Give Yourself a Deadline

All innovation comes from pissed-off people wrote Tom Peters in the foreword to Re-Imagine! It was 5 years ago and many of the things he wrote - and has been talking about - have by and large still not been implemented.

Let's try it out to see if that's true, especially as it relates to customer conversation, that new business means:

New context - this requires agility, making temporary alliances - did you see how Frank from Comcast was more helpful to Jeff Jarvis, than his own cable company recently? Maybe lots of cable, and little vision or visibility into the importance of fixing problems.

New technology - are we taking the tools at hand to be helpful, to be of service, to turn the experience upside down, to make it worth having? Right there, right now in each interaction, no matter where it happens.

In the same thread referenced above, there is an interesting suggestion that the tools at hand can be used not just to respond to customers faster, but to streamline issues to have ready answers for them when they call and before they become widespread affecting hundreds.

New value - excellent quality and timely service that creates enterprise transformation. I'm thinking so far we're scratching the surface on this one. Are we still fixing issues and bugs with products and services or are we truly dedicated to customers' success? Let's try a test - do people in your organization say, it's not in my goals? How frequently do they say that? Does your management team notice loyalty to solutions?

New brand - integrated marketing is everything that happens inside and outside and organization in the creation, delivery, and support of a product or service. The customer experience is also your brand. Organizations can design experience in the same way they design products, and it works one interaction at a time. It's personal, and it can make a big difference.

New markets - Peters talked about women and the aging population as new markets. I'm still not seeing enough companies that have read that chapter. In the car market alone, women either make decisions or influence decisions for 90% of purchases. Yet, most of the marketing and service of cars is still geared towards men. This is an opportunity for companies that can move with agility, and use blogs to fill that vacuum. Guess where I would go for advice if I were shopping around for a new car?

New work - does everyone want to change the world today? Probably not. But people want to do work that matters. The ability to act on issues is the most liberating factor in customer-facing positions. A business leader is one who doesn't shrink from or delegate a problem - they welcome it, they move towards it as an opportunity to make a difference.

New people - the more you think like an entrepreneur, the better you'll fare. This means learning to thrive in ambiguity, always be closing (dealing with an issue and a problem especially), nurturing your network - inside and outside the organization - and cultivating passion for renewal. This means working on optimism, creating your own work, articulating your value, and integrating your passions. Can you look at your job as a business? What would you change if you did?

New mandate - burn the box, writer Peters. There is no box. Of all of the ideas, this is the one we're still the least prepared for. He closes this chapter and the book with and interesting dichotomy that goes from planning to acting, analyzing to building alliances with the customer in a networked, intangible (data), virtual, faster, loosely-tied, "I don't know" kind of environment. While some of the conditions may indicate we're there, I'm seeing command-and-control cultures win, still.

Are you disappointed? Maybe a little? Or maybe you're as mad as hell, as Tom would say. Could our lack of achievement be because we haven't given ourselves a deadline? 

Today at Fast Company Expert blog we talk about how to give your company service deadlines.

[image of Grandfather Clock Face by stevendepolo]

Comments

[John Spence]

Another fantastic post Valeria, I’ve been working with a number of clients right now who are undergoing tectonic shifts in their business environments. It has been very hard for some folks to handle the velocity and volume of change that is being thrust upon them. Although it is extremely difficult, I think the only way to keep your sanity is to realize that even though I was also at playing and winning the game... the rules of the game have completely changed and I will need to change dramatically in order to win at this new game too. Is it fair? NO Is it hard? YES Is it fun? Only if you decide to make it so. In the business world of new context, new technology, new value, new brand, new markets, new work, new people and a new mandate it is time to set a deadline for a new way of adding value and truly delighting the customer. Change can be scary or exhilarating... the choice is completely up to the individual.

[siobhan bulfin]

Another great post Valeria. And as Seth said; 'If it was easy, everyone would be doing it'
Siobhan

[Valeria Maltoni]

@John - velocity and volume are two good ways of looking at it. You won't win by being a "me too" or "also was" in this environment. Adding value to me means enabling others to create and do.

@Siobhan - indeed, some days it feels as if it was particularly tricky to do. I think we get it intellectually, somewhat emotionally, some of us viscerally. Doing is still hard.

[Pramod]

You are absolutely right! Pissed-off people can innovate but for true change you probably need the pissed-off person to also have a deadline :)

[peter]

Hi Valeria,

There is only one "real" dead line in life the rest is simply degrees impatience, longing and distraction.

Lines of opportunity are always rolling into the shore of our present.

Today I surfed waves that originated from a storm a 1000 miles away. By the time they reached me they were powerful and perfectly formed. Tomorrow the wind will blow close to shore . The waves will not travel far, be disorganised and weak.

I've noticed a similar thing goes on in the back ground of life ( the curious thing is that we are by our actions the source of the wave and by our mind the surfer).

As an aside, the "box" is also a curious thing - I find It can be thought into but can't be thought out of. This is not just a trite juxtaposition.

Peter

exists but its not what it seems. For me, I have no box but every day I'm called to think into the box

[Scott Rowe]

Great Post! Most are inspired on a regular basis either by our personal experiences or by learning about the experiences of others. I have spent many nights trying to understand why current offerings or solutions don't solve all of the problems I see. Part of it is obviously the strategy of the initial creator, and understanding that our own goals may not match up.

Just as often though it seems the creators have simply missed the mark. They haven't spent the time to truly understand the target audience and more importantly the sub audiences.

Due to the web 2.0 business model we have now all been trained to do now and think later. In hopes that people like you will find it useful. 37signals development of Basecamp is a perfect example. The firm developed a project management tool for internal use and simply made it public.

I love the premise of "burning the box". We are making large changes within our organization to promote true integration, not simply lip service. Going into it we understood that without deadlines for planning, structure and implementation that it simply wouldn't happen. Luckily for us it is happening and we are beginning to see successes in the mew mindset.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Pramod - indeed, combinations are powerful.

@Peter - degrees if impatience gave me a chuckle - how true! Thinking into the box... I would not have seen/thought of that, but it now makes sense. Thank you.

@Scott - do you think it's also a matter of language? More and more, especially with Twitter, I find that there is a mismatch of what someone is saying and what they intend... well, you know what they say about walking in someone else's shoes. It's true.

[Scott Rowe]

@Valeria - One of the worst parts of communicating online is the loss of tonality and perspective. How many email have you sent over the years that were perceived in a completely different way than you intended? Twitter and every other social networking application for that matter, have the same issue.

When communicating externally, it is very important to select the correct individual within your organization. A well crafted message has a better chance of being interpreted as it was intended. That's why there are professional writers/communicators.

In regards to my initial post, we all have different experiences and to some extent needs. every organization while in an industry have different structures and processes. So when developing a solution for that industry, you can only create what works well for everyone and not what is perfect for a few.

My biggest point is that while I love the new business model in that we just do as opposed to plan everything out to the Nth degree, that isn't always a benefit. I love Twitter and think it is here to stay for at least a while. But it is also important to understand that it was a tool initially designed to be used as basically a recorded IM conversation. It has changed and grown to a service with millions of users but at the same time has no revenue generation model in place to make it a sustainable long term business. I am certain there are many brilliant people within the organization that will soon announce a plan but we haven't seen anything yet.

[Melissa]

Very thought provoking article. With so many new developments coming to the forefront it is important for businesses to embrace these developments and be able to offer a quality product while adapting to these developments. If businesses are not keeping up with new aspects of business they are going to be left in the dust.