Peripheral Vision
/The line curves up, or down. It never runs straight.
We think everything is straight. We look straight.
We need to widen our peripheral view to not only look further left and right, but more importantly up and down.
The line curves up, or down. It never runs straight.
We think everything is straight. We look straight.
We need to widen our peripheral view to not only look further left and right, but more importantly up and down.
To be of value to our customers, meaning that we provide a product or service at a price that is competitive and of use, we have to be efficient in the creation and delivery of that product. If we aren’t, we won’t be able to provide the product at a price that is acceptable to the customer and profitable to us.
This is first order efficiency.
The second order is how efficiently can the customer work with us. How easy is it for them to acquire, use, service, share with their friends, etc. We can provide a great product and at a great price but if it is difficult to acquire, hard to setup, impossible to service, and has no network effects, we greatly impede the return on our first order efficiencies. Second order efficiencies are harder to spot, diagnose and correct, they are usually felt by the customer, not us, and as such we have to constantly researching, asking, pretending to be the customer, or whatever it takes to make sure we feel deeply what their pain points are. Not ours, theirs.
That is second order efficiency.
In the situations I encounter a provider usually has one side of the efficiency equation working, typically first order, better than the other, unless of course you are government, who has completely forgotten why they are doing what they are doing and who they serve. But that is another story. In rare situations, double unicorns, both sides work perfectly.
I will be happy when I get… or by … or some other externality that is dependent upon so many things, all of which are completely out of our control.
And, if we do get whatever it is that we think will deliver the “happy” we will just attach ourselves to some other happy goal and round and around we go. Always seeking happy.
Or, we can just BE HAPPY. Happy with what we are, what we have, and the journey we are on.
It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t cost anything, and we can do it right now.
The mob is the lagging indicator.
We want to act on the leading indicator.
Following the mob is a rat race.
Take a different path. Don’t expect a short cut. Could be a long cut. But do look for a more fruitful journey.
Ignore the mob.
Or… two good project management rules of thumb;
Say no. Seriously. NO
Failing that, ask what comes off the list to be replaced by whatever is being added.
At this point the great idea that absolutely has to be done and added that we can’t live without no matter what happens… usually vanishes. And for good reason.
Byron Darlison