FlintsNotes tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2007-08-29://1 2012-02-02T22:17:57Z Movable Type Publishing Platform 4.0 Business Management: Don't Defeat a Competitor, Create a Customer tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.496 2012-02-02T22:12:30Z 2012-02-02T22:17:57Z Observations/Reflections: On the Business' Focus Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Personal Written: 12/19/2011 Published: 02/02/2012 The purpose of business is not to defeat a competitor; the purpose of business is to create a customer. When I sit in a meeting... Austin McCraw The purpose of business is not to defeat a competitor; the purpose of business is to create a customer. When I sit in a meeting and the primary topic is the competitive threat, I know that the company is only becoming more vulnerable. The attention of the C-Suite should be on the customer, not the competitor. Is it ever appropriate for the C-Suite to think about competitors? Of course, but this conversation must always be disciplined by a more fundamental question: How can I serve my customer better than anyone else?
]]> What Causes the Greatest Pain in a Relationship? tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.495 2012-02-01T21:57:58Z 2012-02-01T22:10:33Z Observations/Reflections: On Pain in Relationships Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Personal Written: 12/13/2011 Published: 02/01/2012 The greatest pain in a relationship is not caused by a "bad person" who means us harm, but rather from a "good person" who means... David Jose ]]> Business Management: The Danger of Floundering between Perception and Reality tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.494 2012-01-31T20:48:16Z 2012-01-31T22:21:40Z Observations/Reflections: On Prospects and the Understanding of their Needs Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Business Management Written: 12/5/2011 Published: 01/31/2012 The challenge for many companies is misunderstood - It is not finding prospects that need what it has to offer,... David Jose The challenge for many companies is misunderstood - It is not finding prospects that need what it has to offer, but rather finding prospects who know that they need what it has to offer. Managers flounder in the gap between perception and reality. They are trained to think about data, facts, and rules. This strength obscures a corresponding weakness. They fail to account for the difference between "what is" and "what the prospect believes is." The latter initiates the experience of the former and thus takes initial precedence.
]]> Poetry: A Polaroid of the Heart tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.493 2012-01-30T18:41:36Z 2012-01-30T19:17:44Z Observations/Reflections: On Capturing Emotive States With Poetry Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Personal Written: 12/14/2011 Published: 01/30/2012 Poetry is a means of expressing the inexpressible. But I have found another use... Sometimes I author poetry to capture the emotive state... David Jose ]]> Personal Growth: The Problem with Trying to Fit into Cultural Stereotypes tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.492 2012-01-26T21:37:00Z 2012-01-26T21:52:49Z Observations/Reflections: On Resting Into Who You Are Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Personal Written: 12/12/2011 Published: 01/26/2012 As I grow older, I grow wary of adopting life-shaped stereotypes. Our culture has a series of forms and we try to fit... David Jose Person A from Person B; it allows us to predict behavior. The problem is these stereo-typical forms are restrictive. As I try to fit in any of them, my edges break off. I don't mean my rough edges, but rather the sharp edges of my soul. It can be very wearisome fitting oneself into someone's' ideal of a "scholar", or of an "entrepreneur", or of some spiritual archetype. There is a kind of integral honesty that comes from relaxing into who you are; that is the first step on the path to becoming who you are made to be.
]]> Does criticism from my team undermine my leadership? tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.490 2012-01-25T02:09:39Z 2012-01-25T02:17:39Z Observations/Reflections: On Receiving Criticism as a Leader Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Leadership Written: 12/19/2011 Published: 01/24/2012 Criticism from members of your team does not undermine your leadership; it undermines your stupidity. Encourage it.... David Jose ]]> The Role of the Executive: Marketing is a Key Responsibility of the CEO tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.489 2012-01-23T15:00:30Z 2012-01-23T15:29:38Z Observations/Reflections: Marketing is the Responsibility of the CEO Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Business Management Written: 12/06/2011 Published: 01/23/2012 When you disconnect the CEO from the marketer, you have two different operations taking place. This is why thinkers like Drucker... David Jose The CEO must bring parity between what the marketer says and what the business is. So, the CEO must understand (and guard) the business' value proposition, and then enable its effective communication. Ultimately, the CEO must guarantee alignment between the claim and the reality.
]]> Philosophical Misfire: Truth is meant to be lived not proven tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.488 2012-01-19T21:54:24Z 2012-01-19T22:22:10Z Observations/Reflections: On The Actualization of Doctrine Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Philosophy Written: 11/29/2011 Published: 01/19/2012 I think the value of the future tense (i.e. thinking about the future) is derived only from its impact on my present tense activity.... David Jose The truth is more than an object of argument. It is meant to be lived not proven. Proving is a means, not an end.
]]> Reading Selection: The difference between a great book and a book written by a great man tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.487 2012-01-18T21:47:26Z 2012-01-22T01:26:34Z Observations/Reflections: On Great Books Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Communication Written: 12/14/2011 Published: 01/18/2012 There is a difference between great writing and great living. And there is a difference between a great book and a book written by a... David Jose ]]> Offer Response Optimization: How to sustain velocity in the purchase process tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.486 2012-01-17T14:54:46Z 2012-01-17T15:11:24Z Observations/Reflections: Sustaining Velocity in the Purchase Process Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Communication Written: 11/29/2011 Published: 01/17/2012 The value proposition begins as an abstract concept, but the moment it is engaged by the prospect it enters the time-space continuum. It... David Jose The value proposition's force is sustained by velocity. This principle can be understood with four simple observations:
  1. At various points in the micro-yes series we may have difficulty adjusting the force of the value proposition so that the perceived value outweighs the perceived cost. This is because of business rules and/or various constraints.
  2. The key is to build enough forward momentum from the previous series of micro yes(s) so that the prospect will "roll on" through these potential "chokepoints."
  3. Now, if we aggregate too many of these chokepoints, or if we embed a chokepoint with too much constriction, purchase progress stops.
  4. The momentum is initiated by the value proposition, but it is mitigated by the friction of the process.
At MECLABS, we have pioneered a fundamental understanding of the micro-yes/conversion sequence, but we need to account for the importance of velocity in the purchase process.
]]> Friend or Foe? The essential role of empathy in any kind of relationship tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.485 2012-01-16T16:54:07Z 2012-01-16T17:10:46Z Observations/Reflections: On Empathy in Relationships Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Philosophy Written: 12/13/2011 Published: 01/16/2012 Empathy is the essential element of any relationship, be it with a friend or a foe. With a friend, it is the key to communicating... David Jose Love without empathy (for your friend or your foe) is discipline without emotion. There is a place for such discipline, but I am suspicious of it. When I can feel what the other person feels, I am able to care in a way that empowers genuine understanding.
]]> Business Insights: Two reasons why even a flagship product might decline in profit over time tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.484 2012-01-12T20:48:15Z 2012-01-12T21:02:46Z Observations/Reflections: On Declining Profit in a Flagship Product Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Business Management Written: 12/05/2011 Published: 01/12/2012 Declining profit on a flagship product can usually be attributed to one of two problems: weak management or a weak (ening)... David Jose The CEO is the ultimate steward of the value proposition.
]]> A Leader's Support Systems: Am I being productive or just indulging in self-importance? tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.483 2012-01-11T14:32:18Z 2012-01-11T14:47:10Z Observations/Reflections: The Purpose of a Financial Reserve Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Productivity Written: 11/18/2011 Published: 01/11/2012 Sometimes it's difficult to detect the difference between an extreme focus on productivity and an extreme focus on luxury. In both cases, the... David Jose One man has a driver because it makes him feel important; another has a driver because it helps him achieve more. In both cases, the leader may appear self-important. The difference is in the motive, and the indicator of the motive is in the functional outcome.
]]> What is the real (yet often misunderstood) purpose of a financial reserve? tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.482 2012-01-10T22:36:07Z 2012-01-11T14:56:33Z Observations/Reflections: The Purpose of a Financial Reserve Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Business Management Written: 11/29/2011 Published: 01/10/2012 Every leader agrees that financial reserve is necessary, but most think of it as (just) an important form of security. This misses... David Jose The point of a financial reserve is to increase reaction time.
]]> Creative Productivity: Maximizing the Output Gained from a New Idea tag:www.flintmcglaughlin.com,2012://1.481 2012-01-09T12:18:37Z 2012-01-09T12:30:43Z Observations/Reflections: On Creative Energy and Idea Generation Status: Dictated and Reviewed Category: Productivity Written: 12/06/2011 Published: 01/09/2012 I've noticed that the creative process, as it results in idea generation, can fill one's mind with a difficult-to-describe-but-ecstatic-to-experience "creative energy". When this... David Jose Creative concentration should be less exhausting, and yet more exhaustive.
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