Apr 12, 2011 | Customers, Innovation, Marketing, Social Media
It seems only a short time ago I stumbled across the reality that mobile devices and their GPS capabilities could be used as tools to entice customers in various ways, almost like spruikers outside “that” sort of establishment . Suddenly they are everywhere, and blogs are popping up to tell you how they work, spreading the word still more quickly, and the use is exploding in the US.
Today the iPhone app used by Tesco to market product offers direct to customers based on their purchase history was demonstrated to me by a Tesco customer. The purchase data is captured at the checkout, by swiping a Tesco card at the checkout, but you do not need the card, there is an app that provides the code by swiping the phone over the reader. Your product and brand preferences, baskets, purchase intervals, location, time of day, and a wealth of data is analysed, and tailored offers sent to your phone. This is a remarkably powerful marketing tool, now a relatively mature application (ie older than 6 months, and working) in the UK, and Tesco seem to be experimenting and innovating constantly, staying ahead of the game.
For Australians, most of this stuff is still fantasy, the “connected” group who think beyond facebook, have seen comment and descriptions, but not the application, at least not in Australia. However, it is just around the corner, coming to a supermarket near you!!
Apr 10, 2011 | Innovation, Strategy
This appears to be a counter intuitive statement, but when you think about it, the outcome, innovation is all about directing resources to where they will deliver the best outcome, seeing the opportunity, managing towards a common goal, enhancing the customer experience, and so on.
How do you learn to do all this stuff better if not by understanding the risks and rewards of particular courses of action, being prepared to try them without betting the farm, learn from the outcomes, then refocusing and trying again? In other words, managing the risks by gathering data, understanding the drivers of behavior from experience and knowledge rather than gut feel.
The risk management behavior here is not the bloke in the green eye-shade who naysays everything, stopping anything that has less than an entirely predictable outcome, rather it is a process of continuous improvement of understanding of where the edge of the current envelope lies, and pushing hard to move it along.
Apr 10, 2011 | Collaboration, Leadership, Management
This note is being written on a plane, somewhere over Asia in the middle of a long flight to the UK to see a few who can contribute to my store of knowledge, and hopefully I to theirs.
It is a time of few distractions, the phone is off, nobody at the door, no meetings scheduled, email is off, just head-time.
Amongst the stuff put aside for such moments is this note from Paul Graham which I think highlights a basic challenge faced by “knowledge workers,” those of us whose contribution is measured by something other than volume of output, the time in attendance, and the appearance of “busy”. It is also a significant challenge for those who are supposed to lead us, rather than just manage our output.
So if you are a leader, I encourage you to apply my rule 1 of marketing: “see it from the other blokes perspective”, next time you find yourself feeling inclined to call a meeting that involves others who work to what Paul has called “makers time”.
Apr 7, 2011 | Collaboration, Leadership, Lean
Management structures have flattened and globalised at the same time, radically changing the way collaboration happens. Now virtual teams work across all sorts of boundaries, and have created a new set of challenges.
Traditional management simply does not work effectively, so new sets of behaviors are evolving to enable virtual teams to be managed, and to manage themselves. The tools all revolve around mutual obligation and trust, a recognition that the direct and control management style has outlived its usefulness, and it is the outcome of the team activity that is important, not necessarily the way you get there.
The foundation of successful self and virtually managed teams is a very solid framework of shared objective, collaborative behaviors, and stable processes that can be continuously improved. Sounds easy, but it is very hard, and takes a long termview and great leadership to achieve anything worthwhile.
Apr 7, 2011 | Leadership, Management
Management and leadership are not the same.
For years I have advocated this self evident truth, and occasionally something comes along to confirm, again, the essential truth that leaders lead, and managers just take care of the details.
Leadership in a tough place is often personified by individuals in the military, none I suspect better than Stan McChrystal former US commander in Afghanistan, who shares on TED.
