Leadership

Leadership — 2 Comments
6
Oct 09

Microwave VS Boiled Communications

Lately, I’ve been enjoying a lot of 8-minute microwave potatoes. I’ve always enjoyed baked, but the microwave is so much more convenient.

In fact, I’ve been using the microwave for many more foods since my love for microwaved spuds started. Broccoli, carrots, mixed veggies are among many of the microwave side dishes I enjoy. Enjoy… as in I enjoy all the free time it gives me to focus on other things. Not the taste, of course. I’ve always enjoyed boiled veggies for their flavor.

My microwave veggies are about convenience without quality of taste, and boiled veggies are about more effort and yumminess. In the communications world, e-mails are about convenience, right? You can blast an e-mail to everyone in the company, at the sacrifice of the intricacies of a person-to-person interaction. And the person-to-person interaction is like boiled veggies–they take longer, but there is a value there that’s not in e-mail / microwave communications.

In the fast-paced digital world we live in, convenience is overshadowing quality. As our schedules get increasingly tighter, there is a feeling of complacency and efficiency in communications. E-mails are increasingly used in the business world, and can create a discord and misunderstanding between management and employees.

It’s about being appropriate, not convenient. If you’re communicating something important to your team, the microwave approach is not the best option. Just as I would never let guests eat my microwave broccoli, it is unwise to communicate important information via e-mail. Understanding digital etiquette is essential to cultivate effective company communications.

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5
Oct 09

The Waterslide and the Importance of Big Risk

Recently, I stumbled upon this video of a kid rocketing off an enormous waterslide and into a small pool. Probably not real, of course, but it brings up a valuable point: people care about big risk.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Conversely, the greater the risk, the greater the failure. Going down a typical waterslide is not worth watching on YouTube, but landing in a kiddy pool from a waterslide / ramp a hundred yards away is worth watching.

The video above is worth talking about because of the incredible risk involved. No one cares about no risk. Everyone can do no risk. It’s those that have the guts to sail through the air and into the kiddy pool a hundred yards away that people care about.

All great brands take significant risks. Think Nike or Apple. Risk-taking brands are the innovators constantly pushing against the status quo and reap the greatest rewards. Nike has taken some of the biggest risks in advertising and they are one of the most iconic brands out there.

Breaking the cast is threaded through all luminaries. Take Babe Ruth for example. He struck out more than he could hit out of the ballpark, but it was his ability to take the risk of always swinging heavy that made him a legend.

I wouldn’t be writing about this waterslide video, Apple, Nike or Babe Ruth if they didn’t take big risks. So next time you do launch a new product, service, campaign or give a presentation or anything else ask yourself, is this incredible?

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3
Oct 09

Just Because You’re Number One, Doesn’t Mean People Care

When we typically think of number one, maybe the first finisher in a race comes to mind. (Think Nike.) But what does it mean to be number one? At a high level, it’s about relevance. Relevance is critical. If what you’re doing is not relevant to a community, who is going to care? People care about football, that’s why being the best quarterback in town matters. However the fastest basket weaver in the class might raise a few eyebrows but no one really cares—it’s not relevant to a larger community.

When developing your business, ensure there is an opportunity for success. Who is interested in your category? No one is interested in a vacuum with a clock radio, but they will be if the vacuum lasts 20 years. The key is not to just be number one, but to be number one in a category people care about.

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1
Oct 09

It Might Be Important

“To live every week like it’s Shark Week might be a metaphor for living in our media environment,” writes a columnist in national magazine.

This might be a terrible excerpt to bold in the editorial, or it might not be. Reading this blurb I had to laugh because it could potentially be an interesting, provocative statement. But it falls flat. The addition of “might be” makes this statement weak and very noncommittal. One side or the other–which is it?

The same is true in business. The most successful entrepreneurs often have two essential attributes: smarts and commitment. If you think your business might be profitable, then it might not be a worthy pursuit. Going into the game with the firm belief that yes, you will win is the only way to win. Do you think Barack Obama or John McCain thought, “I might be then next president of the United States.” No, both of them believed they were going to be the one.

It is really the difference between logical and belief systems. Logically speaking, yes your entrepreneurial endeavor could fail. However, the chances of failure are heavily influenced by the level of commitment and belief of success. Often times entrepreneurs work double the typical work week hours and go without relative compensation. “Might be” is not in their lexicon.

The “might be” attitude lends itself to a defeatism philosophy. Instead of thinking about how your business might fail, spend that brain power on making it work. Preparing for pitfalls is one thing, but a diluted future outlook can be fatal.

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25
Sep 09

Not Everyone Can Do It, That’s Why It’s Interesting

To discover how your brand can be interesting, identify what you can do that others cannot. How are you pushing against the status quo? Is it consistently making a phenomenal latte (Starbucks), or is it computing at the most simple level (Apple)?

Not every café can consistently make an exceptional cappuccino. That’s what makes Starbucks so valuable to so many people. And not every computer company can be as user-friendly as Apple. Because others cannot offer better, brands that push and stretch to new heights are naturally interesting and consequently become popular. Typically, interesting brands are number one in their market (e.g. Apple is the number one computer for creatives).

When you find you’ve made a unique product, you’re number one in that category. However, being number one doesn’t always mean you’re interesting. Crafting a broom with a radio embedded into it is not interesting. Sure, you’re number in the radio / broom market, but because you’re not interesting, you will fail to be popular.

Think about it in a different perspective. Let’s go back to high school. The All Star quarter back can do what others cannot. His talents are above all others on the team. Therefore, he becomes interesting.

The principle applies to all facets of life, whether it’s in business or the local high school football team. Finding your unique selling proposition and following through on it will make you a valuable commodity in the market.

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