How to stay focused in a rapidly changing world!

Today's world is certainly changing at a faster and faster pace. Of course, a study of American history shows you that one of our common themes is the idea that we are, for the most part, living in times of break neck change and need to slow down. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Still, we are living in times of rapid change. Thanks to market conditions and technologies, it seems products are out of date almost as soon as they hit the market. Shelf lives of more than a year for a technology product seems absurd. So how does marketing help build a brand, while facing a market that is constantly moving?

This type of dilemma reminds me of one of my favorite comic book when I was a kid, Spiderman. Of course Spiderman had a lot of enemies but the one that always fascinated me was the Sand Man. He could change his shape almost at will and at times could be either strong as a block of cement or as fine as sand on a beach. The properties one finds in real sand. Naturally Spiderman has his share of battles with the Sandman and defeats him by realizing that any strength can become a weakness and any threat an opportunity.

More importantly, from a tactical perspective he learned to anticipate what his opponent might do next and react appropriately. I think that is a key lesson for all marketing people to do. We are the people whose job is to be on top of things and try and see what might happen in the next week, month, year and so on. A great deal of ink was spilled regarding the supposed technical leadership and management skills of the Japanese in the late 1980's and early 90's. What happened was that the media saw only the positives and did not see the negatives of the Japanese model.

I remember an article from Business Week written just after Bill Clinton became president. It basically said that Japan was not as good as what everyone thought because its culture smothered innovation and new ideas. There were howls of protest about the article but time as shown it to be correct.

So back to the question at hand, how does one stay focused in this rapidly changing world. I believe the first way to do so is to know your market and most important, know your customer. Second, be a step ahead of the competition. That may sound like a cliche but not only is it true, it is also pretty easy to do. It goes back to the first rule of know your customer. The third rule that I will use for now is to have one person responsible for marketing and put all aspects of marketing growth into their hands. This will allow for controlled responsible growth and allow you to keep others, who don't have the same level of knowledge from fouling things up terribly.

Keep in mind that staying focused in a rapidly changing world is both your greatest threat and greatest opportunity. It should be taken with great concern and handled by the person you most trust with the success of your organization.

An interesting question about good writing

I was speaking with someone about writing yesterday and the question came up, "how does a professional writer create something worth while? We all have a fantastic idea that writers are budding Hemingway's or Shakespeare's and that is far from the pale in what real business writers should be aiming for, and is also far from an ideal that any writer wishes to aim for. The easy answer to this type of question is that there is no easy answer. Most professional writing comes from the assignment of a task and is often involved in the execution of a greater mission and for better or worse that makes it easier to get started. I can't say that makes the job easier but it removes much of the questioning from the process.

The other factor that I have seen ruin good writing is the perfect example of the old cliche about too many cooks ruining the pot. I have seen way too many circumstances where a draft while not perfect, is sent to others for review and comment. Each person decides they want to add their own inputs to the draft and more often than not consider the document incomplete unless their inputs are made. At the same time, these people are loath to offer any input during the drafting stage when input would be far more powerful and helpful. Of course keeping egos in check is always a challenge. I recall one senior executive who said to me that his quote didn't make him sound statesman enough and I told him that he wasn't a statesman. Honesty is so rare in the office these days.

Went on a run to Framingham and Natick yesterday and had the chance to stop by Casey's Diner in Natick for lunch. For those who don't know Casey's and have not had the privilege of eating there yet it is simply a joy. Small and family run, with maybe a dozen seats inside and some of the best hot dogs you will ever eat. Give me a place like this as opposed to the McDonald's or what have you in the world today.

Three things have me very happy today. The first is that John Lester pitched wonderfully again and the Sox won 4-0. Granted it was against the Orioles who are for all purposes a AAA ball club. I also won a free appetizer at the local Irish pub by knowing all three John Cusack/Jeremy Piven movies. Lastly, Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in jail yesterday. The men received all the mercy he deserved in my opinion. He was worse than a thief and in some cases killed people more violently than if he beat them with a club. My hope is that he live a long life behind bars and enjoy every view of those cold concrete walls.

Speaking of cold, I hope the weather turns before much longer. Supposedly it is going to be nice on July 4th. I will believe that when I see it!