 Once upon a time a friend described for me a project he was working on. As I waited for the details I became captivated by the events he was telling me about. First there were gatherings. People greeted each other, conversed and settled. Then he told me of all the wonderful things they did while they were together. They "brainstormed" and imagined. They went off into small groups and scattered around the property. He was really excited to tell me how they could go inside and out and be captivated by the wonderful designs each had. Then he began to tell me about how this place was sustainable. "Imagine," he roared enthusiastically "that on some days there was a NET GAIN in energy! Even with all the people working all day - this building was designed in a manner so there would be a contribution of energy to the grid just from its use!" At his point I snapped back from my state of complete captivation and did the only thing I was capable of doing as he exuberantly waved for emphasis, I said, "Huh?" My friend is an Architect. I should say he's a storyteller the way he weaves people and their lives and use of his buildings with energy, imagination, possibility and most importantly function. The ability to confront a challenge (as he does daily), create alternatives and possibilities that concretely confront the challenge is something I find inspiring. Upon reflection it seems to be what we all do daily. What my fiend the Architect reminded me of is the power of imagination to create solutions and more importantly stories. What he reinforced is the captivating energy to be found when I infuse a child-like enthusiasm into my tasks. The kind a good story has the ability to provide. Economics is the study of incentives how individuals & systems respond. A common belief is value drives decision-making. When working with executives to discern why the sales component of the organization under-preforms or consistently misses targets, I start with a simple premise: people will by an inferior product for more money because they are comfortable with the people they do business with. This dynamic flies in the face of incentives. Try explaining it to organizational leadership wondering why the new widget they invested development, manufacturing & promotional monies to commercialize.
People are creatures of habit. No habit is more entrenched than one that provides comfort. The idea that anyone would pay more money and receive less value than could otherwise be had is confounding...on paper. In reality the unseen value is the relationship embedded within the transaction. It often provides, you guessed it, comfort to the purchaser. I usually point to the company's current sales to reinforce how this dynamic works in their favor. As you might imagine I'm not always the most welcome voice in a room! Suffice to say when an organization understands the embedded value of relationships - how they are built, managed and acknowledged - within their P & L, this serves as a gateway to innovation. Once that process is consistently engaged the sale not made becomes an opportunity to create the value that is incredibly hard to dislodge, no matter what they are selling. |
Author(s)Blair & Fell expounding, thinking, sharing, hoping, wondering. Archives
April 2022
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