Roy's Blog: November 2010
November 26, 2010
Forget the Silver Bullet
There is no silver bullet in changing the culture of an organization, just as there is no single brilliant idea that will guarantee the survival of an organization in today’s world; no single solution or idea that will suddenly, overnight, protect it from demise.
Rather, cultural change is a game of inches, where the objective is to get as many people in the organization trying as many different approaches as possible, and achieving fast increments of progress along the way.
What happens is that the passionate actions of a few individuals begin to infect the masses; more and more Be Different activity is created and a new momentum begins.
This sustainable new momentum, in turn, defines the new culture of the organization: a culture that embraces creativity and innovation, and a business that can look forward to a long and prosperous life.
Cheers,
Roy
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November 25, 2010
Roy’s Rule of 3
So, here you are. You have plotted a new course for your organization and now you need to determine the activities you need to undertake to see your brave idea turn into reality. You sit down either by yourself or with a team of people to decide what has to be done. You stand with a clean sheet of paper and issue the directive ‘Let’s brainstorm and identify all the things we need to do to implement our new plan’. Good idea?
Well, it can be or it can create alot of activity but little movement forward. It’s ok to create a ‘list of possibilities’ of activities and projects that you feel should be undertaken, but if you don’t apply a strict prioritization discipline and screen the list to the critical few, then you will be constantly chasing things in a reactive mode and will never know if you are making progress (the reality is that progress will elude you in this mode of operation).
The issue is that if you want to successfully execute your new strategy you need to bear down on as few activities as necessary to get results. You simply don’t have enough resources and bandwidth to do an effective job on 25 things you have on your brainstorming list. Multitasking is deadly when you are trying to change your strategic direction and need to take on new things.
Enter Roy’s Rule of 3 which I discuss in Chapter Sixteen of my book BE DiFFERENT or be dead.
Determine the 3 things (or maybe 4 or 5, but NOT a dozen!) that will produce 80% of your expected results and get on with them. The point is that you need to look at your brainstorming list and discriminate between those activities or action items that are critical and those that are not in terms of delivering your expected results. If you can’t define the critical few, it indicates that you really don’t understand your strategy and what execution is necessary to get you going.
Jim Collins, Author of Good to Great says it this way “If you have more than three priorities then you don’t have any.”
Spend time on Roy’s Rule…. it will pay off handsomely for you.
Cheers,
Roy
Remember to follow me on Twitter
Recent Articles
The Return on Customer Learning is ENORMOUS
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November 22, 2010
The Return on Customer Learning is ENORMOUS
I argue that traditional Market Research doesn’t go far enough to establish a BE DiFFERENT organization. Periodic studies can’t keep pace with the changing needs of your FANS and everyone uses it. Customer Learning, on the other hand, is a continuous process of learning what your customers want, desire and covet. And it is a core competency of your business which should never be outsourced.
What’s the key to Customer Learning? It’s all about LISTENING. No I mean REALLY listening to what people have to say. Pay attention to their words and the results are remarkable; give it lip service and you are doomed. Here is a brief guide on how to be an effective Listener:
CUSTOMER LISTENING =
LOOK - them in the eye. Don’t Grin ‘em. Give them your undivided attention. Show that you CARE about what they have to say. Lean forward.
LISTEN - Really listen! Ask questions to clarify. Take copious amount of notes. Don’t interrupt them when they are speaking. It’s about them not you.
LEARN - This is a Moment of Strategic Opportunity; don’t miss it. Discover a Secret. Look for hidden VALUE that you can create for them; latent Happiness you can generate.
What’s the RETURN ON CUSTOMER LISTENING ROCL?
LOYALTY - Your FANS will stay with you and tell others how terrific you are. Advocates & Addicted followers create annuity streams for you.
LEAP - Beyond the herd who still compete by incremental product feature creep. You will achieve Distinction; Remarkable.
LEAVE - ‘em in the dust. True separation from the herd. Clear unique value proposition that others will simply not be able to replicate.
Cheers,
Roy
Remember to follow me on Twitter
Take the BE DiFFERENT Quiz: Are you DiFFERENT or are you dead?
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