I’ve long been fascinated with origins - of humans and of societies. My earliest questions were, “Why do we do have to do that?” And “How did that even start?” As a small child I remember asking my mother who first pierced ears (she didn’t know), or who first used a wheel - and exactly on what sort of device or machine (she didn’t know that either).
As a result, travelling recently to Kenya was exciting, simply to be near the Great Rift Valley, where all humans originate. And, now, I’m travelling to the Cyclades, the land of Homer and the mythological world of the Ancient Greeks, who of course gave us ways of thinking about the human condition (philosophy) and our social condition (democracy) that you and I still use every day.
I’ll continue to write while I’m away just for a few weeks, so you won’t miss anything. But, on with this week’s 5MSM . . .
Why the walk?
I’m writing this en route to Europe having stopped for a few hours layover in one of the world’s largest airports — at Bangkok. We landed at Gate D2. Our flight 3 hours later was leaving from Gate D3. I thought, “Great - We won’t have to walk far, let alone find our way to another terminal”.
How wrong was I?
We had plenty of time but we were directed to walk to a ‘transfer area’ that was at least 15 minutes away down an immense brightly lit hall, thronged with people. We were speeded along, though, by endless travelators, that in their length only compare to what I saw at the Tomb of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, where thousands of mute North Koreans were carried along to see their deity’s embalmed corpse. Here, the mood was similarly sombre, for different reasons: we were a rabble of travellers all off long-haul flights who now had to queue in disorderly rows and submit for scanning. The inefficiency was profound - arcane rules required us to separate out our belongings into no fewer than ten tubs for scanning (Shouting “Blue tubs for shoes only!” was apparently one lady’s entire job description).
Contrast this with Dusseldorf airport in Germany, where a few years ago I had a very tight transit - under an hour. I asked, “Is that even possible?”
I was assured, “Yes, sir. We are the airport of short walks”.
What?
It turns out the Germans had designed the airport specifically to minimise distance walked, understanding that most people use Dusseldorf not as a destination, but as a hub. My own ‘short walk’ there was less than 3 minutes. Amazing.
Question: How are you designing your processes to minimise burden on customers?
The value of value-adding
As nearly all of you reading this know, my work is developing strategic directions for public value organisations. My son, now 14, when younger, said, “Dad, it’s like you’re helping companies work out what they want to be when they grow up”.
Well, sort of.
While “what we want to be when we grow up” varies tremendously, there are several common enablers that exist for almost all. Every child will grow up to become something different, yet all parents pay attention to the same fundamentals: social skills and friendships, nutrition and exercise, sleep and relaxation, intellectual and creative achievement, and teamwork (often through sports).
It’s the same with my clients. In hundreds of strategy projects, in all of which we’ve crafted unique value propositions and directions, 95% include three fundamental ‘accelerant factors’. Highly abbreviated, these come down to:
a) Grow sustainably (“Do more, for longer, within our means”)
b) Use digital technology (“Leapfrog using tech, or at dramatically streamline what we do now”)
c) Build the culture (“Get the best people bringing their ‘best selves’ to work”)
Many of my clients, even before undertaking whole-of-organisation strategy work, are undertaking service growth plans, or tech rollouts, or culture initiatives. And, many have substantial resources available to them in these areas - one of my clients has a Growth Lead, a Technology Lead and a People Lead, for instance, all of whom have great teams.
But, many don’t. Many haven’t even yet started detailed thinking on one or more of these factors.
So, that presents me with a question.
I’m a strategist, not a financial modeller of growth scenarios, nor a technology wizard who can create a digital roadmap, nor a change readiness and culture builder. But, I know a huge network of consultants who are all of these, including many who are very good indeed. So, should I create a ‘web’ of referrals that my clients can benefit from?
Maybe not yet. It’s better, I think, to assess need and readiness, by asking one question towards the end of a strategy project: “How confident are you of further developing and implementing each of the directions in your strategy?”
Question: What downstream value can you provide, when you’re aware your work gets people started on their journey, but doesn’t complete it?
Not having to be asked
My wife, Kate, and I have what I’d typify as a low-conflict marriage. But, there are small niggles that crop up from time to time, most of them predictable. One of these is when I ask for something that she’s about to do anyway. Small example: She’s making herself a cup of tea. I ask, “Could you get me one too?” She says, “What makes you think I wasn’t going to ask you?”
Like I said, a tiny thing, but revealing. Of what exactly?
There’s something wondrous in having someone anticipate a need and either just do it, or at least ask if you want it.
The best airlines, hotels and restaurants do this, when they record your preferences for future reference (even Uber knows I want to ride in a quiet car!). My accountants did it during COVID, when they called a 1:1 meeting to discuss the pandemic’s benefits (government handouts) and disbenefits (possible project deferrals’ impact on cashflow) on businesses like mine.
Question: What customer needs do you actively anticipate, and simply provide, or at least ask about?
The ‘heart’ below is there for you to click - it lets me know you’re enjoying what you’ve read, which I always appreciate. Enjoy your own travels through whichever world you’re inhabiting this coming week and I’ll see you again next Friday.
Andrew
Enjoy your holidays Andrew
Another thought provoking way to start Friday.
Happy travels Andrew!