TPMusings

Did Santa bring everyone a nice big Blue Chair for Christmas? Have you tried it out? Don’t get too comfortable…there’s still lots to do!

 

In addition to the end-of-the-year Top 10 lists, retrospectives on the year’s events --- and the decade’s passing --- there are always commentaries and blogs that encourage us to “turn over a new leaf” and to “get organized.” If it were that easy, we’d do it on our own without prompting. 

 

But one thing these motivational pleas provide us sometimes is a platform upon which to reflect and build on what we have already…and how we might improve upon it.

 

One of the blogs I read over the holidays that particularly resonated with me was by Chris Brogan, entrepreneur/blogger extraordinaire, who suggests that we might all be doing the right stuff, but perhaps not aggressively enough. To wit:

·         Talk about the business benefits you can achieve with the tools. Stop talking about the tools.

·         Teach about the systems and educate your clients. Stop talking about talking.

·         Share everything. Stop holding on to your “big ideas” and make them into collaboration businesses.

 

We all fall into patterns (and bad habits) over time. We get so enamored with our products that we talk of how shiny and sleek they are, and how proud we are of them, and neglect to focus on what they can actually do for our customers. We talk about process and sometimes forget to talk about the results they can achieve. And we bottle up ideas, waiting for the perfect time to secretly develop them rather than sharing these ideas with our customers, encouraging them to use them to improve their business.

 

This is the essence of the Blue Chair philosophy. Wearing your customer’s hat…walking in their shoes…or sitting in their chair…can help us understand and crystallize our strategies for our customer’s benefit, rather than miring us in our own product features and our own brilliant processes. 

 

So this year lets all keep that Blue Chair handy, and sit in it often; not only to test an idea or concept, but to reflect on our customer’s perspective of their challenges so that we can provide the solutions they need (and sometimes can’t even articulate). 

 

Looking back over the last year (and decade), I suspect that we all could admit that we can improve upon this factor in our business planning and process.

 

So make twenty-ten a year (and decade) when your Blue Chair gets a real workout. And by the way…make sure it has your entire team’s butt-print on it. Multiple perspectives improve upon the Blue Chair’s powers. 

 

Use it wisely, my friend.

 

---Ted Levitt