“How to use a paper towel” and the problem with easy solutions

“Well if that’s all I had to do that would be easy” How many times has this been your response to someone proposing a very simple solution?

Often the biggest problem with things that are easy to do is not that they don’t fix the problem, it’s that they are also easy NOT to do. This was pretty clear to me when I saw this TED talk on reducing waste by learning how to properly use a single paper towel to dry your hands.

Now think about all the “Easy Solutions” that failed to work in your business; Counting your inventory and keeping it accurate, keeping bank accounts up to date and reconciled, reviewing your bills each month for areas to cut costs. How many times have you searched and asked for a better way to solve a problem, only to find the solution really was the simple solution you already knew?

Next time be honest, does it not work, or is it just easier not to do?

The iphone, The Telegraph and the Customers in Between

Steve was the first person in our office to get an Iphone. In fact, Steve was the first person I knew to get an iphone, and an ipad for that matter. Steve always seems to know what the new gadgets are, and is always finding new programs and software to make his life easier, Steve is an early adopter.

I like to pretend I’m an early adopter, but in reality I’m part of the large middle. The people who wait until the early adopters have tested things out before buying them. I just got an iphone this year and while I think it’s awesome, I’m fine with not upgrading for another two years.

Then there’s my friend, let’s call him Brian (not his real name). Not only does he not have a smart phone, he doesn’t even have a cell phone, and he’s perfectly happy that way. In fact if you recommend he GET a cell phone, he’ll dig in his heels with all the reasons he’s happier without one. His resistance to joining the modern world is a sense of pride. He is a laggard, but I mean that in the most positive way i can.

“Well I don’t sell cell phones, why do I care?” The three examples above represent the 3 stages of customers when it comes not just to new technology, but to change in general. Given that the accounting industry isn’t known for it’s cutting edge tech or rapid change, it’s a pretty safe assumption that your business and customers face just as much change as we dom if not more. In our world, it’s e-filing and paperless workflow, in your world it may be location-based advertising and crowdsourcing, but the problems are the same. You have some customers eager to try out the new services, the large middle and then the stalwart defenders of the old way. While you will always have that curve when implementing change within and outside of your organization, it’s important to know where the important segment of your customers lie.

If you have a solid base of early adopters, keep them interested with updates, sneak-peeks of changes and where possible involve them in the feedback process. They’ll reward you by talking about your product and maybe with recommendations of improvements from a fresh perspective.

If you rely strongly on the large middle, they aren’t as interested in the development process as they are in that it does what it says it does, works well and isn’t too expensive. Reward them by doing extensive testing of changes before implementing, and they will reward you with long-term product loyalty, that is of course until you fail to meet the above requirements, or someone else meets them cheaper.

One of the hardest and at the same time easiest groups to please can be the conservative last adopters. Just don’t change anything and they’ll be your customers until they (or you) die. Think back to “New Coke” and how their customers lashed out for changing the recipe they loved so much. There are, of course, situations where change is necessary, and in those instances it’s best to make the change as low impact as possible on this group. If you can succeed in not changing anything, this group will reward you with loyalty only parted by death, though if you fail to adapt to a changing world, it might be the death of your company, not your customers.

You don’t need to stay on the bleeding edge of technology to be successful, but that’s where your customers expect you to be, it’s not a bad idea.

What Bruce Lee knew about change

A quote that was flying around the office last week from Lord John Brown

“Giving up the illusion that you can predict the future is a very liberating moment. All you can do is to give yourself the capacity to respond”

Think of this on your scale with your organization. Don’t rely on predictions to succeed. Instead, create an adaptive organization that is ready for anything. “Are we ready?” It brought to mind this clip from Bruce Lee, one of my personal favorite pieces of philosophy.

The next time you are investing in “knowing” the future, instead think about being more adaptive and ready for change. Become the teapot.

Be water my friend.

The dangers of the “B.H.A.G” and why you should never get involved in a land war in Asia

We’ve all done it; we come across some radical new idea to transform ourselves or our business. Maybe it was the E-Myth where you mustered your resources to start a new business venture, maybe it’s an ambitious exercise regimen or after attending a dealers conference taking your established company paperless this year. Charged by inspiration and excitement (and maybe pride), you take on a monumental challenge with fearless resolve and all of a sudden you have a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) taking all of your time, energy and resources. The BHAG can be a great thing when undertaken with the proper approach, but if underestimated it can wipe out your resources, devastate morale and leave you with nothing to show for it.

in 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte was struck by a BHAG. Charged by his previous successes and undisputed dominance of the french empire, he thought he could beat the Russians and chased them all through the summer, all through the fall, finally stretched, weary and cold, returning home in the dead of the russian winter with a fraction of the forces he set out with. While Global domination may not be your BHAG, Napoleon demonstrated one of the classic blunders in history, mostly for the same reasons most of us fail with our BHAGs:

1. He didn’t define failure before he started – Most of us can come up with a clear picture of what our win looks like; a full lobby of customers, a scanner on every desk or a french flag in Moscow but on the inspiration rollercoaster often doesn’t come equipped with brakes. Setting the “quitting” parameters early such as a budget and timeframe can help you avoid a half-finished project in the middle of the busiest time of year.

• Know how expensive is too expensive – Write it down before you start and hold yourself accountable.
• Know when it MUST be finished by – If we have projects that aren’t finished by December, we know it will be much tougher to get them done in our busy season. Know your seasons and plan accordingly.
• Know where your quitting points are – In any projects, there are critical points where you have a choice to continue the project or quit. Take them seriously and don’t pass one until you know where the next one is.

2. He ignored the lessons of history – Napoleon’s was not the first failed invasion of Asia nor would it be the last and your BHAG is probably something you have tried and failed at before. The key is not to understand it can’t be done, it’s to learn WHY it failed previously and avoid the same pitfalls.

• Has this been tried before? Your industry has a history, and you are probably not the first adopter of this technology. If it’s new for your field, do your HW in the fields it started in.
• Study both the failures and the successes – The failures will help you know what to avoid, the successes will help you know how.

3. He let Pride come before Purpose – The greatest danger with Big Hairy Audacious Goals is that the goal itself can replace the purpose for which the goal was created. Napoleon’s goal was to expand the french empire the same as your goal may be to make a more efficient paperless office. He did take Moscow and you might have everything scanned, but if the workflow is so cumbersome that it now takes twice as long to accomplish the same work, have you succeeded?

• Why is this project important? You probably have some larger goal than just the project (efficiency, health, happiness, global domination) make sure THAT si what you are accomplishing. The project is just a means.
• If I fail am I more worried about what will happen or what people will think?

So the next time you are charged up on starting the next great project remember to do a little planning and avoid a land war in Asia.