Archive for February, 2009

How do you award sharing?

February 27th, 2009 | Comments Off on How do you award sharing?

At Convergence 2009, I heard a lot about technologies that connect different entities: physical with digital, humans with products, different functions within the product development cycle.

As Ping Fu pointed out in her keynote, technologies run in advance of social and cultural change.  The big challenge: How do you get people to cooperate and share for the benefit of the greater whole?

Rus Emerick of Schneider-Electric points out that almost every company uses individual achievement as the basis of its personnel evaluations.  As a teenager, Rus was told by his grandfather that he knew nothing until he shared knowledge.  He’s taken that philosophy to Schneider-Electric, implementing DSSP throughout the company for annual savings of millions.

Sadly, most of us aren’t like Rus.  We use knowledge like currency, keeping it to ourselves and meting it out grudgingly in small drips.

Companies need metrics to award knowledge spreading, and it can’t be competitive.  Otherwise, we get into an “I share better than you” competition.

Maybe we can take a cue from the NBA.  In an article in the NY Times magazine, Michael Lewis talks about non-traditional measures of performance used by the Houston Rockets to gauge the contributions of Shane Battier.  By conventional statistical measures, Battier is an average player.  By the Rockets’ measures, he’s an MVP candidate.

Are there measures out there to reward those who are exemplary in coming up with new ideas and spreading them throughout the organization? Send your comments here.  I have a few good books to give away for the best ideas.

Star of your rodeo

February 25th, 2009 | Comments Off on Star of your rodeo

Rus Emerick won’t let well enough alone. And that’s great for his organization,  Schneider-Electric.  Emerick has been an evangelist for DSSP within Schneider, and as a result the company is saving millions a year applying scanning-based technologies across its design and manufacturing processes.

Rus is rare in his zeal and vision.  But, there are plenty of people with insights in your business that can be leveraged. It’s win-win. The person becomes more engaged, and the company reaps the benefits of better information flow. 

Think of the value a support person could add if encouraged to not only help with problems, but to systematically share information on customers’ needs and frustrations.  How about if your sales people made it part of their jobs to solicit stories of successful projects involving your products or services — stories that could then be shared within your customer community?

As Rus says, it’s good to be the star of your rodeo, but there is so much more possible.  If you are a manager, give your people incentive to go beyond their jobs.  Help them redefine themselves. Don’t let yourself or your people be limited by the rodeo ring.

You’re not for everybody

February 19th, 2009 | 2 Comments

“We’re not for everybody” — my wife, Peggy Kelly.

“I don’t want to get another pair of Hush Puppies” — Nick Lowe

There will never be another Michael Jackson. Or another “Hey Ya.” Or another Pong. The days of the massive hits are over. Customization rules. 

It means you need to profile your customers and decide who you want to engage intensely and how, and who you need to leave behind. Your product or service can’t be for everyone.  If you’re lucky, you can develop a devoted tribe that will interact with you, spread the word about what you are doing, and give you a nice welcoming reception for new offerings.

Not being for everybody is marvelously freeing.  Once you define who your customers are — their needs, problems, working habits — and address them with respect and great products or service, the relationship can deepen beyond vendor/buyer.  You can engage in honest dialog. If you make a mistake, you’ll likely have a bit of a cushion to pad your landing.

Find your tribe, and be true to it.

The story of you

February 17th, 2009 | Comments Off on The story of you

During a recession in the early 80s I was out of work.  For a few weeks, I followed the normal pattern: scanning the classifieds, applying for vaguely related jobs, watching daytime TV. 

Eventually, I turned to What Color is Your Parachute, doing every exercise in the book. Perhaps the most valuable was writing my autobiography.  It was not an exercise in vanity; I was brutally honest.  At the end, I assembled the building blocks per the book’s instructions, and found that for the first time I had a very good idea not only of what I could do, but more importantly what I wanted to do.  By coincidence, or maybe not, my next job set me on my current career path.

I’m not suggesting you leave your job, especially in this economy.  But, if you’re in a job you don’t like, are at a dead end, or haven’t assessed yourself lately, now might be a good time to check out Parachute and begin writing about yourself.  You don’t need great writing skills — in fact, it’s best if you just pour out whatever comes into your head.

The economy is likely to bounce back, and with it greater job choice and availability. Or maybe it’s time to grow your own job.  Either way, now is a good time to get a grip on what you really want from a career.

Getting simple

February 16th, 2009 | Comments Off on Getting simple

Did anyone ever come up with a brilliant idea or make someone feel special while drinking a latte, talking on the phone and checking stock prices simultaneously? With apologies to all the multi-tasking geniuses out there, I doubt it.

The irony of texting and tweeting is that we often lose that precious moment — the real experience of it — while we try to document it.  There are times when the simple life is better, as David Mantey, editor of Product Design & Development, points out.  

Simple has its values in business too.  In an SD Times editorial, Simon Galbraith, joint CEO of Red Gate, asserts that as software developers pile on the features, version after version, they just might be missing the opportunity to make something truly great.

Talkin’ loud and sayin’ nothin’

February 12th, 2009 | Comments Off on Talkin’ loud and sayin’ nothin’

When times get tough, evidently marketers get loud. And insistent. And intrusive. At least that’s been my experience over the last two months. More junk calls, despite Do Not Call. More spam. More hectoring. And as James Brown once said “You’re like a dull knife that just ain’t cuttin’. Talkin’ loud and sayin’ nothin’. 

Don’t we all have enough on our minds — keeping jobs, paying bills, staying healthy — that we don’t need rabid sales people attacking us?  Before you mildly annoyed me, now you’re making me angry.

Instead of punching up the decibels and frequency of attacks, how about giving listening a try? Find out what customers are dealing with and figure out a way to help them, even (or perhaps especially) if it doesn’t have anything to do with your core product or service.  Pass on savings.  Give discounts. Rather than sell, solve a problem. Help a customer save time and money, or do more with less.  Provide some value. 

Now’s the time to listen. And, hey, a little empathy wouldn’t hurt.

Is that Assumption you’re speaking?

February 10th, 2009 | 3 Comments

Life would be hard without assumptions.  We assume people can understand us when we speak.  Otherwise, we’d have to get painful verification one….word….at….a….time.  We assume if that engine light doesn’t come on our car is running OK.  We assume we’ll be allowed a certain amount of behaviorial leeway from friends.

Sometimes within companies, however, we can assume too much, especially when it comes to our internal language.  The same lingo that greases the skids inside our companies might bring communication to a screeching halt in the outside world.  I was speaking to a phone rep today and he was telling me that I would need to call back when “my order was provisioned.”  Huh?

This style of tribal language runs rampant within technology companies.  A suggestion: Anytime you are communicating something to the outside world, run it by a few friends or customers to see if it makes sense.  Doesn’t take much time, and it could prevent a big assumption gap.

Schlep your customers

February 9th, 2009 | Comments Off on Schlep your customers

Matthew Scudder, the long-running character in Lawrence Block’s detective series, once coined an acronym for how he would treat his new wife.  It was SCHLEP. I believe it stood for share, cooperate, help, love, encourage and protect. 

It always struck me as a good mantra for every relationship: spouse, significant other, friends, clients, business partners and customers. 

If that sounds too personal for your customers, think again.  It’s all personal and it’s all a relationship.  Bad things happen when we turn a customer or partner into a thing.  Good things happen when we treat customers as sentient human beings.