What happens when you take a £3m violin, a virtuoso violinist and a platform for them to perform? Well, the answer is - it all depends. If the platform is the mass transport system of Washington DC or the Concert Hall with tickets going at $100 and more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myq8upzJDJc At least two lessons to reflect on here: The first is pretty prosaic and pertains to that classic of the 4 Ps of Marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. You have to get all four right. A brilliant product is nowhere near enough. The second is more metaphysical and probably best captured by Weingarten: “If we can’t take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that — then what else are we missing?” … [Read more...]
Product, Price, Place and Promotion – lessons for the entrepreneur from a virtuoso violinist
Some forgotten truths about enterprise…
Poverty is not about scarcity – it is not that there is not enough – but that it is not shared The challenge is to give more people the power that they need to play a positive and powerful role in markets; This means accessible and relevant processes to develop individual capabilities and power Markets will always have a place in our society but not everything can be bought and sold. Care for example is an emotional relationship that cannot be bought and sold. Development is a measure of the extent to which individuals have the capabilities to live the life that they choose. It has little to do with standard economic measures such as GDP. Helping people to recognise choices and increase the breadth of choices available to them should be a key objective of development. Developing the capability and power of individuals provides a key to both development and freedom Development must be relevant to lives, contexts, and aspirations Development is about more than the alleviation of problems – stamping out anti social behaviour, teenage pregnancies, poor housing and so on. It is about helping people to become effective architects in shaping their own lives We need practices that value … [Read more...]
What Can You Learn from Netflix Culture?
There is some great content here, but then there should be in a 128 slide deck! This is not to be presented, but read. And thought about. Look at how this information is communicated. Performance on this in the private sector is often poor. Performance in public and third sectors is usually worse, in my experience, because the disconnect between espoused values and reality is often wider. In very small businesses it is not a big issue. But as things scale up, as middle managers and team leaders start to appear this type of issue can become 'make or break'. Everyone is clear on what works at Netflix. Employees, customers and shareholders. How do you communicate about culture? Do words and actions match up in your organisation? What can you do to improve things? … [Read more...]
The Boss’s Lie
"What I want is someone who will do what I tell them to." "What I want is someone who works cheap." "What I want is someone who shows up on time and doesn't give me a hard time." So if this is what the boss really wants, how come the stars in the company don't follow these three rules? From Seth Godin's Linchpin … [Read more...]
Complexity from Simplicity
This video provides a useful and at times very beautiful introduction to the topics of complexity and emergence - which offer us a very different way to think about our organisations and how we manage them. and this one takes the journey a little further: If you want to see how you can use these ideas to improve your leadership and management then do get in touch. … [Read more...]
Value our People More or Social Enterprise will be Lost
This is the title of an interesting post by Adrian Ashton over at Social Enterprise. Adrian cites major problems with both pay and prospects with 60% of those working in the sector expecting to leave it within the next 5 years. there are various strategies and policies around how social enterprise is going to save the world, but in all the hype and excitement we must be careful to remember that it can only do so if our people feel valued in doing so and we can retain them for the journey. So social enterprises must join the 'War for Talent'. At the heart of talent acquisition and retention is a single, simple question. What is our winning Employee Value Proposition (EVP)? What value can we offer employees that means they will join us, stay and develop their impact? And this is where the social enterprise sector has a potential significant advantage over many for profits. But an advantage that many social enterprises squander. A social enterprise can offer meaning, purpose, authenticity (the chance to do what I am 'meant' to be doing, to express who I really am through my contribution - to do 'good' work) and impact. It is not about pursuing profits but pursuing social justice. About building a … [Read more...]
Some thoughts on the Front Line
Front liners are capable of taking on far more responsibility than the boxes the system puts them in. Front liners are very modest about their own abilities and skills. Front liners want to do a great job for patients. Managers must learn to let go of more of the power they have thus allowing front liners to get on with the job. Managers must be there for support when front liners need it – they are well capable of judging when they need help. Sensible reflections from Trevor Gay's Simplicity blog I am sure that you will agree with much of it. But do you ACT on it? Or do you let 'the system' get in the way? … [Read more...]
Focussing On Deviance and Missing Beauty
I often meet managers who are obsessed with plans and performance. As a result they tend to focus on deviance. Things that go wrong, that don't meet the plan. As a result they find it hard to see and acknowledge the good stuff. The vast majority of their feedback is about problems and they fail to acknowledge or even see the good work that is done every day. If you need convincing that you only see what you are looking for try this video for size. Share this Post … [Read more...]
Conducting and Leadership
Find yourself half an hour and wathc ths wonderful video to learn about leadership from conductor Itay Talgam. Looks at various conducting styles and teaches profoundly while entertaining! Share this Post … [Read more...]
