• Tag Archives business

  • The Magic of Business: It’s Local, Human, and Connected

    Posted on by Tim

    I’ve been sharing this concept for the past several months with friends and colleagues. All business is local business. Humans do business with humans. It requires us to build and grow trust to be successful in business.

    Business, by its nature, is both relational and transactional.

    Firstly, relational in that people do business with other people. I recognized technology is an intermediary in the business process. Amazon anyone?

    Business deals are made via human interaction, for instance.

    Secondly, transactional in that people are looking for an exchange of value. You have the money and I have the experience and knowledge to solve your problem. We exchange things of value like my ability to solve your problem with the money that allows you to get your problem solved.

    Given the advances in technology, business is now connected. And yet, business is also disconnected at times.

    I’ve learned, throughout 2020 and 2021, that technology is a double-edged sword.

    For some sales, it made work more challenging. High-touch, and relational sales have been tested. Trust is a key to relational sales and building it virtually is yeoman’s work.

    For other sales, technology is a blessing. More computers and home office materials were sold than in prior years using technology.

    Tiny Tesla technology

    Humans do business with humans

    Thankfully, we’re good at figuring out how to make business happen. When high value business deals get made, they’re done with other humans.

    We trust the people we do business with. Thus, much of the business being done is negotiated locally. As a result, people continue to build and grow relationships with other people to create value in business.

    Technology is an enabler to help people be successful in business. It is not the other way around.

    So here is my challenge to you. If you prefer technology over working with people, start taking steps to become more comfortable working with people.

    As an introvert, I know how tough it is to connect to people. I work at connecting daily with people. Connecting is a skill anyone can learn. You need to be willing to stink at it before becoming good at it.

    Believe me, it will be worth the effort and time!


    📂This entry was posted in Agile Teamwork 📎and tagged

  • The Art Of Being Undiscovered While Adapting And Enduring

    Posted on by Tim

    One of the toughest courses in the U. S. military is Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE). The school forces students to learn the art of adapting and enduring. Are you forcing your customers to adapt and endure?

    A better question is, are you forcing your team to adapt and endure? How about the company?

    Being able to adapt and endure could be seen as a negative experience. Or it could be seen as a positive choice. If the company and team are shifting toward a more customer 1st, digital experience, then being undiscovered is can become an advantage.

    When headlines like this show up in the news feed, it begs the some thought about intent.

    https://www.dqindia.com/zebra-technologies-selects-tcs-to-help-drive-it-agile-transformation-and-devsecops-services/

    HCL Technologies to Enhance Euroclear’s Digital Landscape

    Kraft Heinz’s (KHC) Agile Portfolio Management Fuels Growth

    Getting back to SERE school, the intent is to learn how to evade an enemy. Businesses could take a lesson from the schoolhouse as they are quite literally telling their competition, “Hey we’re transforming our business over here because we want to move faster to meet our customer’s needs and wants.”

    More often than not, these press releases are saying enterprises are falling behind their rivals. The announcements inspire confidence. Alternately, the facts show a different picture.

    Hidden Strategy To Adapting And Enduring

    The New England Patriots football team has been in the headline for several reasons over the years.

    Like this issue and this issue. The Patriots do a great job of hiding their strategy.

    New England Patriot’s logo

    Cheating to win in sports is not acceptable. Equally wrong, is cheating in business. But does is make sense to show strategy in progress?

    Companies showing a playbook cannot complain when their competition beats them. Public relations announcements expose a part of the business strategy.

    Rather than show the plays, keep them hidden until game day. If there is a digital journey in flight, then keep that effort private.

    Keep stakeholders “in-the-know”. Avoid going public until the work is done. Win the market by beating peers.


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎and tagged