Saying “I’m going to play devil’s advocate/the big bad wolf to voice some concerns” = get threatened with “then you won’t be invited back” from a board member at a chamber of commerce (Roseville) meeting today. Committee or not, you need to be able to point out mistakes, concerns and considerations. This includes fundamental failures. Going back to the drawing board is more affordable than unleashing a really crappy product/service/marketing pitch/ you name it. Don’t put good time/effort into bad ideas!
If the room can’t be discerning and dedicated to refining ideas to make them better, what is the purpose of the gathering? Feel good therapy for the sake of the group? Save it for the team building exercise or company retreat. Right now we have real work to do. So suit up! Results matter. The team may have worked diligently developing their ideas but if they failed to consider the customer and put themselves in their shoes. The result is? Dog Food.
I’m one of those who believes if my name is on it, that it should deliver solid value. And in order to do that, at the very least you need to be able to discern fine dining from the dog food (common BS nobody swallows), decide which would you would actually eat, and choose to serve that one. If you wouldn’t eat it, then don’t serve it to others.
Advocate from a position of Chief Executive Customer. If you can’t put yourself in the shoes of others, then just use your own. In the creative process – the question should be “How can we make something better that we really like?”Being creative, adaptive, innovative, honest and discerning can help you navigate constraints.
If you personally don’t see the value in the product/service, positioning and packaging, how can you reasonably expect the customer to? Further more, knowing that, why would you continue to design products/services as if the customer is dumber or less deserving of quality service than you? Is that in alignment with the values of the organization, and you personally? If you wouldn’t buy it, then don’t sell it to the rest of us.
Take all of this as an opportunity to get a feel for the room you’re in. Are the suggestions in alignment with the values of the organization? Would the leaders and collaborators buy this? #Makeithappen
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