Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!
I was in the state of Texas this week.
While in Austin, I stayed at the historic and beautiful Driskill hotel where the conference was held. We had the opportunity to hear one of the co-authors of the Blue Ocean Strategy, Gabor George Burt,
talk about things like innovation and infatuation.
Often at this conference, leaders are encouraged to think differently. We all get caught in ruts and so a nudge to move forward involves discomfort, skepticism and is usually followed by appreciation.
As the keynote speaker, he posed some thought provoking questions. He also predicted most would only get 2 out of 5 correct. Take the quiz before reading any further and see how you do.
Number 1:
If you were an animal, which one would you be? (Narrow choices to eagle, lion or opossum)
Number 2:
What business are you in? (Be succinct)
Number 3:
Who are your most important competitors?
Number 4:
What is the starting and stopping point of a typical customer’s experience cycle with your offering?
Number 5:
On a scale of 1 to 10, how closely linked is customer satisfaction to your strategic success?
Potential answers
Each requires more explanation than I have space for but I’ll put the discussed response and you can dig up more from Gabor if you are provoked.
1. Opossum-adaptability. Only animal that plays dead as a defense mechanism…
2. Multiply joy, divide pain
3. Perhaps the ones you can collaborate with.
4. There shouldn’t be such a thing.
5. “2” Satisfaction is not good enough any more. It should be infatuation.
What do people want?
“People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
Steve Jobs
“The human equation is to multiply joy and divide pain.
Pain shared is pain divided.
Joy shared is joy multiplied.”
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, army psychologist, author
“Think about your work situation. Do you treat your creativity like a fossil fuel—a limited resource that must be conserved—or have you harnessed the unending power of the sun? Are you in an environment where creativity thrives? Is there room for new ideas every day? Can you make room?”
Biz Stone, Author of “Things a little bird told me”
It has taken me decades to identify what I want. Perhaps some of these notions will speed up your timeline.
Have a blessed weekend!
Tenacious Cadence 