Last week I was dinning at an Italian restaurant with my family. Our waiter was very courteous, by pure observation I could tell he stood out from the rest of the waiters in that restaurant. Two days later I dined at a ‘similar’ Italian restaurant with a few friends, and to my surprise got served by the same waiter that served me days earlier at the other restaurant.
What gives?…
Any change we want to see in ANY domain starts with the man in the mirror:
I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change
Guess who said that…
If you can’t solve a problem, it’s because you’re playing by the rules. – Paul Arden
All a disruptor really does is change something from one state to another by breaking patterns. Google is a typical disruptor, they seek ways to ‘disrupt’ a familiar flow in how things get done to another and then change the rules by creating new ones that play in the new state.
Like Google we must learn ‘to be disruptive’ starting with ourselves. We have to disrupt our own flow of how we do things, changing how we do them not just for the hell of it but because it’s the only way to stay relevant. This isn’t just for product development, marketing or sales, it’s looking at your business from 30000 FT and asking yourself: what can I change to be better and what can someone else change that could put me in a disadvantage?
A game-changer is a disruptor.
– Be aware of governing schemas (mental models)
– Be aware of the patterns that shape behavior
– Be aware of the rules
– Be aware of trends
– Be aware of things that haven’t changed in awhile (rigid)
> Do the opposite
> See how you can change things from one state to another (ice to water)
> Blend it
> Find the in congruencies and make them congruent.
> Do the unfamiliar by making the common uncommon.
> Ask why?
> Ask what if?
A disruptor moves at a different pace than others, it constantly probes the system to get an insight because the faster this happens the more it learns and the faster it moves. Learn to fail fast and break away from everybody!
How are you disrupting yourself? How about your business? Who’s disrupting you?
What makes the best brands special? PSFK studied 10 brands and published a report on the qualities that make the special The Scorpion King . Below I’ve are some lessons for business from those 10 brands.
Download the Good Brands Report 2009
GOOGLE.
Experiment rapidly and embrace failure.
Rage and Honor movie Every aspect of your brand should be as good as the product.
Stop selling products, start selling services.
Set the agenda and let your customers spread the conversation.
Identify parts of your business that could be offered as additional services.
Create a playground and let your customers define your offering.
Think big, think small. Amaze customers with your audacity, and please them with your attention to detail.
Stay flexible, allow your audience to dictate how your products or services are used.
Take a wider view of the shopping experience, making each step along the path to purchase simpler and more enjoyable.
Reach scale with free product, make money from premium services.
