The explosion of digital media tools and platforms in the last ten to fifteen years has certainly become a “media” sensation.  The world it seems, has an insatiable appetite for all things social and spends millions of hours engaged in these new mechanisms of electronic connection.  The quality of the connection is debatable but the vast quantity is not.  Never in history have humans had the ability to connect with so many.  However, just because the tools have been invented to enable connection to previously unheard of numbers doesn’t mean we are mentally or physically capable of managing those connections.  Real human connection that alters our perspectives, engenders growth, inspires and motivates us can only come from deep connection that takes lots of effort and sometimes years to cultivate.  See studies from Stanford University Professor Cliff Nass on detrimental effects of digital media.  One risk of social media is that it can turn relationships into transactions rather than bring meaningful richness to life. 

So why am I taking time to blog you ask?  Good question.  (You are brilliant!)  I guess it is mostly for me, to enable creative thought and capture something of value for myself and anyone that finds these ramblings useful.  It is to help calm the information noise we are so inundated with.  In our busy, information glut societies we don’t have time to sort it all out.  Writing or blogging is one way to do that.  It is kind of like chewing the cud for a sheep (lessons from the farm), if they don’t quiet down and take time to digest what they have taken in then they can actually starve.  I believe we are in the kind of society where we desperately need to filter information and focus our concentration in order to be effective and create value.

The legend of Camelot was a place where good triumphed over evil and acts of honor and heroism were commonplace.  It was the most desirable and beautiful place to live and work and it brought out the best in its citizens.  Camelot was a place where people lived and died for a cause.  Wouldn’t it be worth the effort to create your own workplace Camelot?  Insider marketing as opposed to insider trading is actually a good thing.  Most of us have never thought of marketing to our own business internal customers.  What would be the point?    The point is that people work harder and are more fulfilled in their work when it goes beyond a wage and becomes a cause. 

Normally you spend your marketing dollars to find out who your customer is, what they are buying, how they buy, how much can they afford to spend on your products and services etc.  You also spend money communicating the value of your product so you can help create the need.  (In other words you spend your marketing money on people who can make you money, right?)  And that is the point, maybe we should think about spending some of our marketing money on learning about and communicating with our internal customers since they help bring in the money.  Take the time to find out what would emotionally engage your team to feel like they are working for a cause?  Our internal customers have the same needs and wants as our external customers but we are with them a lot more, so it is even more rewarding when we understand our internal marketplace and get it right.  You want to keep your friends close and your employees, subcontractors and vendors even closer.

Consider that our level of energy and excitement about our own products and services translates directly to the global market place.  It’s like the butterfly that flaps its wings and causes a hurricane clear across the globe. We don’t always know the result of every action but everything we do does have an effect.  You don’t have to think very hard to grasp that the way your employees and subcontractors and vendors think and feel about your products and services will affect how they are received  in the market place.  A healthy cohesive team generally has a huge advantage over a dysfunctional disconnected one.  As in, Southwest Airlines has a huge advantage over other airlines with more contentions internal relationships.

So, if you want to make a dent in the universe you need to put it in the budget to do some “Insider Marketing!”

Measuring might seem boring but it is the only source of course correction and it can be used to adjust  performance incentives.  It is no secret that great athletes and coaches are measuring fanatics.  Understanding what efforts and behaviors bring about the desired results is fundamental to improving performance.  Remember that better measuring equals better reality which enables
     However, we don't always control the measurement or have access to the data we need to make a good measurement.  For instance, when going to the doctor we don't have the training and expertise to determine the accuracy of their diagnosis but we can and should get a second opinion.  When we hire a contractor and we are not sure if we are getting the best price or product we can get another estimate/ opinion. 

Most of us are in the business of providing (ie. packaging) information for users in a way that would influence their decision making process.  We have a vested interest in the outcome because their decision will affect our economics.  There are not too many entities that package information without a vested interest, not even our government.  So when you get your economic data from an economist or from the government you have to assume that some of that bias is baked into their measurements.  Doesn't the government have a vested interest in a lower unemployment number or a lower inflation number or higher retail sales number?  Sure they do!  So, go get a second opinion and here is one valuable place to do it.  http://www.shadowstats.com/  This company does their own research and gathers their own data to produce the same economic reports as the government only with different results.  It may change the way you make business and investment choices.

 Imagine you just took off in your private jet (I did say imagine) with the intention to fly straight to Hawaii from San Francisco CA with just enough fuel for the trip plus one hour.  Even if you had no piloting experience whatsoever you wouldn’t think of starting the flight without some way to measure the effect of winds on your course and your fuel requirement.  That is exactly the way we all should start any and all change or innovation efforts in our work and personal life. 

So often we see a problem or an opportunity and we settle on a course of action without any means of measuring the effectiveness of that effort.  Sometimes when we find that our efforts are not producing the results we had planned, we just add more of the same action.  This is like finding out we are fifty miles north of our Hawaiian destination and just speeding up.  Speeding up will never get you back on course and neither will doing more of the wrong thing get you closer to your desired result.

Since reality is too vast for any one person to grasp, it is essential that you remain open minded and willing to have your measuring methods changed as you learn more.  Remember the story of 3Ms “Post it” notes?  It took years of testing and market research and lots of mistaken assumptions before it caught on.  Sometimes our innovative idea might be so revolutionary that it shocks the market and gets denied at first just because it is so different.  If 3M had made their measurement for success instant positive revenue it would have failed.  Back to the flight to Hawaii, you would never expect your actual flight route to match your flight plan but you make sure you have the end in mind and ways to correct your course during the flight. 

Designing accurate measurement systems is both intuitive and scientific and far too little time is spent working on creating effective measurement systems that are specific.  The more accurate your reality is the better your decisions will be and the smaller and less expensive your course corrections will be.  Measuring is so vitally important if we are going to be efficient and effective in anything so at least ten percent of your time should be spent on measuring.

    The exciting thing about innovation is certainly the rewards, and not just the kind you spend (although those are very important)!  There is the psychological boost that comes when something really makes a difference in people’s lives.  Imagine what Steve Sasson the inventor of the digital camera feels like.  Or, how Robert Shaw feels (who gets most of the credit for pioneering the steel framed deck that Trex decking now sells). 
    And don’t forget that Google, the #1 best place to work http://www.greatplacetowork.com/index.php is able to provide and amazing workplace environment and benefit package because of their impressive stream of innovations.  That gives a lot of people a psychological boost!  If you are not an innovator you will have a tough time affording the best people.

    The bigger the impact and the more people an innovative idea or product helps, the bigger the psychological boost will be. That boost is as important as the money because it provides the vital “energy funding” that is required to take innovation to market.  Improving people’s lives and work is very exciting and rewarding and it’s the core of innovation.  It’s that drive to improve and innovate that has propelled individuals and businesses and even nations to the top.  The hope of rewards can help motivate us to do the work of innovation and stay on track.  So, when you are building your compelling reason to create a systematic innovation practice; remember that the rewards are so much more than money!