11 Things You Can’t Outsource

July 05, 2011 4:28 PM

I totally get it.

Outsourcing reduces production costs, helps you stay focused, improves overall product quality, expands your knowledge base, accesses new talent, mitigates risk, has greater tax benefits, enables scalability, creates more leisure time and transfers liabilities to third parties.

What’s not to like?

THE ONLY PROBLEM IS: People have become so in love with the idea of outsourcing, that they try to outsource things you shouldn’t outsource.

Here are eleven of them. Feel free to add your own:1. You can’t outsource reputation. If you don’t make a name for yourself, someone will make one for you. Do you want to become known for what you’re about to do?

2. You can’t outsource presence. If you have to resort to gimmickry to let people know you’re there, you’re not. Does your open door policy actually work?

3. You can’t outsource revolution. If want to change the world, you’d better be ready to lead when your followers show up. Is your tribe waiting for you?

4. You can’t outsource luck. If you want to be in the right place at the right time, you have to be in a lot of places. How could you exponentially increase activity level?

5. You can’t outsource blood. If you want your art to matter, you can’t paint with another man’s palette. Are you trying to get into the hall of fame by playing covers?

6. You can’t outsource responsibility. If you’re searching for someone else to take ownership of your misery, good luck. Do you admit you’re the result of yourself?

7. You can’t outsource experience. If your brand dies a virgin, you did something wrong. If you can’t find the time, what if you tried compressing it?

8. You can’t outsource courage. If your fire comes from anywhere other than within, the embers won’t last. Are you waiting for someone to turn your key of ignition?

9. You can’t outsource friendship. If you don’t know how to talk to people with your mouth, you will be alone. Are you filtering your life solely through pixels?

10. You can’t outsource compassion. If it’s your heart, you don’t have to prove to people that you can’t live without it. How do you make people feel seen and heard?

11. You can’t outsource personality. If you don’t have time to do your own social media updates, you shouldn’t be on it. Are you paying strangers to tweet for you?

REMEMBER: Beware of turning outsourcing into a fetish.

Stay human. Stay real.

And make sure you’re not contracting out the human function.

Customers will notice.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What are you trying to outsource that shouldn’t be outsourced?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For a list called, “14 Things You Don’t Have to Do Anymore,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

“I usually refuse to pay for mentoring. But after Scott’s first brain rental session, the fact that I had paid something to be working with him left my mind – as far as I was concerned, the value of that (and subsequent) exchange of wisdom and knowledge, far outweighed any payment.”