“There have been a lot of innovations in the last 10 years, mostly for content consumption. But the next 10 will be indexed for content generation. It will be about what we can create. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
Touch your middle finger to your thumb and slide it back and forth. This gesture is also accompanied by the phrase: “This is the smallest violin in the world, and it plays just for you.” It is usually directed at the person who is complaining. These days, violin playing has reached its climax.
Newspapers, social media and many work meetings have become the domain of complainers. The definition of complaining is “to complain in a grumpy, self-pitying way.” It’s as if complaining has become a profession, like accounting or engineering. Here’s an idea to share with the complainers around you: Stop complaining and start creating. All the time a person spends complaining about “this isn’t the way it should be” or “this isn’t what I want” could be spent creating value for others.
Why are some people sculptors (those who create) and some sommeliers (those who “complain”)? The answer lies in that dirty four-letter word: JOB. Whining is easy, requires no discipline, and requires no work. Creating value for others requires discipline, hard work, and persistence. Creating is harder than complaining, but it’s also more important. As author Seth Godin wrote, “It’s always the hard part that creates value.”
According to a survey of 540 managers published by the 2017 Global Report Harvard Business Reviewonly 39% said they could clearly see the value they created. It’s easy to get used to running on a treadmill where we’re rewarded for checking off items on our to-do list rather than producing results. When you think about the activities, areas, and tasks you invest your time in every day, how much of that time creates real value?
Creating value for others starts with our mindset. We can create value for others in many different ways: by providing them with positive experiences, customized service, curated information, confidence, happiness, direction, memories, connections, fun, chills, excitement, direction, victory, etc. . The ability to create value permeates most of our lives, and it can be as simple as the example Cleveland Airport Hertz shuttle driver Glenn provided to his passengers: “The return sign is hard to see, so I highly recommend you save this location to your GPS. .The airport is undergoing renovations, so arrive two hours early and fill up with gas at the 3-4 exits before returning. Most shuttle drivers won’t share any specific information, but he provides value in a simple, proactive way. .
Let’s use 3A strategic framework Show us a path to value creation:
1. Sharpness (thinking): The creative process begins with insight, which I define as learning that brings new value. An effective way to generate insights or learn new value is through asking provocative questions. Suppose the VP of Sales visits customers with sales representatives. The VP can ask questions before the call: For example, what are the key value drivers for this customer? What areas are we not already working with this client that we can explore? During the session: What are the main challenges you face outside of our product area? In what areas have we never served you and should we consider creating new value? Post-meeting: What issues, challenges, or issues did the customer share that we can start developing solutions to help them? What lessons can we take from that call that we can use in other situations? The key is to use thoughtful questions consistently throughout the day to accelerate your accumulation of insights that inspire value.
2. Allocation (Planning): Once we have generated insights or learnings that bring new value, we now need to consider how to deploy our resources to deliver that value in an effective and efficient manner. One proven way to achieve this is to create a plan. I know what you’re thinking: I don’t have time to create a 30-page plan. Neither should you. The essence of planning answers two questions: What do I want to achieve? How will I implement it? This format helps us leverage resources to maximize value. Chief human resources officers may see a need to break down silos and improve collaboration to strengthen culture. One way to do this is to create a communications plan and start implementing it. Another approach is to start with two basic planning questions: What do we want to achieve—and what tangible results show that we have improved our culture? How will we achieve this—and what actions will enable us to achieve these results? The key is to use micro planning to establish ways to create new value.
3. Acting: Once you have a plan, it’s time to take action. Deep wells of value creation come from the act of combining ideas outside of your current field. IDEO Show that many of their greatest value creations come from the exchange of ideas across industries (e.g., combining the nozzle of a shampoo bottle with a water bottle to create a new water bottle). An analysis of Thomas Edison’s numerous inventions shows that most were the result of a combination of ideas from one scientific field to another. As you move into the action phase of creating value, consider this mini checklist:
- Combination: Are we combining ideas from different fields to inspire new value?
- Communication: Do we clearly communicate our plans – what we want to achieve and how we will achieve it?
- Accountability: Are people assigned specific responsibilities and given time frames for completion?
- Execution: Do people have the ability and ability to execute the plan? Have we included milestones to measure progress? Where do we record our learning and how do we share it with others?
The key is to prepare yourself and others to use new combinations of ideas, concise communications, clear responsibilities, and execution actions that move the business forward.
It’s easy for a sommelier to fall into the trap of someone who is only focused on “complaining.” It’s more valuable to take a sculptor’s approach – someone who focuses on creating a product, service, experience or other beneficial interaction. Let’s put down the violin and pick up the paintbrush. As the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso said: “The important thing is creation. Nothing else matters; creation is everything.
Help your team develop strategic thinking and planning skills through executive leadership team workshops and individual strategy coaching. Explore strategy workshop topics and more below 200 resources Develop your team’s strategic thinking and planning skills.
- Dive Deeper: Developing the Team’s Strategic Direction
- What is strategy? Create a common language and understanding
- Improve your strategic thinking and planning skills
- Improvement: High-level strategic thinking and planning for senior executives
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- Lead strategy conversations with colleagues and clients
- Innovative Thinking: Tools and Technologies to Create New Value for Customers
