This weekend we went to a function at a resort. In our room was a next-generation, multi-blade razor.
The package was a nifty travel case, there were several coupons for more blades and special smell’um. This was the marketing that made Gillette King! I was enjoying the care some marketer had taken to get me to switch products, and looking forward to trying the new technology.
The next day I tried to use the razor. It had all the finesse of a towed array. I pushed it, I pulled it, I bent it, no matter what I did, it couldn’t get a clean shave. Forget the burns and the nose, a man could lose a finger.
Later I started wondering, how did such a poorly designed product get such high quality marketing? At some point, didn’t the marketing guy go to the team and say, “I can’t shave with this thing. What can we do?”
What would a responsible team lead do when he finds out the product isn’t competitive?
Is there such a thing as a team lead who doesn’t have experience with the product?
What is your responsibility to the investors when you find yourself in a boondoggle?
What do you when your project isn’t right?
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Culture.
ReplyDeleteIf the culture says it's OK, constructive comments and improvement suggestions will be offered. If not, it requires hero status to step up and tell the Emperor that he has no clothes on.
Clarity of mission is another influencer - is the job of the design engineers to create a whiz-bang new razor with startling color, astounding form, and maximum blade count AND is the marketing department charged with creating innovative and lasting packaging and incentives to rush out to buy related product?
From the outcome, this may have been the perception. What was not evident in the outcome was a strategy of taking market share from the dominant player through design, packaging, and performance (customer satisfaction).
When the electric razor was introduced, oh so long ago, when first used it did NOT shave as well as the 'Blue Blade', so the marketing team added some instructions about how to use it and that it would take a week to 'train' your beard. Sales soared.
Should the marketing team lead be responsible for blowing the whistle? Does the culture seek and reward such constructive contributions? Outside of the Utopian world, the same answer will apply to both questions in our reality world.
What would a responsible team lead do when he finds out the product isn’t competitive?
ReplyDeleteI think this is indeed a matter of corporate culture. I've worked in environments where anyone on the team, and especially the leads, are encouraged to speak up when something isn't right, even if it isn't in their domain of expertise. I like working on teams like this. I have also worked in environments where "Management" has clearly said that bringing up issues such as competitiveness or performance or marketing is "not my job". These have been, to put it mildly, less successful experiences. In these cases, I might take my concerns and questions to the product or marketing lead, but be aware that longevity in that organization could be at risk.
Is there such a thing as a team lead who doesn’t have experience with the product?
Of course; I've worked with a number of team leads who don't know how their product works. Is that the most effective or efficient team lead? Not in my opinion. I do try to learn as much as I can about the product being produced by my team. It may be that the domain is so arcane that I can only scratch the surface but, like visiting a foreign country and at least trying to learn some of the language, I find the domain experts appreciate the effort and are quite willing to help.
What is your responsibility to the investors when you find yourself in a boondoggle?
Culture again. Also - just how much of a boondoggle? A razor that isn't as effective as an existing product might not be worth my job. Something that is inherently dangerous or violates ethical or legal constraints? Then you might need to consider whether you can be a whistleblower, and all the ramifications, or if you simply need to leave.
What do you when your project isn’t right?
It depends. See all of the above. If things truly are not "right", then you need to move on. Perhaps you do so by working within the organization to change the culture. Perhaps you leave and find a situation that you can be comfortable with.