A Tweet From @RevRunWisdom Inspires Thoughts of ProductCamp

There I was on Friday catching up on email when, out of the blue, I saw this gem of an inspiration from @RevRunWisdom:

"Empty pockets never held anyone back only empty heads and empty hearts can do that -Norman Vincent Peale"

So rife with meaning generally but apropos to what's been on my mind lately.  Like many of you, I spend a good deal of time networking and sharing what I know.  Lately, at the end of every meeting, I am hearing this question, "Why are you helping me?"  My answer is typically some or all of the following:

• Because I can.
• Because I care.
• Because I'm interested in the topic.
• Because I like helping.
• Because I like helping you.
• Because I like paying it forward.
• Because I'm learning something in the process.
• Because it's the right thing to do.
• Because it helps the community.

It occurs to me that my answer is not unlike the vibe at ProductCamps that are held all over the world.  It's not unlike the vibe at ProductCamp Chicago.  If you've not been to a ProductCamp, then I strongly suggest you give it a try.  If you attend, you drive your destiny.  No sponsor is telling you what to buy and no person sets an agenda for you.  If you present, it's your chance to show your might to others and get some great live feedback from your peers.

Unconferences like ProductCamp embody the essence of that Norman Vincent Peale quote.  None of the participants pay to attend and the only thing that prevents someone from getting the most possible out of it is his or her own mind and heart regardless if you are a presenter or attendee.  The success truly depends on how much you're willing to get out of your own way.

See, it's not only the mind that drives the success of an unconference.  Actually, I'd say that the mind is a very small part of what makes unconferences worth the time.  What makes them successful goes beyond the thought leadership.  It's actually the sense of community, fraternity, generosity, humility, friendliness, etc., that helps it elevate itself beyond a glorified show and tell.

Unconferences are relationship and community incubators.  They help us step outside our small circles and become acquainted with the broader community.  They help us learn and grow by making us consider things in wholly new dimensions: inside out, upside down, reverse color, etc.  They encourage our contribution to the greater good either through the sharing of our ideas or the acceptance of others' feedback.  They encourage us to be better product managers, marketers, developers, leaders, architects, etc.

Some cynical ones may say that I'm waxing too romantic about ProductCamp.  My answer is that, to borrow from Norman Vincent Peale, it's an empty heart that thinks so.  And here's a great video from last year's ProductCamp Chicago to back me up.

ProductCamp Chicago - June 19, 2010 

Parissa Behnia

Idea Chef

678Partners@gmail.com

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Why Being Holistic Means Being Divided

No fear... this isn't a riddle like the one in front of the Sphinx.  It's just something that has occurred to me of late based on some articles i've been reading lately and some of the discussions I've been privy to "IRL" as they say.

In my last post, I told you I didn't understand why it would be that I could access my home voicemail via my iPhone but not through my laptop because my chosen browser is Safari.  It was really a call for more complete thinking and something that we could all be doing not only within our own departments (Finance, Marketing, Operations, etc.) but enterprise wide.

We've got to start thinking vertically, horizontally and diagonally -- as well as a bunch of non linear directions -- if we are to succeed long term.  Old habits die hard, I know, but if Amir's 81 year old aunt and 95 year old uncle are on Facebook and send emails, surely we can learn new ways of thinking and doing as well.

So what does thinking in a whole bunch of directions have to do with being holistic and divided all at the same time?  We've seen articles lately about demographic digital divides (here and here) as well as shopper divides (here and here).  I recommend reading all four to get a true glimpse of what's going on in the greater landscape but the net net is the following:

• Minorities, in these cases, Latinos are more prevalent on Twitter than other groups.  More specifically, data show that 18 percent of Latino respondents who spend time online have a Twitter account, versus 13 percent of non-Hispanic blacks and 5 percent of non-Hispanic whites.
• Though advertising shows otherwise, the average grocery shopper is not the young sprightly stay at home mom.  Very often, it's a career mother who has had children later in life or the dad who is making the trip to the grocery store.

At the same time, I've been hearing experts declare the death of direct mail and/or other older forms of marketing, etc.  I guess I don't technically disagree that certain forms of communication are less popular than others.  I'm also being told who is online and how these people behave online.  Hey, data are data.  But, as I mentioned in this post, we're making a lot of assumptions these days which I attribute to a bit of laziness and a form of "what's good for the goose" syndrome.

We're assuming that because of the proliferation (and use) of online channels that we all process information the same way on these online channels.  Or that we communicate the same way on these online channels.  Or that other channels that are not online are not valuable forms of communication.

We're also content to, despite what are obvious differences in what constitutes a household these days, assume that shoppers are just as they were many years ago.  Hey, some people don't want to get married at all.  Some households have two moms or two dads.  And, because we think shoppers are as the same as before, we assume they process information the same way as before or value the same types of messaging as before.

Honestly, the way we're conducting business with all of these assumptions is not really different from this quote from Henry Ford:

"People can have the Model T in any color - so long as it's black"

So, in my call for holistic multilinear thinking is a call for us to think that there may be diversity in who our customers are, how they choose to receive and how they choose to process information.  We may own our brands but we can't dictate to our customers or prospects in the way Henry Ford did.

We have to accept and respect differences.  And by accepting and respecting differences, we have to accept and respect that though direct mail or other older forms of communication may be passe for us, they may be exactly what the doctor ordered for some of our customers.  And while in our mind's eye, the shopper is a young mom, they may very well be a stay at home dad.

How are you thinking holistically?  Are you considering your customers or your markets holistically?

Parissa Behnia
Idea Chef

678Partners@gmail.com
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