Preparing for 2012
What do we know about the coming year? I don’t think it’s too much of a prognosticating leap to suggest:
• Technology omnipresence and extraordinary growth globally, which will permeate every part of our marketing, delivery, and follow-up.
• Entrepreneurial gestalt: A merging of one’s personal and professional life as opposed to compartmentalization.
• Major overseas markets provide increasing potential (no matter where you currently reside).
• The ability to instantly communicate all kinds of content—mobile, right-on-time knowledge.
• Major government changes through both free elections and continuations of popular uprisings.
• Increasing “noise” that must be navigated or dampened in order to extract useful information.
• Increasing stimuli and sources all of which demand time investments, often linked to significant normative pressure.
• The departure of Baby Boomer executives and managers and their replacement by people with often significantly different frames of reference.
• Unpredictable financial markets.
Given these likely volatile changes (especially in combinations), what do your clients need to be successful? What must you do to consult, coach, and advise clients to improve their effectiveness in such environments?
First, there will be dramatically differing skills needed. Example: The ability to develop people globally who are rarely meeting in person is far different from developing people who work down the hall or can be easily called in from the field force.
Second, behaviors will have to be shifted to reflect factors such as real time coaching, customers who demand immediate responsiveness, and a greater consideration for cultural and generational diversity than ever before. Example: How does one act with an outraged important customer who is looking you in the eye on Skype?
Third, intellectual firepower that includes an accurate world view, understanding of true trends (as opposed to fads), and the ability to learn rapidly will be required of leaders at all levels. Example: How quickly can one make decisions about competition, customers, and strategy to allocate resources most efficiently?
Fourth, superb communications skills will be a differentiator for those who excel, both within their organizations and with customers. Example: It will be impossible to lead by “proxy” or from behind a closed door.
Fifth, the ability to brand and demonstrate value will be the key marketing advantage as competition and price sensitivity grow. Customer evangelists, as we’ve seen Apple create, will be strong off-balance-sheet assets. Example: The creation of viral marketing results in huge margins and strong growth.
What are you doing to prepare for what’s likely in 2012 as opposed to trying to repeat what might (or might not) have worked in 2011?
© Alan Weiss 2011. All rights reserved.
