Comments on: A Prepared Mind Observes

By: Avoid Middleman Status | Frog Blog

Avoid Middleman Status | Frog Blog — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:00:27 +0000

[...] key is: You are in a great position to see how you will be replaced. Use that knowledge to supercharge your radar (as Bill Welter says) to see what is on the horizon and face it head on. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you [...]

By: Bill Welter

Bill Welter — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:52:23 +0000

Fred,
Thanks for the comments. Regarding the radar screen metaphor, I;ve found it to be useful across a wide range of groups and industries. You can always get people to consider “sweep and range” as they think about issues. Range is obvious to most people (long term vs short term), but the concept of sweep (looking in all directions) ususllay brings out new insights.
Bill

By: Fred H Schlegel

Fred H Schlegel — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:05:33 +0000

‘Can you see people in other disciplines… that have already addressed your “impossibility?”‘ I like the way you put that. It’s been surprising to me how often a well worn idea in one industry can be groundbreaking elsewhere. I guess in part that might be due to the feedback loop you can get caught in when looking only at your own little slice of the world. The auto industry is a great example of this – from the outside what Toyota did looks like the obvious smart move, but for some reason most of their competitors missed it by miles. Radar is such a great analogy for this issue.
.-= Fred H Schlegel´s last blog ..Getting In The Innovation Grove =-.

By: Bill Welter

Bill Welter — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:31:23 +0000

Brad,
Free is nice, but selling is more appealing (from a provider’s point of view.) My guess is that people will buy, but only if they see the value. Kay Plantes’ work on “value promise” seems to play well here.
Bill

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:28:15 +0000

Hi Bill, Those are tough questions, but ones that are fun to tackle. One thing I see is an opportunity for companies that traditionally give knowledge away to sell it, in the form of an ebook or consulting service or video. (This is ironic in an age where information flows freely, but nevertheless, it's there.) .-= Brad Shorr´s last blog ..Use Twitter to Lay Groundwork for Your Business Blog =-.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:29:12 +0000

Bill,

When I was a boy scout, I was taught one basic simple priniciple which was laid down by Bayden Powell, founder of the Worldwide Scouting movement – be prepared.

I would certainly imagine that this motto would be a sound model for any business, organization or individual to live by. At an organizational level, firms would be well advised to conduct some form of SWAT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis on a fairly regular basis. This will help them not only to identify any forms of serious threats on the horizon and to take appropriate steps to mitigate the effect of such threats, but also to identify any possible opportunities and to map out strategies in order to capitalize on those opportunities.

But the use of SWAT should not be confined to the organizational level. Each of us, as individuals, should be aware of the surrounding environment in which we operate, so that we are aware of any potential threats to our jobs (or, in the case of the self employed, businesses) and are able to make appropriate plans to respond to any serious threats should they occur, in addition to capitalizing on any form of opportunity which may arise.
.-= Andrew´s last blog ..June contributors =-.