Author: Fabrizio

Exceptions and rules

Fabrizio3 Comments

If a customer (or a potential one) shows up with a request that is not in line with your procedures, processes, habits, or even product or service, the generous thing to do is to make an exception.

If that requests gets asked more and more, than you have two options.

Change your procedures, processes, habits, product or service to incorporate the request. You invest time and energy in making a change, as you see that the customers that are asking for it are the ones you want to serve.

Or you say, “thanks, but that’s not what we do.” Not all customers are your customers after all, so it is ok to decide that those asking for that additional feature are not the ones you want to serve.

There’s actually a third option, one you should avoid, the worst one. Not do anything. Keep getting the request, leaving its satisfaction to the moment, juggling about without any clear indication if that’s something that belongs to you or not.

This wastes your time and that of your customers, and time is not something anybody has to spare.

In search of others

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Others do not owe it to you to treat you in a certain way because of your status or position.

Your wife will not treat you with love and care simply because you are a husband. Your kids will not look up to you in admiration all their life simply because you are a parent. Your employees will not seek guidance and listen to your advises simply because you are the boss. Your customers will not look forward to your next product or service simply because you are a multi-billion dollars organisation that can lobby their way through disliked laws and taxes.

It is important to remember two things.

First, treat others the way you’d like others to treat you. Be loving and caring with your wife, give time and attention to your kids, listen to your employees and empower them to take responsibilities, pay your fair share and give back to the community your customers belong to. That is a great first step. It belongs to you, and you don’t have to wait for nobody to give you permission to act that way.

Second, reward the behaviour you seek from others. A simple “thank you” can go a long way in many circumstances. Yet, as it will wear out soon enough, be ready to double down on rewarding in the long term. This requires that you know the people around you, and if you have been good with the first step, it will come easier and more natural.

What comes first?

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If you have something you are proud of and care about, rather than starting by listing all of its benefits and advantages, first ask.

Who is it for?Who is the audience, what are their characteristics, where do they hang out, and with whom, and for what.

How does it help them fulfill their purpose?What do they think about themselves and the world they live in, how do they want to shape their world, where does my idea stand in achieving this, will it be a tool in their hands, or the purpose itself, or a way to understand something before they go there.

Why should they care?How is my offer different from the other thousands (yes, there are that many), how can I make it different, what twist should I focus on, what should I avoid speaking of, what does resonate and what does not.

As much as they seem trivial, these questions often leave entrepreneurs and start-up founders speechless, or stuttering at best. It takes time to answer them, yet they can take you a very long way in understanding what to do next, where to take your idea, how to invest your next euro.

On this note, here is the bit that spakerd today’s thought (follow the link and check the video).

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Wisdom

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One of the things that most resonated with me from what has come out of Davos this year, are the words of anthropoligist Jane Goodall.

We have broken the link between intellect and wisdom. If we think of wisdom as love, compassion and making decisions not based on “how will this help me now”, “how will this help my bank account”, “how will it help in the next shareholders meeting”, “how will it help my next political campaign”. But “how will this decision I make today affect future generations”.

Jane Goodall

It is a most profound thought, and one that is applicable to many of the decisions we take day after day. How often do we stop to ask about the impact of our actions, words, choices on others?

Practicing wisdom also means using your knowledge for the greater good. It is a trait we need in leaders and businesses, nowadays more than ever.

Revolution and evolution

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Change can happen through revolution or evolution.

Revolution is when things turn around abruptly. It is usually a sudden change, one that is often associated with extreme measures. It creates fracture and discontinuity. The origin of the word is Latin – revolvere, literally “roll back”, “revolve”. Despite the current accepted meaning, therefore, it does not delineate a move or a push forward, a progression.

Evolution, on the other hand, is a slow and ongoing process. It is change, but over a considerable amount of time. So much so that one could possibly identify the different stages and find some kind of continuity. It also comes from a Latin word – evolvere, literally “unrolling”, “opening a scroll”, “revealing”. In its most profound sense, therefore, it does portray a discovery, and only later on it got associated with development and betterment.

Both are needed in certain situations.

Think of a company that has been badly administered for years, and is now on the verge of bankruptcy. The newly appointed CEO will most likely want a revolution in the way of doing things, a sudden change that could turn around and save the business.

On the other hand, if a company is not achieving the expected results with their marketing campaigns, it is auspicable that the new CMO would like to proceed by evolution, slowly bringing tactics in alignment with strategy.

The next time we see that something is not working around us, it is important we consider whether what is needed is a revolution or an evolution. The latter will work in most of the circumstances. Despite our sense of urgency and often misplaced understanding of what is important.

And often, when choosing it, we start building consensus and gathering appreciation, that also helps us “discover” in which direction we want to take the change.