The single key to great success.
Differentiation has regularly been trotted out as the core of success. In the absence of some sort of differentiation to a target market, all you have is price. It is an argument that I have used for 50 years. Problem is, it is only half the story....
To successfully innovate, ask better questions.
Innovation sessions typically involve an expensive consultant who has some sort of manicured track record exhorting the group to 'Be creative, let your mind wander, nothing is silly, think outside the box' sorts of session. That does not work very well,...
Heretic customers point the way.
Contrary to the myth, the customer is not always right. However, the customer should always be heard. You learn a lot from customers, particularly the ones who leave, are dissatisfied and complain, or who exist at the fringes of your market, or even in a market...
Enduring culture change demands action
Executing a culture change in an organisation is the first port of call in most improvement projects. Sometimes it is a minor task, often it is the major one. There have been libraries written on the challenges of culture change, from 'The 10 best ways...
Where does public responsibility hide?
The execution of Philip Lowe on Friday displays what is to me a worrying dismissal of the responsibilities the government holds over the fate of the economy. This is despite the polite words of mutual admiration and respect, that is what it was, an...
When does a forecast become a prediction?
Our corporate culture demands that we forecast outcomes in the early stages of almost any project. Accountants feed on the IRR numbers, and these outcomes find themselves incorporated into all sorts of budgets for which people are held accountable. They...
The good and bad of AI impact on SME’s
Anyone who reads my stuff on any sort of regular basis will know I have been deeply engaged with the potential impact of AI on all of us, since I stumbled across ChatGPT in early December last year. Of particular interest is the apparent potential...
The classic disruption timeline
As a kid in the sixties, some of my friends had extensive record collections, mostly albums, but also singles of the 'hits' from albums. The Beatles dominated, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band selling millions of copies when released in 1967, and was...
The great marketing opportunity delivered by tough times.
A hundred years of practical experience and academic research proves that cutting marketing budgets during tough times is the worst thing you can do. Most do it, simply because it is easy, seems sensible to the uninitiated, and often prevents yelling from the...
The case for doing something boring. Wool.
All the recent focus of industry development, Control of IP, and sovereign manufacturing, has been on High tech. Should we, or perhaps why don't we, look to areas where we have dropped the ball in the past, but still have the opportunity to shape world...