How the Unknown can Change the World - article by Kordell Norton
What do Gordon Gould and Ted Hoff have to do with you?
It could be argued that these two have had the more impact on your world than anybody in the last 100 years. Both are unknowns, but their contributions changed the world.
Both created fantastic devices that resulted in improvements for mankind beyond imagination. But history is filled with great inventions that never went anywhere.
Gould was the inventor of a little thing called the LASER, and Hoff created the microprocessor for his employer, Intel. So what made Gould’s and Hoff’s inventions so powerful?
Synergy. The sum is greater than the individual parts. 1 + 1 = 5.
They were part of organizations that leveraged resources to maximize these inventions.
The genius of the microprocessor for example, was not only the concept, but the connections with customers by the sales and marketing department, the ability to build the device by the manufacturing arm of the organization, and so on. Diverse people and departments and their individual strengths were leverage to focus on a common goal. This teamwork effort, coordinated and executed, resulted in world changing innovation.
Are you getting the kind of leverage and synergy in your company and organization that results in an energized workforce, large returns on effort, a place where people are excited to come to work and where customers talk about their individual experiences with others?
How do you get this kind of synergy?
- A look at the past
“Those who don’t learn from history are forced to re-live it” goes the old saying. Albert Einstein once said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. As companies and organizations across the country do planning for the coming year, the first thing they do is look at the past and measure the success against prior years. Are you and your employees taking the time to look at the way you have been doing business? What is working? What is not working?
- Communications & Customer Service above and beyond the call of duty.
Customer Service is no longer an option. It is mandatory.
And listening to your employees is also no longer an option. At the speed of change, you have to gather the collective wisdom of your team.
Remember the time when you had a great idea and no one listened? A short time later you offered your ideas and people truly appreciated your insights. Why didn’t they use your insights before?
It takes a conscious effort for a business to actively get the input and insights from their employees. It requires meetings with agendas for discussing differing points of view.
When was the last time you got input from your employees or opened and read the suggestion box ( and then acted)? Do you even have a suggestion box or feedback type mechanism with your customers?
Maybe you can’t be 100% better than your competition, but you can do 1,000 things 1% better. This is done with communication and feedback from employees and customers.
- A Great Idea . . . . . NOT!
Great synergy does not need to come from a great idea. Think of great business names: Starbucks, Ritz Carlton, Wal-Mart. These and many others are not unique or have a secret idea. One provides coffee, the other is a hotel, and the last is a general merchandise store. You do not need a great idea. But what you do need is. . . .
- Great Marketing and Branding
Bill Hewlett of Hewlett-Packard once said that 80% of strategic planning was about sales and marketing. In our fast paced world customers have more and more choices on where and how they spend their money. You have to know what the customer thinks about your company. What are their expectations and experiences when it comes to you and your products and services?
When is the last time you did planning? Or do you continue to do what you have always done and expect to get a different response.
Recently I had the privilege of speaking to the prominent citizens from a city who had their businesses and homes flooded. In just a short period of time these modern day hero’s rebuilt their lives and their city. They now know that it takes a huge amount of effort to build, to fix and improve. But with planning, communication with others for resources, knowledge and moral support . . .They made a conscious effort to “make things happen”. The creation of the new can be so rewarding.
Do you have synergy? Are you at 1 + 1 = 5 yet?
About Kordell Norton - The Top Line Guy
As a consultant, speaker, author, Kordell Norton works with corporate, association, education and government organizations who want to focus on branding, sales, marketing, strategic planning/leadership, team building, and customer service.
Kordell
was an executive with several multi-billion dollar corporations with executive
suite positions in sales, HR, marketing and call centers. As a certified Graphic
Facilitator, he uses highly visual processes, along with humor, and entertaining
methods for powerful, high energy presentations.
Author of Throwing Gas on the Fire - creating drastic change in Sales and Marketing
He can be reached at (330) 405-1950 or at kordell@kordellnorton.com or at his website - www.KordellNorton.com