Companies have a tendency to look inwards during recession. You've got a million efficiency efforts going on, largely cost-driven. I think it's the worst mistake companies can make.
What I'm doing is trying to, number one, lead by example. I spend a lot of time out with all of our customers because fundamentally I find their businesses really interesting.
I don't kid myself to believe that I'm doing proper customer research.
Businesses come alive for me when I'm out with the customers, when I see how they interact with products and services we provide, and when I am with the frontline staffs all around the world within Thomson Reuters.
What I am trying to do internally is to streamline as much as possible all of the worthy internal projects that are there. I'm constantly asking the question, if there is a meeting and people are sending out a fifty-page slide pack, why not a ten page, why do you need it at all? If there is pre-reading and there are three articles that would be brilliant for some offsite, how about just one? The knock-on effect in the big company of de-layering, and having everybody ask the question, "Can I make this simple as possible, but no simpler," to steal a favorite Einstein line, I think that's especially powerful when you're going through a difficult period and your customers really need you and need your help.
Discuss
Quentin Cassidy on June 8, 2009, 12:07 PM
“Can I make this as simple as possible, but no simpler” – great line. Working for a startup myself, where we’re constantly trying to monetize our products and services, half of the sell comes in the presentation and there have been numerous times where we’ve overthought ourselves and made our concept far too complex than it needs to be. But on the other end…making it too simple such that it appears too broadly idealist is problematic to businesses who want to know specifically and directly how it will help them save/make money.
Mary Dorgant on June 19, 2009, 10:57 PM
I wish my boss had Glocer’s philosophy. What ever happened to “Less is More” ? The endless meetings with tons of papers handed out are a huge waste of time. I could be at my desk getting the job that I already know how to do, done. The information age just means more workshops and books and reports that I don’t have time to read. The truth is 90% of the information at training sessions is useless and most people throw all the stuff in the garbage after the meeting.
We need to spend more time doing our work and less time talking about how to do our work. The Age of Accountability= workers spending more time doing paper work than actually working , resulting in less productivity!
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