With its Think Different campaign, Apple found common ground with designers, artists, and rebels of all kinds. This ad was first released in 1997. A decade later, it's still relevant. And not a single reference to an Apple product.
Here's to the Crazy Ones.
1/14/09
Is Being Nice Overrated?
Today's post inspired by Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan.
Suppose a leader goes to a plant or business headquarters and speaks to the people there. He is sociable and courteous. He shows superficial interest in his subordinates' kids - how well they are doing in school, how they like the community, and so on. Or he chats about the World Series, the Super Bowl, or the local basketball team. He may ask some shallow questions abour the business, such as "What's your level of revenue?" This leader is not engaged in his business.
When the visit is over, some of the managers may feel a sense of relief because everything seemed to go so well and so pleasantly. But the managers who are any good will be disappointed. They'll ask themselves, What was the point? They had prepared for tough questions - good people like to be quizzed because they know more about the business than the leader. They'll get frustrated and feel drained of energy. They didn't get a chance to make a good impression on the leader - and the leader certainly didn't make a good impression on them.
Of course, the leader hasn't learned anything. The next time he makes prognostications about the company, the press or the securities analysts may be awed, but the people in the business will know better. They'll ask each other, "How on earth could he say those things so confidently when he doesn't have a clue about what's happening down here?"
MM: When you work with teams, are you asking the tough questions and finding out what's really going on? Or are you just a superficial "nice guy" leader? Yes, absolutely you need to have a pleasant and open working relationship. But gaining the respect and trust of those you work with does not come from just a hearty handshake and a quick chat over coffee. Your best people want to be challenged. So dive into the issues. "What's holding you back from delivering plan?" "Give me three things you can do to improve your bottom line within the next six months." "Why did you have a downturn last quarter and what are you doing to correct this?"
When I was in my senior year of university, my grades weren't all they could be. I whined about it to my boyfriend - the work is so hard, my profs are so tough, I'm doing the best I can. He could have just been nice to me: Yes, it is hard. And those profs are just mean. But he did more for me, because he really did care about me: You know, you are not really working as hard as you can. You're better than this. His answer shocked me. Wasn't he supposed to be on my side? But here's the thing. He was right. I was coasting and he called me on it. I re-doubled my efforts at school and my grades went up by 15%. That boyfriend risked a breakup by showing me the cold, hard truth and demonstrating that he really did care about me. This is one of the reasons why that boyfriend is now my husband. 21 years and still going strong.
Do the right thing by your team and help them be all they can be.
Suppose a leader goes to a plant or business headquarters and speaks to the people there. He is sociable and courteous. He shows superficial interest in his subordinates' kids - how well they are doing in school, how they like the community, and so on. Or he chats about the World Series, the Super Bowl, or the local basketball team. He may ask some shallow questions abour the business, such as "What's your level of revenue?" This leader is not engaged in his business.
When the visit is over, some of the managers may feel a sense of relief because everything seemed to go so well and so pleasantly. But the managers who are any good will be disappointed. They'll ask themselves, What was the point? They had prepared for tough questions - good people like to be quizzed because they know more about the business than the leader. They'll get frustrated and feel drained of energy. They didn't get a chance to make a good impression on the leader - and the leader certainly didn't make a good impression on them.
Of course, the leader hasn't learned anything. The next time he makes prognostications about the company, the press or the securities analysts may be awed, but the people in the business will know better. They'll ask each other, "How on earth could he say those things so confidently when he doesn't have a clue about what's happening down here?"
MM: When you work with teams, are you asking the tough questions and finding out what's really going on? Or are you just a superficial "nice guy" leader? Yes, absolutely you need to have a pleasant and open working relationship. But gaining the respect and trust of those you work with does not come from just a hearty handshake and a quick chat over coffee. Your best people want to be challenged. So dive into the issues. "What's holding you back from delivering plan?" "Give me three things you can do to improve your bottom line within the next six months." "Why did you have a downturn last quarter and what are you doing to correct this?"
When I was in my senior year of university, my grades weren't all they could be. I whined about it to my boyfriend - the work is so hard, my profs are so tough, I'm doing the best I can. He could have just been nice to me: Yes, it is hard. And those profs are just mean. But he did more for me, because he really did care about me: You know, you are not really working as hard as you can. You're better than this. His answer shocked me. Wasn't he supposed to be on my side? But here's the thing. He was right. I was coasting and he called me on it. I re-doubled my efforts at school and my grades went up by 15%. That boyfriend risked a breakup by showing me the cold, hard truth and demonstrating that he really did care about me. This is one of the reasons why that boyfriend is now my husband. 21 years and still going strong.
Do the right thing by your team and help them be all they can be.
1/9/09
The Moment of Silence
Say you're in a room full of people. Everyone is talking at once. You've got something important to say but no one can hear you. An 800-lb gorilla steps into the room and everyone falls silent, afraid to speak. But you stand on a chair, point to the back door, and shout: "Hey! There's a way out." Everyone hears you and they safely exit the room.
It's the same with Brand. Don't talk when everyone else is. Have something of relevance to say. And take advantage of the moment of silence when it arrives. (Hint: That moment is here.)
The Economist explains with pretty pictures. Of course, this doesn't just work with print advertising. This relates to all marketing-related tactics: online, social media, brand building, etc. (Please forward this post to anyone you know who cares about business development, marketing, or industry leadership. Please Twitter, Facebook, or share via flattened dead trees. (Via Brand Flakes for Breakfast.)
It's the same with Brand. Don't talk when everyone else is. Have something of relevance to say. And take advantage of the moment of silence when it arrives. (Hint: That moment is here.)
The Economist explains with pretty pictures. Of course, this doesn't just work with print advertising. This relates to all marketing-related tactics: online, social media, brand building, etc. (Please forward this post to anyone you know who cares about business development, marketing, or industry leadership. Please Twitter, Facebook, or share via flattened dead trees. (Via Brand Flakes for Breakfast.)
1/5/09
Interruption Marketing
Just like TV commercials, print ads have to work hard to get our attention. On average, readers of engineering journals (or any magazine) spend less than 2.5 seconds looking at print ads. You spent more time than that reading this post. So what do you have to do to get people to pay attention to the story you are trying to tell?
Here's three critical things.
1. Be relevant. When you go to the grocery store, you don't stand in the aisle wondering what product might jump out and grab you. You went because you wanted to buy specific items: bread, milk, cat food, etc. So you'll be focused on cat food brands, not curried chicken or olives. Unless those brands are really good at Step 2.
2. Be interesting. Ads work on the principle of interruption. You pick up a journal because there is a really fascinating article you want to read. I need to interrupt your reading (Spaghetti Cat) with a really startling and compelling ad. To be effective, the ad must grab and hold your attention with something that jolts you out of your train of thought.
3. Be brief. Edit your copy. Then edit some more. No one reads ads. No one. (Except you if you placed the ad.) If you fill your ad with paragraphs of text, I'll get bored and move on. Tell me one thing. I'm more likely to remember that. (But give me a link to your website so I can learn more if I want.)
Here's three critical things.
1. Be relevant. When you go to the grocery store, you don't stand in the aisle wondering what product might jump out and grab you. You went because you wanted to buy specific items: bread, milk, cat food, etc. So you'll be focused on cat food brands, not curried chicken or olives. Unless those brands are really good at Step 2.
2. Be interesting. Ads work on the principle of interruption. You pick up a journal because there is a really fascinating article you want to read. I need to interrupt your reading (Spaghetti Cat) with a really startling and compelling ad. To be effective, the ad must grab and hold your attention with something that jolts you out of your train of thought.
3. Be brief. Edit your copy. Then edit some more. No one reads ads. No one. (Except you if you placed the ad.) If you fill your ad with paragraphs of text, I'll get bored and move on. Tell me one thing. I'm more likely to remember that. (But give me a link to your website so I can learn more if I want.)
It's Never About Cost - It's About Value
Professional service firms that have to compete for work are always aware of offering lower rates to customers in hopes of swaying a customer's mind. Remember though that low-cost does not always equate to customer interest.
Here's an example from the product world. Via the blog of Guy Kawasaki.
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/12/signs-of-the-ti.html
Here's an example from the product world. Via the blog of Guy Kawasaki.
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/12/signs-of-the-ti.html
Initiatives
I'm a big believer in step change. Incremental improvements to existing processes absorb effort but produce minimal positive impact. So minimal that most people don't even notice it. But step change makes impact - enough that people do notice - in a way that affects their behaviour. And that is what most system change is really trying to affect - human behaviour.
Effecting real change is tough. It requires commitment, it requires resources, but most of all it requires a vision. You have to be able to see the future that this change will bring - how people will behave in new patterns and the benefit that the change will bring - faster, more effective, less effort - whatever metric you want to use.
Okay, I'm in. I know what the problems are, or at least I know of one big problem that needs solving. I just haven't had time to tackle it. Well, here's the secret. You should have made the time. All improvements require an investment, whether it is time or money (hiring an outsider is just a conversion of time to money). And once you achieve the change you seek, you will make back your investment of time or money in the benefits of that change.
As you move into setting your personal goals for 2009, take a stand and commit to making one life-altering change. Find one initiative you can champion. Gather people around you and share your vision. Secure resources that will be your investment. Distill the benefits into a mission that you can take to leadership. Invest in a half-day offsite meeting to map out the specific steps you need to take to make that behavioural change. Implement those steps and when you encounter resistance, talk about your vision, share the benefits that will follow, and demonstrate your step-by-step plan to remove this particular roadblock to success.
Every one of us has what it takes to change our world. Commit to making one major improvement to your workplace this year.
Effecting real change is tough. It requires commitment, it requires resources, but most of all it requires a vision. You have to be able to see the future that this change will bring - how people will behave in new patterns and the benefit that the change will bring - faster, more effective, less effort - whatever metric you want to use.
Okay, I'm in. I know what the problems are, or at least I know of one big problem that needs solving. I just haven't had time to tackle it. Well, here's the secret. You should have made the time. All improvements require an investment, whether it is time or money (hiring an outsider is just a conversion of time to money). And once you achieve the change you seek, you will make back your investment of time or money in the benefits of that change.
As you move into setting your personal goals for 2009, take a stand and commit to making one life-altering change. Find one initiative you can champion. Gather people around you and share your vision. Secure resources that will be your investment. Distill the benefits into a mission that you can take to leadership. Invest in a half-day offsite meeting to map out the specific steps you need to take to make that behavioural change. Implement those steps and when you encounter resistance, talk about your vision, share the benefits that will follow, and demonstrate your step-by-step plan to remove this particular roadblock to success.
Every one of us has what it takes to change our world. Commit to making one major improvement to your workplace this year.
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