THE FIDO PRINCIPLE
A keynote presentation by Jack Bogut
Synopsis
In life, there are five major things that get us into trouble. And each of these things is like firing a gun—once the bullet is gone—it’s gone! We can’t bring it back. All we can do is seek to repair the damage, or apologize, or both. The five things are these:
1. Words
2. Actions
3. In-actions
4. Assumptions
5. Anger
Our dilemma is that all of these things are unavoidable. We have no choice:
• We must speak to and communicate with each other.
• Life forces us to decide whether to take action or not.
• We have to make assumptions because rarely are decisions based on complete information—we have to assume what we don’t know.
• And when things don’t work out, we get frustrated or angry.
How can we deal with all of the above? By applying The FIDO Principle!
You’ve heard of the acronym, SNAFU—situation normal, all fouled up?
Perhaps you’ve heard of acronym, FUBAR—fouled up beyond all recognition?
FIDO is also an acronym, which I explain in the presentation.
If we don’t develop the ability to get beyond our own mistakes and failures, we tend to dwell on what didn’t work. This erodes self-confidence, damages self-image, and creates fear. And when we are reluctant or afraid to try again, it is difficult to do anything new or embrace change of any kind. When that happens, we become resistant to change and life can pass us by.
Each of these points is couched in humor and stories that illustrate how we deal with failure and move on to success.