Loud Thinking

Archive for July, 2013

“A rose is not its thorns, a peach is not its fuzz and a human being is not his or her crankiness.”

— Lisa Kogan

Evaluate Your Potential Customers

Before you launch a new product, you need to have an idea of how many people will buy it. There are two ways to do this. If you’re already selling products, it’s often easiest to start by looking at your existing customers. Who among them might find this new product useful? Then build up your forecast from there. Think about other people who are similar to your current customers, including those in adjacent market segments. This is called a bottom-up approach. To do a top-down calculation, start with a large, diverse population (say the entire population of the U.S.) and then use a series of qualifying attributes, such as income level or age, to narrow your potential market. To get the best of both of these methods, have two people on your team use each one and then compare the results.

Adapted from HBR’s Go to Market Tools: Market Sizing.

Forgiveness is a willingness to pardon someone.

“Rather than admit a mistake, nations have gone to war, families have separated, and good people have sacrificed everything dear to them. Admitting that you were wrong is just another way of saying that you are wiser today than yesterday.”

Don Ward

“I think it’s an amazing quality to be able to roll with the
punches and not be totally ruined as a person because life’s been rough for you. That’s a really admirable way to go
through your life.”

— Anna Paquin

Send a Handwritten Note

Personal written notes grow rarer by the day. But if you want to convey to a client, a potential customer, a colleague, or a direct report that you value your relationship, put down the Blackberry and reach for a pen. Emails, tweets, texts, or Facebook messages are easy to write and free to send. Handwritten notes mean more because they cost more. Drafting an actual letter involves selecting stationery, paying for stamps, and visiting a mailbox. They let the people know you appreciate them enough to pause for 15 minutes and put pen to paper in an attempt to connect and sustain a relationship with them.

Adapted by HBR from “Handwritten Notes Are a Rare Commodity. They’re Also More Important Than Ever,” by John Coleman.

Achievement is a thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill.

“To be rich in admiration and free from envy, to rejoice greatly in the good of others, to love with such generosity of heart that your love is still a dear possession in absence or unkindness – these are the gifts which money cannot buy.”

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894);
essayist, poet, novelist

Get Through a Turnaround by Talking

When a company is in crisis— facing bankruptcy or a disruptive competitor— it needs to act fast. But it’s also important to stop and speak with the people who are doing the day-to-day work of moving the organization in a new direction. Here’s how to use conversation to help orchestrate a successful turnaround:
Talk straight. Be honest and authentic, especially when it comes to sharing bad news or addressing difficult topics.
Make talk happen. Stressful times can cause people to keep to themselves. Promote interactivity and encourage debate. Forego one-way communication channels (like memos) and choose mediums that allow for back-and-forth discussion instead.
Let everyone talk. Include people at all levels in the conversation. This will increase engagement among those who must carry out the turnaround work.

Adapted by HBR from “Conversations Can Save Companies” by Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind.

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving
up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming
yourself.”

— Anna Quind