugs Me

It’s when people act like robots at the human interface level that it bugs me. I noticed that my local CVS drug store was suddenly very into using my name at the pharmacy. “Did you have any questions for the pharmacy, Mr. Brogan?” “Welcome back, Mr. Brogan.” That felt great until I saw a badge that said, “If we don’t say your name, we will give you $5.” Pop.

Customer service is often burnished down to a cog situation. “I’m sorry. The policy says… ” and that’s where your customer tends to make a decision based on his or her own internal policy of not dealing with robots.

Cog behavior bugs me when I notice it in myself. Wake up, pee, check Google+ and Twitter. Read email. Do all kinds of scripted things. Oh, and then do something productive. That’s robot stuff. Those kinds of habits are just echo-habit-code-execution functionality bits. Hint: it’s not especially useful to have those kinds of things programmed.

Reinvent Everything

I’m about to write a new program, new lines of code for myself. It starts with meditation, and then fitness, and then I’ll touch the digital world, starting with my calendar, then important work, then correspondance and social media. This is a simple and finite example, but it’s also me refusing to keep the little gears engaged without thinking about them.

My work life is already non-cog. There’s not one day that resembles the last and I like it that way. My clients and customers are that way. They are all unique and beautiful snowflakes. I can’t repeat. It’s built into my universe to work on new and interesting challenges.

What time do you wake up? When do you go to sleep? What do you have for breakfast? How do you answer people when they say hello or how’s it going? There are SO MANY little bits of cog behavior in all of us. Some of it is fine and doesn’t really matter. But what if you looked at it all?

What would you change? What needs to stay?

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http://www.retirepreneur.com Donna Kastner/Retirepreneur

A few weeks ago, I strapped a board across my treadmill. It took awhile to get the angle just right to hold my laptop. Okay, not exactly aesthetically appealing, but now, first thing in the morning, I knock out 2 cogs in one fell swoop: Exercise & Email.

Some days are a mix of cogs, clogs, and remarkable moments. For me, the challenge is to leave enough “white space” for the remarkable.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

That’s super awesome, Donna. How is it working for you? @ducttape:twitter does that, you know. Well, a bit more fancy, because he’s fancy. : )

Donna Kastner

Actually, your chat with him inspired the idea… executed with some duct tape, I might add ;) Working like a charm & when I get “fancy” I’ll upgrade to his version ;)

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog ducttape

What would Brogan know about fancy?

http://hannahsharvest.com Hannah Marcotti

I have always been slightly envious of the way that my husband is able to do things the same way each day. He never misses a workout and finds comfort in ritual. I on the other hand am all over the place. I realized that I have a fear of ritual, a fear of being boring or predictable. I am seeking out now thanks to studying mindfulness and meditation, how to take each simple task of my day and learn how to find the joy in it, from folding laundry to checking email. I am learning to schedule posts the night before so in the morning they release into the world and I can involve myself in the simple tasks. Like scrambling the eggs and slicing the tomatoes.

-Karen Maezen Miller, my favorite Buddhist, has a beautiful quote, “Each day I do the dirty work, the effort that attracts no notice
but my own, and in this very place I find the ordinary ingredients for
genuine fulfillment. It starts the moment my eyes open, as I rise with
the sun to sort and stack the dishes, appreciating this simple task as
the essential start to a healthy day.”

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I love that quote, Hannah. There’s a lot to be said about it. Doing the dirty work that doesn’t get noticed is what matters. Flossing, for instance. You don’t win prizes for flossing.

http://www.dogwalkblog.com/ Rufus Dogg

You’re still a young man if your morning routine is not: Wake up, pee, wake up, pee, wake up, pee then check Google+ …. :-)

I think there is some level of “cog transfer” that happens with a generation of workers that started out with industrial task-based work to knowledge-based work. As the output becomes more like blog posts, tweets, relationships, etc instead of widgets and gidgets, I find that lots of people (managers mostly) can’t give up their cog-thinking. We must schedule tweets, our blog writing must become formulaic, customers are “processed” into our CRM.. there is a push to get to the outputs of social media instead of enjoying and engaging in the process. Customer service is now down to “we apologize for the inconvenience” or a tweet the next morning that says “Sorry to hear this. Can you please email me at KFCcares@kfc.com with the details of your visit and location? Thanks!” That’s just cog turning and lever pushing.

But it satisfies a certain base level of security and predictability most people need in their lives (unless you’re on the receiving end of it.. then it feel manipulative and disingenuous.)

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Interesting. Predictability is something to think about. You’ve got me thinking, as have several others. I think you’re right about the pre-loaded CS tweets. Have seen them a bunch.

http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

I’m a contrarian by nature, so don’t mind me :)

I think there is a benefit in using cog-like repetition in the beginning to build focus, habituation for something that one deems important. But as one approaches the mastery level (or changes focus), then it’s time to mix it up with some double dutch (as per your blog topics email).

Cogs are like training wheels. One just has to be careful they don’t become ruts!

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Interesting. I haven’t seen it that way, but I’ll give that some reflection.

http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

I’m just thinking, for example, with respect to a track team I once coached. To be successful there requires constant until one perfects the element. There really is no way to reinvent the HJ or pole vault anymore… and yet it’s impressive to watch those that are amazing at their craft.

Of course, in other outlets, some of these athletes were tremendously creative. So in the entrepreneurial or social media worlds, cogs are bad because it’s creativity that fuels the movement.

In things like sports, cog behavior is good to build the fundamentals, and then you can add your own flair and personality to it.

Anyway, thanks for your reply. I enjoy posts like this where people think and/or flesh out new ideas. Keeps the brain limber :)

http://www.brianhamlett.com Brian Hamlett

This post really got me thinking about a question it forces the reader to ask: Do I like being a cog?

In truth, I think human beings like some of these simple, pre-defined, and schedule actions because they become shortcuts for our already busy lives. I almost sort of laughed when I heard your morning ritual because I wondered, “What if you held it till later?” (I’m sure you know what I mean by the “it.”)

But in all truthfulness, I think sometimes these shortcuts allow us to setup an environment where the dynamic, the changing variables, the new and interesting challenges, the unique projects, can be fully focused on. Some of these things are just facts of life or NECESSARY for life.

I think for me in relation to this post, it’s focusing on the things that I think help “define” my life that I want to make sure is not just a cog in a machine that churns and churns until I’m 90 and the teeth from my gears are too worn away to work anymore.

I usually like the shortcuts, but to get the excitement from life… I need to make sure I keep shifting the gears!

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Lots of folks like that. It’s not a bad thing really. Maybe it’s a matter of moving in and out of that mode. Do you think?

http://www.brianhamlett.com Brian Hamlett

Good question: I think it’s a combination of recognizing when you lean on the shortcuts too much to where it stifles your creative side that can generate the exciting change, challenges, and projects. So then the question becomes, are there some key indicators that we can recognize to show we’re flowing back into the “robotic mechanics” to help us refocus and gain balance back towards “creative flow”?

Thoughts?

http://raulcolon.net Raul Colon

I am constantly reinventing myself. But where I have a hard time reinventing is when I think something is working perfectly well.

Given how as human being we get tired of the same thing once I make a change I realize there was still room for improvement.

I am creature of habit and I think sometimes I have to fight with my routines more than other people do. I guess @Lucymfel:twitter can tell you I have a hard time changing my daily routine.

Thankfully like you what I do for a living does not make any day the same which might be the reason I can’t seem to keep a job that has the same routine over and over again. In general I can continue doing routines I enjoy but those I don’t enjoy I try to keep as far away as I can.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Routines can be tricky things. They bring comfort that we want, but also some challenges.

http://virtualeventsuccess.com Leesa Barnes

Thanks for helping me create a new word – cog networking. I go to networking events and people act like cogs. After we shake hands and I say my name, the next question they ask is the cog question. It depends on the industry. When I was networking with those who plan events, the question was “Are you a planner or a supplier?” EVERY PERSON I MET ASKED THE SAME BLOODY QUESTION. It was irritating.

At another event with direct mail professionals (yes, that industry still exists), the question was “Who are you with?” The first time I was asked that question, I looked over my left shoulder, then my right, then said “I came alone.” What they wanted to know was which big name Canadian corporation do I work for. When I said “self employed” they reacted as if I asked “Would you like to join me as I watch grass grow?”

Or, yesterday, I saw someone I hadn’t seen in years. After saying “hi” she asked “So, what are you up to these days?” I mentally rolled my eyes and simply said “I’m a big deal on Twitter.” She didn’t find that funny as she rattled off that she’s still writing at some big name publication.

Cog networking. It irritates me. People are only interested in what you can do for them instead of taking the time to get to know you. They’re more interested in the transaction than in the relationship. That’s why I avoid networking events like the plague. Everyone just acts as a cog.

Chris, I may have just hijacked your blog post with my own selfish rant. Forgive me…

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

It’s all yours. Take it and run. : )

http://www.davekawalec.com/ Dave Kawalec

Companies that use my name seldom make me feel more welcome. It’s obvious that it’s done from a place of following process. You can hear “Welcome, Mr. __________” in their voice. The $5 thing makes no difference. I already know this kind of personal interest is always fake.

I’d much prefer a business like CVS focus on getting me out of the store with what I want ad quickly as possible. Worry less about your people using my name. Worry more that they know how to use the cash register properly and know where all of the merchandise is on the shelves.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

And with you, I bet the pronounce it really interestingly. : )

http://www.davekawalec.com/ Dave Kawalec

That’s how I know they don’t know me, even though they are using my name as if they do.

margaret chaidez

I have noticed that at my grocery store. clerks will use my name (or try and pronounce my last name :) )and then ask if I need help out with my groceries. What I notice is that the baggers don’t even look up anymore, then just repeat the lines each time. No eye contact, no processing if I have one bag or a cartful.

I still believe you can follow protocol within a company (use customers name during purchase process) but deliver it in a unique style that is all yours. My Honda dealership does this extremely well, from the moment I make my service appt. all the way to the payment at the end. Some are better than others and those are the people I try and go back to see.

Great conversation starter for a cool rainy Friday.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I think it’s definitely a matter of having guidelines but not scripts.

http://www.davekawalec.com/ Dave Kawalec

Whatever happened to hiring people who already know how to be courteous and polite instead of hiring rude people and forcing them to adhere to the courteous and polite policy by way of the courteous and polite process?

http://socialbutterflyguy.com/ DJ Waldow

Good for your, Chris (ha, get it?) for doing this. Seriously though, I love how you take the time to reflect, to adjust, to tweak, to reinvent. Even better (selfishly), you share what you are doing with your audience, your community.

I realize the post was not really about the CVS story, but it made me think. It’s often said that the sweetest word in the world is hearing your own name. Kudos to CVS for capitalizing on that. Shame on them for making it so obvious that is was “part of their system.” I noticed the same thing with AT&T recently. I think they’ve really stepped up their phone support / customer service. However, I swear that they said my name 17 times in the first 45 seconds of our conversation. Overdone.

To counter that, I had a real (HUMAN) conversation with the receptionist at my dentist’s office (over the phone) the other day. I don’t think she ever once said my first name. But…we talked about my appointment, about their opening up another office, about her son, about Salt Lake City, etc. That’s how it’s done. I’ve had similar conversations with phone reps at Southwest Airlines too.

Loosen the leash and let humans be … human.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Human matters. More and more and more.
http://www.davekawalec.com/ Dave Kawalec

Re: your dentist’s receptionist

Exactly! Have a personal connection with me that doesn’t come out of a field in your database.

Tracypie

It all sounds good, but the question I keep asking myself is if your change is simply going from one type of cog to another. Just live and be happy.
http://twitter.com/megfowler Meg Fowler

Is the “we say your name or you get $5!” encouraging cog behavior, or is it an aggressive posture on the part of a company that fields customer complaints about service all day?

It sounds like a goofy thing, especially when they say “Mr. Brogan” 18,000 times in the midst of picking up a prescription, but I think they’re actually trying to *prevent* robotic employee behavior by requiring them to do something that is meaningful to a significant segment of their customers in the midst of a transaction that occurs a zillion times a day. Is it the best solution to the feeling of anonymity that customers may have complained about? Probably not. Is it fair to put employees on the spot that way? Maybe — because personal attention is part of the job, and it’s not exactly humiliating or ridiculous to expect that someone giving you a prescription would acknowledge your name.

It might even be a safety function — I got handed the wrong prescription once, and didn’t even think to check what was written on the bottle until I got home. Dumb on my part? Sure. But it’s pretty easy to hand me Meg Foster’s cough syrup in the midst of a busy day. I doubt I was the first person that happened to.

I know I’m picking on one thing you said, and that the point is a much larger one, but the whole idea that routines and expectations and repeated functions turn us into part of a machine is something I’ve always blanched at. Many people do the same things in a particular order each day so the part of their brain that chaos can consume is freed up to actually think — some of the most brilliant thinkers in our society wore or ate the same thing every day because they wanted the minutiae to fade into the background.

Even the practice of yoga relies on one motion flowing properly into another, and creating a rhythm with your breathing — getting all your body cogs into line so your brain and heart can leave the machine behind and get somewhere bigger.

We inhabit patterns and habits not always as a sad default, but because they free us up to spend time focusing on bigger things, or they enable us to make bigger things happen. It’s not lacking in humanity… it’s saving your energy and brain for the stuff that counts.
http://www.marketintegrations.com Stirlingmorris

This post is a great reflection of why my wife and I homeschool; of course, we’re both ex-teachers (public for me and Montessori for her) so homeschooling was a natural fit for us. Our homeschooling secular co-op leans more to the social than the academic, and a majority of the co-op’s kids excel academically (beyond their age). Most members (and many of the millions of homeschoolers nationwide) also believe that any parent can break the habit of seeing that a child can be raised in a social atmosphere without the constraints of the ritualistic drilling of academics and sports. Great post! Thanks for sharing.
http://twitter.com/susangiurleo susangiurleo

Routines and cog-like behavior are a fuzzy line. We ALL need routine (it’s a brain thing). I work with kids who don’t have the ability to do routines. They have what’s called “executive dysfuntion.” They get up in the morning and have no clue what do do next–get dressed? Eat breakfast? Brush teeth? So they spin in circles, parents nag and scream, school and homework are a nightmare. Imagine getting up,
peeing and then having to think “What’s next?” and then you do something
and stop and think “Now what?” It’s frustrating and not much gets done
at all because your brain has to focus on every decision point.

What you are talking about above is changing your routine–from hitting tech first, to hitting self-care first. But once you get into that routine are you a cog?

That said wandering through our days as a drone sucks, too. And many, many people do it. When I have the misfortune to have a morning flight anywhere and I sit in bumper to bumper traffic to get to the airport, it always blows my mind that people sit in that traffic EVERY DAY and accept it as part of work. GAH! That is cog-like and I think lots of people find comfort in it.

So, like all things, it takes self-examination and balance. Build functional routines and let them run on auto-pilot, so you can be creative where and when it matters…

Anonymous

Very interesting comments Susan. I had a similar thought as I read through this post. There are parts of my life that do funtion like a cog. I’ve thought through the process, perfected it as much as is possible, and then allow the process cog to be toggled on and I can now devote energy to a task that requires thoughts, decisions and actions that are not cog-a-fied. Ok, I made that one up.

Being “reorged” from an excutive position a week ago I suddenly lost many of my individual daily activity cogs and now find my self staring at the screen with the phrase “OK what next” bouncing around in my head. I’m hoping I’ll at least know what to do after I pee in the morning.

Have a great day. (Thanks Chris for the excellent post!)

http://twitter.com/JudyHelfand JudyHelfand

Chris,
I think you already have an appreciation of what time I get up in the morning. Right? Writing a new line of code for your daily routine…will soon become routine. The thing about code is that after you write it and move it to production you sometimes realize that you left out something important or included something that just isn’t needed. The truth is one’s life code is never quite finished.

But anyway one thing I am most grateful for is that my corporate career has spanned four + decades and I have seen a lot. Life in the business world was really pretty interesting and rewarding before voicemail, fax machines, PCs on every desk. For the most part our customers enjoyed our full attention, as we were not distracted.

Have a good day…test the code.

Judy
http://twitter.com/stuckaholic Alex Dogliotti

One of the questions that come to mind is, is it possible to NOT be a cog all the time? Of course I think we need to walk the path of meaningful work and life, but can we do that all the time? Isn’t cog behavior useful at times to take a break from engagement, almost like when you catch yourself staring at a fixed point on the wall, simply breathing and not thinking about anything in particular? Food for thought.
Lauren Vincent

Great article. My take? I want to work with the cogs and I even want a few to work for me – I just don’t want to be one. Cogs are like any functioning piece of a gear. Once ‘manufactured’ they continue cranking without much care or attention – give them a little grease (whether it’s a pat on the back or a 3% raise) and they’ll continue to operate. It’s hard to break free of the cog zone when you’re surrounded by them. That’s the struggle. You have to force yourself to look at every gear (even if it’s currently working) and ask the question – ‘yeah, but, how could it be better?’
@THERCOM1

Chris este post vai exigir muitas interpretação diferentes,mas de qualquer forma promove o
conhecimento das pessoas e a necessidade delas agir em si.
http://lindaeaves.com Linda Eaves

Great post. Keep things fresh, less chance to check out and become a floating head.
During my stint as a hair stylist at a very busy salon people would ask how I was doing. The gear would start turning and out flowed the following automaton response:
“Fine. Excellent. Booked Solid.”
Which meant this: 6 clients before lunch, 5 clients after. As I said those words I thought, ‘I should be happy.’ Quantity. Production. I had a great position, fantastic tips, yet I was crushed and claustrophobic. Difficult to be creative under those circumstances.
What had to be built in was space.
Spaciousness > Vision > Creativity > Possibilities = Freedom.
http://essayserve.com/ essay help

good thanks for sharing!
http://NewWorldLawyer.com Mitch Jackson

As you so eloquently stated, our customers and clients are
all unique snowflakes. Each has their
own need, wants and desires. Take care
of your customers and everything else will fall in to place. Take care of yourself and you’ll be building
a firm foundation for future success. Mitch Jackson
http://peterpaluska.com Peter Paluska

Chris, excellent points; the pharmacy example reminds me of that Seinfeld in which Kramer asks for the bank manager to pay him $100 because one of the tellers did not say “Hello”.

Funny, but also poignantly on point.
http://linneyville.com Linda

I think we all need a bit of cog behavior for sanity. Keeps us grounded. But you also have to shake it up a bit.
Justin Amendola

Great post, Chris. I think it’s human nature to take the path of least resistance in everyday life. Managers and marketers must bend over backwards – constantly – to fight that tendency. It starts with leadership…if you go through the motions as a manager, then chances are your employees will do the same. The proverbial sh*t rolls uphill.
http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine

But but but… following the script is so COMFORTABLE dammit!
Suzanne

Am I a cog? Probably. Soccer Mom, Cog Mom, Robot…it’s all the same isn’t it? ; ) I don’t wanna be a robot (said in robot voice)
http://dotthishashthat.wordpress.com JenRBoyd

Great discussion here. I can relate to the comments which mention finding comfort in the predictability and ease of routine and with it an (sometimes) enhanced ability to focus on the non-cog work and increased joy in that which is out of the ordinary. For me, it is when I feel I have lost the ability / control to break the cog cycle that the joy is lost. That would probably be the definition of “rut”. If cog is the code, then fear is the machine.
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@PearlBriteYYJ

This reminds me of the time I was working in a credit union and a child (about 6 yrs old) came in with their parent and began talking to one of the tellers who was busy adding up a stack of cheques. The boy offered a series of newsie bits of chit chat to which the teller responded as she continued to flip the cheques over and tap the adding machine with tapered nails. Finally the boy asked, “Why do you keep repeating everything I say?”

This feels like an extreme example, but it’s not uncommon I fear. In terms of customer service, I think the difference between slipping into cog mentality can mean the difference between just responding while you do your job and taking a moment to be really present and engage in simple human contact.
http://twitter.com/MattSearles Matt Searles

you know, it’s slightly surreal to read this post from you, as.. as it turns out.. right now in my life, I’m trying to work out how to do “routine’s.” See my therapist tells me I’m so far out on the intuitive processing side that there’s very little hope of me actually surviving on this planet.. and.. well yeah… gotta work on my cog-hood-ness
http://affweek.com/ Chad B

Interesting read. Thanks for sharing this.
Berril Perks

Great post Chris. It bugs the he’ll out if me too, and not just in customer service situations. It happens inside companies too. They cal it “flat” organizational structure, but what it really mean is that they manage people through the HR policy rather than deal with people as people (hey, that costs money and takes effort!).
http://www.nakedprairie.com Karri Flatla

I’ve recently been contemplating that video “Changing Education Paradigms” (Sir Ken Robinson w/illustration by RSA Animate – you’d LOVE it). And then I saw your post in my tweet stream and it’s so very related! The COG thing is – as you elude to in the opening here – BUILT IN to our education, our economy and our entire way of life. People want ‘easy and predictable’ (thus quantifiable and fixable). But I do believe this is the zeitgeist that is choking human progress on so many levels. We got really far really fast with the help of technology but now what? What will we DO with that? Text our lives away? Or go off label and start thinking for ourselves again.

Great post Chris.
Karri

Cogs

But Are YOU A Cog?

Where Cog Behavior Bugs Me

Reinvent Everything

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework

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