It’s a steamy July day – with just enough of a breeze billowing through the car window to transform the weather in the south of France from “hot” to “heavenly”. As I make my way along small country roads, well off the beaten track, an insistent rumble in my stomach reminds me that my quaint continental breakfast is now several hours behind me and that it is time for a midday meal.
After miles of absolutely no sightings of food service whatever, I finally spot a small hut that seems to be doing double duty as the local take out joint for the summer months. Not exactly what I had in mind but it will have to do.
“I would like a ham and Brie sandwich to go”, I say to the young but decidedly bored looking woman behind the makeshift counter.
“We don’t serve ham and Brie sandwiches”, she answers without looking up from her magazine.
“But I see ham sandwiches on your menu and I see Brie sandwiches on your menu. I would simply like a ham and brie sandwich”, I respond, sure that once she realizes her error she will flash me an apologetic smile and leap to her feet to make my sandwich.
“Right. I can make you a ham sandwich and I can make you a Brie sandwich but we don’t sell ham and Brie sandwiches”, the young and still very bored woman replies – although I must admit that this latest remark is accompanied by a look that literally screams “Oh God I hate tourists!”
I am determined to convince her of reason. I try logic. I try humor. I try walking away. And then – with no other solution in site and with hunger gnawing away at my ability to think straight – I do what that young woman had perhaps wanted me to do all along. I order both the ham and the Brie sandwiches and make my own!
Innovation Insight #51
I recently had the pleasure of hearing a presentation by Denise Pickett, President and CEO of Amex Bank of Canada. Of the many wonderful insights that Denise shared with us, my favorite was one called Ten Stupid Things.
The idea is this. Make a list of the ten stupidest things that your business does. Ask yourself. Ask your employees. Ask your customers. Ask your suppliers. Make a list of ten things that your business does that makes life more difficult for your customers. Things that from the perspective of a customer just don’t make any sense at all. Like not serving ham and Brie sandwiches when you have both on the menu.
Once you have your own list of Ten Stupid things, fix them. One by one. Then every time that you fix a stupid thing, take it off your list and replace it with one more.
Imagine the courage that such an exercise would take.
Imagine the learning that such an exercise would generate.
Imagine the Possibilities!
-Toni Newman
Quote of the Week
Unknown
Inspiration of the Week
There’s a great book on the market called Why Smart Companies Do Dumb Things by Mortimer Fineberg. You can find out more about it at Amazon.com at this link.
Why Smart Companies Do Dumb Things
Or you can read Guy Kawasaki’s take-away’s from the book at this link.
Guy Kawasaki, Why Smart Companies Do Dumb Things
Turning Ideas into Results!
Please feel free to contact me at toni@toninewman.com
with any stories about how Innovation Insights has helped you to turn ideas into results.
