ChangeThis: Issue 89
December 07, 2011
The Promise of Entrepreneurship by Adelaide Lancaster “We are made to believe that when it comes to business success, bigger is always better. In our super-sized, consumption-oriented culture, not even small business is exempt from the pressure to grow for growth’s sake. .
"We are made to believe that when it comes to business success, bigger is always better. In our super-sized, consumption-oriented culture, not even small business is exempt from the pressure to grow for growth's sake. ... There is an alternative that is both rewarding and attainable—it just requires rethinking things a bit."
"At the center of any revolution is the burning desire to bring about change. But it always comes down to people, shared experiences, and a common ambition. And it is people who need one another for leadership, support, and inspiration. What's missing from the equation is your vision and leadership."
"Blending art and science is about collaborating in ideas generation: the inter-relationship is critical, you can't have one thing without the other. A bunch of code or data is just a bunch of numbers without the art."
"Let's face it, every business is at risk of becoming a commodity, thanks in large part to the speed of information delivery, consumer empowering technologies, and media outlets that tell consumers that the economy is too fragile for them to be spending money."
"You have the wrong tools. And you use them the wrong way. It isn't your fault. You were taught, as we all were, to make forecast models out of past results. ... But, now, the rules have changed: our game plans have gone public, and whoever knows what the customer will do next wins."
"Customer experience needs to be thought of as a strategic agenda item on par with and actually integrated with corporate strategy, managing the brand, and new product development. If you share that vision for your customer experience efforts, here are some strategic tools and ideas to help you do that."