2 most dangerous ideas…
Imagine you are at a company meeting, pouring over the performance figures trying to eek out more revenue. Not hard to imagine as for many people the reality of ‘having a meeting’ at work is just that but should it be? The specter of management drilling down trying to identify the weaknesses is all too familiar. Every time this happens the reality is strengthened and sure to happen again. They say that ‘if you want to understand the future, look to the past’. This is true to some extent, no doubt knowing where you came from will help you understand why you are where you are. The mistake many bosses make is to try to flog a dead horse and double down on tried and tested ideas in the hope of miraculous results. I am convinced that some companies only understand failure and are unwittingly preventing success. I once worked in a competitive sales environment which , at times, bordered on the aggressive but was hamstrung by past habits. The truth is that , as my very good friend from Tel Aviv used to say…’the fish rots from the head!’ If the person holding the check book is set in their ways the chances of implementing effective change are slim. Moreover, the chances of seeing long term effective change is unlikely and this is where most people fail.
Perseverance in the deployment of business strategy is key to positive results.
If you watch this weeks Vidiotheque , with Scot Combs, you will see the true but nonetheless amazing story of one of our clients over the past 4 years.
Remarkable is it not? The story behind the story is that the owner was immersed in traditional advertising and reluctant to try a different approach. Slowly but surely elements of the strategy were deployed over a period of time. Each element was given time to percolate through the system and the effects were easily shown. As confidence grew in the owner’s mind that ‘he was on to something’ he allowed greater scope to the content reach. Ultimately the owner has become a driver, he is pushing for expanded content and understands the benefits on all levels, not just financial. This is where he escaped from one of the most dangerous ideas in business, namely the idea that ‘we have always done it that way’. Due to his courage and trust in us he was able to look objectively at his past performance through new eyes. He could do this because he now had an alternative approach to consider. The lack of options forces many a company to decline as many think it is ‘better the devil you know’.
He also became deeply involved in the process and was comfortable to ask questions. How many times do we hear ‘this may be a silly question but…’? There is no such thing as a silly question, the more questions are asked the more we understand. This idea is the second most destructive way of thinking for a business and he freed himself from the burden of business ego and allowed himself to be educated in the ways of content marketing…and us in the craftsmanship of basement waterproofing!
‘Plan your work and work your plan’…
see you on the long and winding road…….. Patrick