Tag Archives: Steve Jobs

VISION EXPO EAST – Think Different (part 3)

March 30, 2012 By in Strategy Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

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Vision Expo has ended and we are all trying to get some rest and catch up after a whirlwind of trade shows this month.

For those of you who read this blog regularly, you are well aware of my total admiration of Steve Jobs. Reading Walter Isaacson’s book right before starting the trade show season was so timely for me since the book helped to crystallize why Steve Jobs was so successful and what we can all learn from reading it and studying Jobs’ persona and management style.  He may have been very tough on those who worked with him and even on his family, but despite this we cannot discount the total influence he has had over our entire universe.  And we also can learn from the incredible passion he brought to his “day job” every day.  While Apple or Pixar are vastly different from companies in our industry, we can still all apply Jobs’ approach to business and adapt for our companies/practices/stores.

I thought the best way to share my thoughts with everyone was to simply post Isaacson’s summary article from the April issue of the Harvard Business Review.  I urge all of you to read this article (and then to read the actual biography).  Enjoy:

The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs

VISION EXPO 2012: Think Different (part 2)

March 21, 2012 By in Strategy Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Last week, at MIDO in Milan, Steve Jobs was on my mind.  This week in New York as Vision Expo gets underway, he is on my mind more than ever!  I am sitting here (in a break) at the annual VM Summit which is always a great day of idea sharing, discussion of new trends, and a chance to see old friends and colleagues.  This year’s summit theme is “Innovation Everywhere”.  They could easily have stolen a page out of the Jobs playbook and called it THINK DIFFERENT.  Given everything I have been writing about in this blog, this topic of innovation is very timely and obviously very near and dear to me personally. My mission in writing this has been to share my experiences to help ECPs  grow their practice and be more competitive in the new retail environment.  Today’s morning panel discussion has crystallized many things we have discussed over the past months. Here is what it means to THINK DIFFERENT:

  1. Innovation (defined as solving real problems for real people) is key to an enduring company – if we do not innovate, we will be left behind.
  2. Disruptive technology and disruption in general is changing our entire landscape.  We need to embrace new ideas and new technology and new products, or we will be left behind.
  3. The future is sooner and stranger than you think – if we are not planning for this new future, again, we will be left behind.
  4. We need to surprise and delight our patients/consumers/customers.  What is least expected is what is MOST valuable.
  5. Consumers today crave information – we need to be information and service providers and be patient-centric.  Not transaction-centric.

To summarize this, the focus of the panel discussion was about providing a unique experience.  And this made me think about a post I did back in November on Strategy Development.  As you think about your strategy, you MUST think about the 5 points listed here.  And as you think about your strategy, think about how unique product and providing a unique experience will help set you apart from the competition.  Think about how to THINK DIFFERENT.

Thanks to the people at Jobson and Vision Monday for sponsoring such a great annual event.  Enjoy Vision Expo!

MIDO 2012: Think Different (part 1)

March 13, 2012 By in Luxury, Strategy Tags: , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

As I sit at the MIDO show, I cannot stop thinking of Steve Jobs and the Walter Isaacson bio I recently read. Jobs built his companies and his entire career while changing multiple industries all on his belief in “thinking different” and making sure his product was perfect and “inspired”.  Microsoft is the great traditional company, but Jobs always felt it lacked innovation. Apple “inspired”. And it all started and ended with Product.

I keep thinking of this while at our industry’s largest event here in Milan. I continue to stress the importance of a luxury strategy to set an office/retailer apart from the competition. Nowhere is this strategy more on display than at MIDO.

The traditional areas of the show are like Microsoft.  Great companies but not necessarily stimulating. The busiest area of the show is like an Apple conference – it’s the trend/luxe pavilion. It’s where the buyers want to be;  there is a different energy level that motivates abstract thinking. Why?  Because the best retailers know they need to set themselves apart and the way to do this is with Product. The exhibitors feel the same way. To “think different” and offer inspired, unique Product is THE winning strategy – otherwise you find yourself in a price war or “race to the bottom”.

Steve Jobs intuitively knew this from day one. And the companies and retailers in our industry that also know this are the ones succeeding in today’s tough economic climate.  Are you ready to “Think Different”?

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