Toyota’s “Restore” Commercial
Yesterday I was watching the Olympics when a Toyota commercial came on. The commercial was not about another hybrid but about Toyota’s latest bout with their brake recall. The recall has dealt a major blow to sales and to consumer confidence in the Toyota brand. A commercial dedicated to “restoring”something was a strong indication to me that “geez something most really be wrong.”
With some 9 million recalled vehicles worldwide and counting, Toyota has undoubtedly had to publicly address this issue. I don’t know all the ins and outs regarding the recall (there are plenty of articles out there right now that speculate what is happening) but there are 3 simple things I appreciate from Toyota’s commercial that I think organizations can learn from.
1. Fess up and own your mistakes.
The commercial starts with the line:
“History has shown that a good company will fix its mistakes but a great company will learn from them…”
2. Reassure consumers that you are fixing the problem.
Most would probably assume Toyota would fix the problem. Toyota, however, chose to communicate that they are working on the problem. By doing so, they help shape consumer perceptions by reassuring them that they are on it and resisting the temptation to try and hide the blunder.
3. Wrap it all in humility.
Make no excuses and wrap your message in humility.
“We’re working to restore your faith in our company by providing you with safe and reliable vehicles…”
What were your thoughts when you saw this?
Chasing the Expert
I’m not a business/leadership guru so I approach this post with humility but the idea of finding that “one right person” just feels like a waste of time in situations where a group of smart people or an active community already exist. When I say that “chasing the expert” is not always the answer I’m not knocking the expert and I’m definitely not saying that we don’t need the experts because we do. We need them, always will and everyone should strive to be one in an area but the idea that “the right person” is the only way “to the right answer” in my opinion is flawed. Especially when a multitude of creative “solutions” exist right in our back yard via a community? Overlooking this is to miss out on the largest natural deposit of information and ideas around. I have grown to really lean on my community.
On Groups
In most cases, decisions are made by small exclusive groups that consist of the same people. This is actually not a huge problem as long as you can maintain the following:
1. Diversity-Less about ethnicity and age and more about experience.
2. Independent Thinking-Once people stop thinking independently the collective wisdom of the group diminishes.
As smart and well intentioned as the group might be anytime you don’t have diversity and independent thinking you develop “groupthink.”
Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas.
This also happens when people in the room start to “go with the flow” with someone because that someone is some one. Many times, the proposed “solutions” go uncontested. It’s so common and yet so dangerous.
I tell my team on a number of occasions that over time if I sense they are blindly agreeing with me, I start to worry. I actually consider it a form of laziness. Seriously. The truth is, regardless of what I say or how I say it, I’m about as right on stuff as I am lucky. I need and want people to debate the issues until the best idea surfaces. Groupthink becomes the erosion of impact and effectiveness.
What’s worse about this is when leaders use their influence to create groupthink intentionally or unintentionally but that’s a different post. How many leaders do you know choose to put themselves in a room with as diverse group of people as they can? Maybe lots of leaders do (in actuality that was the set up question). How many do that while ensuring and encouraging that all are independent thinkers too? How is independent thinking rewarded? That’s the key. We give out gold stars/street cred/props sometimes to those who provide a path of least resistance for our ideas even if it leads to mediocrity.
A way to prevent this is by adding a little “PUDAKI” to your meetings and groups.
PUDAKI is an acronym for: Pure Unfiltered Debate Around Key Issues.
I find that a little (and sometimes a lot of) PUDAKI keeps the idea and solution bucket nice and full but the only way it exists is if the group feels the freedom to be independent thinkers. A group of smart diverse and independent thinkers can usually come up with the best solutions over the long haul (I’ll write a post about that research some other time). I have found that a group, as long as it’s diverse, has more creative and unbiased ways at solving a problem too. In this day in age, your best idea may come from the places and people you least expect it from so OPEN up. Make sure your peeps aren’t scared to debate. Often something at some point made the environment feel unsafe. Talk about it. When this is firing on all cylnders the language of ‘chasing the expert” seems way less frequent.
I end with this quote: “If a group is so unintelligent that it flounders without the right expert, it’s not clear why the group would be intelligent enough to recognize the expert when it found him.”
Do you think groups can be trusted to solve problems? If so, how do you maintain independent thinking to prevent “groupthink?”
The Momentum Theorem
2010 for me is about focus. I like how Dave Ramsey puts it. Enjoy.
“Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an “Outlier.” He is, of course, right.
My mother says practice makes perfect. She is, of course, right.
A billionaire friend once told me to read one of the best stories on successful living, The Tortoise and the Hare. He says, “Every time I read that book, the tortoise wins. Slow and steady wins the race.” He is, of course, right.
Whether it is branding or wealth building, I call it The Momentum Theorem.
FOCUSED INTENSITY over TIME multiplied by GOD equals Unstoppable Momentum.
Not many people in our A.D.D. culture can stay FOCUSED, but those who can are on their way to winning. Add to the focus some serious pull-your-shirt-off-and paint- yourself-blue-at-the-football-game INTENSITY, and now you have a person who is a difference-maker. But very few companies or people can maintain that FOCUSED INTENSITY over TIME.
It takes time to be great, it takes time to create critical mass, it takes time to be an “overnight success.” Lastly, you and I are finite, while GOD is infinite. So, multiply your efforts through Him and watch the areas of your life move toward winning like never before.”
Via Dave Ramsey
Dave Ramsey is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host, best-selling author of The Total Money Makeover, and host of The Dave Ramsey Show on the Fox Business Network.
Rest and Relaxation
I can’t believe we are into a brand new year. The end of last year was so busy that I am taking a couple weeks off for some much needed rest and relaxation. That includes time away from my little blog. I have a couple of very exciting projects that I am working on for 2010 though and I think you are going to dig it.
Thanks for visiting this site and I hope your new year is a blessed one! Check back in a couple weeks.
Pepsi Trades Super Bowl for Social Media
Companies allocating marketing dollars away from traditional marketing to social media has been happening for some time now. That’s not a big surprise. However, the beverage giant Pepsi Co., just announced that they are pulling out of advertising during the Super Bowl. Instead they will focus on a $20 million social media advertising campaign. ABC News reports “that the company will launch the Pepsi Refresh Project on January 13, where online users can submit ideas to help ‘refresh their communities to make a better world.” This is a very bold move into the social marketing arena that I have not seen from any other company this size. Maybe Pepsi believes it can get a better response for those dollars by using social media. I wouldn’t disagree. So what does it cost to advertise during the Superbowl anyway? According to Wikipedia:
“Prices for advertising space can typically cost millions of dollars; 30 seconds of advertising time during the 2010 telecast is expected to cost US $3.01 million. This excludes production costs and fees for actors, equipment, ad agencies, directors, crew and other personnel. In 2009, NBC sold out all the advertising spots for record revenue US $206,000,000.”
According to the Examiner:
“Advertisers view social media as important because online they can seek out people who have an affinity for the brand and engage them in a meaningful discourse that lasts longer than 30 seconds. Many times these people pass along information to their friends. Online tools give marketers the ability to track the ‘pass alongs.”
Thoughts?
Focus on Being Remarkable
I read a great post today from Seth Godin. Read full post here.
But what about you and your organization? As you get bigger and older, are you busy ensuring that a bad thing won’t happen that might upset your day, or are you aggressively investing in having a remarkable thing happen that will delight or move a customer?
Here’s a rule that’s so inevitable that it’s almost a law: As an organization grows and succeeds, it sows the seeds of its own demise by getting boring. With more to lose and more people to lose it, meetings and policies become more about avoiding risk than providing joy.
Solution? Focus on being remarkable at something.
