I ordered two items online Monday night at 7:30 PM. Today, Wednesday, in the middle of the afternoon, I received an email providing a UPS tracking number for one of the items. It isn’t in the UPS system yet however and the best arrival date suggested is Friday, two days away. The worst case specified is a week from tomorrow. I paid $5 in shipping charges for this item. Let’s call this Company A. The other item arrived yesterday afternoon. Less than 24 hours after placing my order. I paid nothing for shipping; they upgraded my shipping method free of charge. Furthermore, I will pay nothing for shipping if I return the item. I would have ordered both items from this company but they didn’t have my size. Let’s call this Company B. Is Company A clueless about their competition? Or do they make all their money on the items Company A runs out of? They were slightly cheaper, but not for long if returns are involved and shipping charges add up. Or perhaps they are counting on people not discovering Company B. Does Company B have a great strategy? What do you think? Anyone care to guess the name Company B? If you guessed Zappos.com you would be correct. You can’t argue with service like that!
SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. It’s an analysis tool frequently used for formulating strategy. Unfortunately, it is simplistic, random, and misguided. Typically, members of a strategy team collaborate to fill the four quadrants of a double axis chart, two reflecting the internal state of the company (strengths and weaknesses), and two reflecting the external world (opportunities and threats). From there, a strategy is supposed to emerge. But is this a good approach for aligning the company’s strengths and resources behind the greatest opportunities? No. SWOT as an approach to strategy formulation is flawed for many reasons. The Customer is Conspicuously Absent There is no C in SWOT. No V either. And yet, creating value for the customer is the name of the game. How can you not start with the customer? Market need, desire, and change, the most important factors, are merely a subset of one of the four SWOT boxes. That is too little too late.
Secretly now, do you cringe when you hear people talk about missions, visions and values? Do you feel like the business world got lost in the semantic twilight zone years ago? Ever seen a company spend tons of time, energy and money trying to navigate the mumbo-jumbo of strategy development while the obvious was neglected? I’ve felt it and I’ve seen it so I know just how you feel. Somehow, the entire process of developing a strategy, which is a completely natural process to many, has been derailed and obfuscated. There is more focus on the quality of the vision statement than the value of the vision it is meant to express. Your mission statement may be in limbo because it is said to be missing a critical required component even though your personal sense of mission may be strong and clear as can be. Books and speakers seem to differentiate themselves by promoting yet another set of definitions and process handcuffs. Bright people are silenced by their embarrassment at having to ask repeatedly for clarification.
Every time I see an XFINITY commercial I wonder if I have it. I probably do; I have several Comcast services. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the word on their bills. Of course those could just be more ads. But I have no idea what XFINITY is. And I have even less interest in finding out. It is just this word that comes hurtling after me when the TV is on. How sad. Think of the enormous quantities of money Comcast is spending in marketing something so confusing and so meaningless. Or maybe it’s just me. Does anyone think XFINITY is cool? Something you’ve just got to have?
Is your organization quick to pick the low hanging fruit? Do you gravitate first to the quick and easy? Are you prone to delay the bigger projects until you get those little ones out of the way? Low hanging fruit is, by definition, quick and easy to implement, thus the lure to pick it is compelling. And picking the first piece usually exposes another, leading to an infinite quantity of low hanging temptations. While some of these quick fixes make excellent investments, many do not, and the nearly infinite supply can become a black hole for your limited resources. Not only are the quick and easily-visualized fixes compelling, but the more important, strategic opportunities are often exactly the opposite because they can involve fundamental changes in how things are done.
In trying to find someone to video tape an upcoming speech, I turned to LinkedIn. Within a short radius of the Massachusetts venue, I found a great number of possibilities. Only problem is most provide a first name, last initial, and no website. If you want to have a secret business, whatever you do, don’t let the cat out of the bag! When I visited websites of others, I was exasperated to find no names and no contact info. Where’s Waldo? Why are you even on LinkedIn? You can’t be completely hidden and expect to succeed in business!
While trying to replace window weather stripping, my husband and I discovered that some windows pealed off easily in long strips and others wouldn’t peel at all. Worse, they were gummy and awful requiring paint thinner, scraping, and scrubbing. Speculating that we must have switched brands mid application a few years ago, we vowed never to use a cheap alternative again even if it meant having to drive across six counties to get “the real thing.” Now I have no idea what the top brand seal and peel is, probably Seal and Peel, but I know we will ask before buying more. And we will gladly pay a higher price!
The good news? Many companies have finally decided that they can’t just wait for the recovery to come to them. After all, it might not! The bad news? Many are latching onto misguided methods for plotting their course. If you’ve been around, as I have, you’ve probably witnessed these scenarios. 1. Brainstorm and Vote The exact process varies but it boils down to creating a big list of everyone’s ideas and picking the favorites. Strategic planning should not be a popularity contest. Nor should your choices be limited to a random assortment of ideas, many old, many in the news, and most constrained by current assumptions and beliefs about the organization, the competition, and the market.
Despite high unemployment, I know many companies who just can’t find good candidates to fill openings. There are many possible reasons such as unrealistic expectations or unusual experience requirements. Or, they may just be boring. Here is a snippet from a newsletter I received from DreamHost. Do you think they will get some energized and talented inquiries? I do. “Here’s something you don’t hear much of anymore… “We’re hiring. And not only that, we’re hiring like crazy. Right now these jobs are holes with no pegs. Pumpkins with no guts. Glazed donuts with no…donut holes. We’re hiring across the board with openings in nearly every department. Human Resources, Marketing, Product Development, Software Development… You name it, there’s got to be SOMETHING here you’re good at.
While on the Mass Pike (in the passenger seat, to be exact), my iPhone popped up with the wireless option “PeterPanFreeWIFI.” I spun around quickly and sure enough, a Peter Pan bus had just passed in the other direction. Twice more this fairy dust message appeared and twice more I spun around and smiled. What great publicity! I am unlikely to forget anytime soon that Peter Pan offers free WIFI on their buses.I wonder how soon they will be interested in changing the name of their wireless network to “Call Uncommon Clarity today!”