Forgive me because I sinned, I forgot my password !

A new bank account, a new security system to learn on top of everything else that goes for me in the cyber world.  Using the magic of the internet I tried to transfer money from one account to another.  The new account came with instructions to change the passwords (not only one) which I did, but forgot those.  

So it was time to phone the bank and ask for forgiveness.  I confessed my sin (sorry I forgot my passwords), and then I was given the opportunity to redeem myself by revealing many more details about my identity.  Ok, this time I remembered details quickly, and I was sent letters with new security details which I have learned now by heart, I promise not to do it again (I mean forgive such vital information).

But then when trying to transfer money to this new account from my old bank account, disaster happened again.  The amount to be transferred looked suspicious for the system, it had to be referred for later approval.  I tried a different route by transferring smaller amounts, and this is when my online access was blocked.

Another phone call to make (not that they are cheap!).  And more questions about my identity.  Telephone security number?  I had forgotten all about it.  I had to go then through about 20 more minutes of questions and calls transfers, plan B of security check it seemed.  Some of the questions were the same as at the beginning of the call, only they were asked by different people, all of them wanted to follow the protocol, to make sure I am who I say I am.  I finally passed the test.  Explained (again!) what had happened and then I was forgiven for the second time in a single day by those who protect my identity.  

The whole thing has made me think about our security systems and how as they become more sophisticated they also become more demanding of our memory and of what we may have said or done.  So I will have to have my own security information stored somewhere else than my memory (not that I am getting too old) and remember specific details for specific accounts.  As if they were members of my family or my close friends group whose birthdays, jobs, family details, pregnancies and bereavements among other things I must remember.  

There is a third bank account which operates differently from the other two...but let us leave that for another post.  

The road to networking success might be an old one but travelled with new wheels

Recent news in the world of business show that many retailers are re-considering their strategic position.  Some of them have seen that position being under threat given the entrance of new players into their markets.  Technology seems to be playing a key role but still the strength of many companies seems to be what they do well and who they do this with.

I recently wrote about the TESCO case, and with my students we looked again at what TESCO should be doing to retain if not attract their customers.  TESCO has lost ground to other supermarkets, possibly because customers have become more in tune with what the competition offers:  more attractive shops, more focused and tailored offers, and in general a better experience.  

In other sectors, companies like BLOCKBUSTER have also seen their market share reduced, because competitors are now offering the experience of watching a video through an electronic channel.  BLOCKBUSTER is now closing some of its stores in countries like the US (I also learned they are closing stores in other countries like Colombia).  The UK has now seen the entrance of competitors like NETFLIX and LOVEFILM.  The fight is on to attract or retain customers.  

Both TESCO and BLOCKBUSTER still have a critical mass of customers, and it would be more costly to attract new customers than retaining existing ones.  This is why other companies like FACEBOOK are investing in acquisitions (i.e. INSTAGRAM), because in a way, they want to buy customer groups (INSTAGRAM has already attracted more than 20 million customers in less than 2 years of operation).  An acquired company can not only bring their customers, it can also bring a new technology to serve them.  

So networking is taking an interesting avenue of development:  working or buying channels of distribution which at the same time bring know how on new technologies.  Perhaps TESCO and BLOCKBUSTER can take stock from what FACEBOOK has just done.  

This is not to say that both TESCO and BLOCKBUSTER need to find solutions to their crises outside them. On the contrary, they need to review what value they are offering to customers and see if they can learn from their competitors or future collaborators.  Thinking strategically of how companies deliver value needs to be on the table.  TESCO might have lost that in their attempt to be good at everything.  BLOCKBUSTER might have lost it by not considering that technology can make life easier to their customers.  Perhaps they need to add technological value to what they are about.  This might mean they need to travel the old road to success, what they know best, but with new wheels. 

Listening to and Pleasing : What a difference!

Last week I was teaching a class about project  management to my students, so I started with the idea that a project is to meet a number of needs from stakeholders.  As usual and (un)fortunately, another idea came to my mind about how projects are born.  We tend to think that we are to continuously please our audiences (customers, students, even the wife!), so we are here for them, so as to make our jobs worth pursuing and worth paying for.  But somehow I managed to make a distinction between listening to and pleasing.

Pleasing seems to be a common trait in the work of many managers and specialists.  They want to give their audiences the best: "The customer is always right!" we hear and often accept.  The more expert we become, the more we think we 'know' what our audiences want.  But if we are going to better understand their needs, what they want to achieve in life, and more importantly how we are to support them in their life quests, it is essential to look at how we listen to them.

I said to my students: Imagine if I please you continuously, what challenges would you have to meet by yourselves?  What sort of core ideas and concepts am I going to offer to you for you to solve real life problems?  How can I stretch their minds if I just please them with all the answers, superficial content, whilst they continue browsing through their mobile phones and laptops the latest gossip in Facebook?  What if you always do what the customer says?  You should always reply to their requests, but that is different from pleasing them.  

I am not against Internet browsing (I do it a lot, even to look for the latest reviews of products that I have already bought!), as long as it does not take over concentration.  Turning this situation for the better, it seems that when 'browsing', students and customers (me included) are looking for something else in our lives. As managers and educators we should be listening to ourselves and our audiences, trying to see the bigger picture.  What is it that we really mean?  What is it that we want to achieve?  What are their worries?  

I might not be able to please myself or my audiences fully, but at least I can try to think of our and their needs and expectations.    This might take time and patience, also letting go of our idea of "thinking about the product that is to meet their needs" and replacing it for the idea that "there is a person there with a problem or a need, and I will see that I do what I can that fits both of our circumstances and help us both".  This can apply to many activities in projects, including their definition and their planning.  

And if this applies to work, how could it apply to the rest of our lives?  

Time to listen, what a precious think to have.  Listening and Pleasing, what a difference!