Leadership Style

Well , let me start out by saying that I am a Visual learner, I am able to see or read something and learn it, I’m the type of person that can read something in a text book, process that information, and recall it on demand.  I picked up MS access in 2 weeks, just by sitting down and reading this giant database developer’s Bible, not everyone is like this, some of my co-workers have had that very same book for years and still don’t get it.

   This is beneficial to my leadership in various ways; I can process information relatively quick, such as legal, financial, and technical specifications, and in turn break it down for others.

I would say that the two complementary team skills that are most prevalent are “Follow Thru” and “Quick Start”.

I am a “Follow Thru” because I always have a plan, it may not be a very well thought out plan, nor may it qualify as a good plan, but I need to have some idea as to why I moving.  This to me is a very valuable quality, especially when working with others, if there isn’t a central idea or direction that everyone is working towards, nothing will get done.  It like a sports team, they must work together or they’re going to lose.  I’m also very good at reconciling different ideas and view points, I can listen to a room full people, each stepping over each other, process the good from the bad, and combine it into a half decent idea.

I also say that I’m a “Quick Start” because I’m constantly in motion, always willing to try something new, and change directions if needed.  If we can’t come up with a good plan that everyone agrees on, I’m the guy who can get everyone to rally on the one aspect we have a consensus on and move in that direction, then we’ll take it from there. 

I put a lot of trust on my team members, this has back fired in the past, but I’m not one to micromanage, I have a certain expectation that everyone will carry their own weight as best they can.   At the end of the day, I’m also willing to stay up all night a pick up the slack, and get it done.

Product Innovation Challenges

I wasn’t surprised by this article, it definitely feels like time has passed since the new “it” product rolled out.  With the exception of the Ipad, (which isn’t necessarily a completely new concept, similar to smart phones and portable media players, Apple just took touch tablets to the next level) there has not been any really disruptive consumer goods, perhaps Blu-Ray players or 3D TVs.  Everything just seems to be an upgrade from the last model year, instead of 3g now there’s 4g, instead of 4 razor blades, now there’s a 5 blade razor.  It appears that companies rather be a strong second mover instead of an innovator.  Computer technology has slowed down; the netbook was the last big thing in that industry that comes to my mind.  Everyday items such as kitchen appliances haven’t made a big splash (what is the next George Foremen grill?), in the automotive industry nothing worthy of mention since the Prius a while back. The article mentioned 3 major reasons why this is.

    Information gaps that undercut new product investments

CGM apparently are losing touch with consumers, it is becoming similar to the music industry, very few original acts, but a lot of production and sampling from the past.  Companies are focused on making money on what is proven and popular now instead of setting the trend for the future.

    Inhibitors of effective product portfolio management:

Product Portfolio Management, this was one of the genius traits of Steve Jobs, when Jobs started his second round with Apple, if I recall correctly they were way over extend trying to compete in hundreds of different product lines.  He narrowed it down to less than a handful, and focused all their energy on making the best 3 or 4 products on the market.  HP is still all over the place, IBM left the industry all together, they don’t make PCs anymore! It’s like a saying my old music director once told me “Jack of all trades, master of none!”

    Deficiencies in post-launch performance measurement practices:

I’m not really sure what they mean by this, I understand the phrase, but not how it corresponds with a deficiency in product innovation.  Perhaps some companies pull the plug on a new innovative product without really knowing how well it is being received?

Either way I am curious as where is Apple going to go next, especially now that Jobs is gone, what will be the next innovation?

Inbound and Outbound Marketing

My company survives purely on inbound marketing, it does not run commercials, or prints ads, and every new customer comes and finds us, but there is a catch; we are the electric company, a customer doesn’t have a choice, they have to buy electricity from us.   In my opinion, marketing is all about differentiation from competitors and need, the more a customer needs your product and the fewer amounts of competitors and or substitutions, the more a company can rely on inbound marketing.  Utilities are the extreme on inbound marketing they have a product that customers can’t live without, (with the exception of the Amish, super green people with solar panels and wind turbines on their property, or people that don’t use water).  Other companies that can survive are super “duper” brands, for example, to the best of my knowledge, I have never seen an ad for Facebook, it gets plenty of press from the media, and word of mouth, there are plenty of competitors, substitutes; and plenty of people live without it, but it continues to grow and build its brand, being a network the bigger it gets, the harder it is for a person to not get on it.  Some companies inherit the benefit of needing only inbound marketing by having a first mover advantage; such is the case of the only gas station or hotel in a city.

My company does carry on some outbound marketing though, mostly to build its brand; it does a lot of PR with sponsoring charity walks, volunteer activities, and academic scholarships.  NSTAR has to have a good public perception because it is regulated by the state, and if its customers aren’t happy they complain to their representatives, which make life very difficult for NSTAR. 

Our Gas division on the other hand, does do a significant deal of outbound marketing, though they are the only ones who can sell gas in their respective regulated territory, there are plenty of substitute products such as, Oil heat, and wood pellet stoves, and other technologies.