This probably is risky....for my business!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Business according to Mr. Google
Here's a decent video interview with Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google. Not sure there are any big ah-has...which is alright.
His comment on the Longtail...that the internet makes the head even more important isn't new.... but it is worth keeping in mind.
Also, as a management consultant and observer of many different organization cultures, Schmidt's comments on management make me smile. First, that you need a leader to enforce deadlines in the group - "otherwise you have university". Second, that you need dissent - "otherwise you have a king". Simple, good insight.
Here's the link.
His comment on the Longtail...that the internet makes the head even more important isn't new.... but it is worth keeping in mind.
Also, as a management consultant and observer of many different organization cultures, Schmidt's comments on management make me smile. First, that you need a leader to enforce deadlines in the group - "otherwise you have university". Second, that you need dissent - "otherwise you have a king". Simple, good insight.
Here's the link.
Friday, November 7, 2008
got a chance today...
...to hang out with a US lawyer who campaigned in Virginia for Obama then did poll duty the night of the election. I guess hopefully we all get a chance once in our lifetime to play a role in something both historic and overwhelmingly satisfying. To say she was proud and happy would be a fairly significant understatement. She said what struck her about the Obama organizers was their tactical precision. She said that in the days leading up to the election they didn't canvass houses - they canvassed perfectly targeted individuals - leaning McOldGuy but not committed. She also described the feeling of going into non-white neighbourhoods and getting overwhelmingly enthusiastic responses from people when they found out she was campaigning for Obama. Turn-out in her precinct? Over 80%!!! Here's a link to her blog.
.....to have a beer with a thoughtful, successful market watcher and stock picker. He has a theory on the market downturn that feels logical. According to him, the market bottom will occur only after the North American auto industry takes its hit - a hit which is clearly coming. Merger? Bailout? Bankruptcy? Get that done, get the headlines out of the way, absorb some of the fall-out - then we'll be at the bottom. Hmmmm....I think he's onto something.
...to make full use of local search on my Blackberry. Stuck in stopped-dead traffic. Pouring rain. Looking for a hotel....and finding one, plus phone number, plus dialing and connecting in about 90 seconds. Damn, the world has changed...and maybe even for the better.
.....to have a beer with a thoughtful, successful market watcher and stock picker. He has a theory on the market downturn that feels logical. According to him, the market bottom will occur only after the North American auto industry takes its hit - a hit which is clearly coming. Merger? Bailout? Bankruptcy? Get that done, get the headlines out of the way, absorb some of the fall-out - then we'll be at the bottom. Hmmmm....I think he's onto something.
...to make full use of local search on my Blackberry. Stuck in stopped-dead traffic. Pouring rain. Looking for a hotel....and finding one, plus phone number, plus dialing and connecting in about 90 seconds. Damn, the world has changed...and maybe even for the better.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
"Business is simple....
....it's people who make business complicated" is the tagline I attach to my email signature. Through it, I'm attempting to draw attention to this blog, and more importantly to one of the fundamental truths I observe every day doing this job.
How simple is business?
Provide a product or service that people want.
Do it well enough that it can be sold for a decent margin.
Market the hell out of it.
That's business.
Don't have a product or service that people want? Why buy?
Don't do it well enough to make a decent margin. Good bye .
Don't bother marketing the hell out of it. Drive by.
It's not that complicated.
So what's stopping so many businesses from achieving the success they desire?
People.
People who don't know strategy. People who can't execute strategy. People who can't focus. People who can't see the big picture. People who have all the answers. People who are afraid of the answers. People who can't follow. People who can't lead. People in the wrong roles. People in the wrong business. People who hate coming to work. People who hate going home. People.....
It's complicated.
Success in business is all about the people. The skills, the leadership, the mentorship, the accountability, the tough decision making, the communication, the motivation, the pulling together of huge diversity to achieve a common goal.
It's not so simple. But it can be simplified.
How do you know you have a product or service that people want? Do some research. Never lose sight of your competition.
How do you do it well enough to make a decent margin? Through leadership and hiring - never compromise on knowledge and skills.
And marketing the hell out of it? By being where your customers are in a way that your competition isn't.
There are two keys to success on the people side - talent and clarity.
From there, the rest is simple.
How simple is business?
Provide a product or service that people want.
Do it well enough that it can be sold for a decent margin.
Market the hell out of it.
That's business.
Don't have a product or service that people want? Why buy?
Don't do it well enough to make a decent margin. Good bye .
Don't bother marketing the hell out of it. Drive by.
It's not that complicated.
So what's stopping so many businesses from achieving the success they desire?
People.
People who don't know strategy. People who can't execute strategy. People who can't focus. People who can't see the big picture. People who have all the answers. People who are afraid of the answers. People who can't follow. People who can't lead. People in the wrong roles. People in the wrong business. People who hate coming to work. People who hate going home. People.....
It's complicated.
Success in business is all about the people. The skills, the leadership, the mentorship, the accountability, the tough decision making, the communication, the motivation, the pulling together of huge diversity to achieve a common goal.
It's not so simple. But it can be simplified.
How do you know you have a product or service that people want? Do some research. Never lose sight of your competition.
How do you do it well enough to make a decent margin? Through leadership and hiring - never compromise on knowledge and skills.
And marketing the hell out of it? By being where your customers are in a way that your competition isn't.
There are two keys to success on the people side - talent and clarity.
From there, the rest is simple.
Please....get it right today...
...make it an obvious win, with no disenfranchised voters, no hanging chads, no Supreme Court Decisions.....Just let it be done.
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