My leadership journey in the last 2 months (4/4)

This is the 4th of 4 parts in this long post/series. Refer to the first three to get the context or enjoy this on its own. :)

Product specific Impact on those working with the product/for the organization

What is it?

If you compare two car companies, let’s take BMW and General Motors, on an overall level they are in the same business. How is it different to work for one of these companies or the other – or how is it different to work for a bank instead – let’s say Citigroup? Now much of that answer will lie in the organizational cultures, the specific ways in which the businesses are run, how decisions are taken etc. And all this, business schools around the world make a fortune trying to tell its students about. I argue that there is another, fundamental, difference, and it lies in the product itself. It will be a different experience working in a company that has a product that is defined physically by the car rolling out the factory, than a company that is defined by its services. There will be a fundamental difference in working for BMW and GM – because the products are different. What is that difference? The key here Is for the businesses themselves to identify what it is that is unique about working with their specific product. What is the specific learning that you can get from working with BMW which you cannot get from working for Citigroup – for sure – and you will never get even working for GM? Depending on the answer, that will change a lot about what kind of strategy you implement. The hard part is to identify what is product specific, and what is just contextual. Most of the obvious things which are different today, aren’t actually permanent, such as f. ex. Company culture. Most things which are obvious could be the same. But some things are different and cannot be the same – because it is defined by the product. It can only be the same if the product is the same. Now – this is harder to identify the more similar the product is (ie BMW and GM), which leaves temptations to identify the other things instead. But herein lies the magic.

An example from my life (skip or read –you know the drill)

In the alarm company I worked for, there were real opportunities of learning related to things such as public policy on crime, on sensor technology, on psychology of people related to the concept of safety. These were product specific – because if we had been producing chocolate, nobody could have learnt about those things. The HR and learning strategy should have been built around that. Because for those genuinely interested in these things in terms of learning, there could have been no better product in the world to work with. At the same time we had competitors in the same industry. What I know that was specific about our product (although, surprise, surprise, nobody in the company made any particular effort in telling me), was the direct tie between the alarms themselves and the security guards. This meant that as a product of “feeling safe” the product had advantages over its competitors, independent of technical merits.

Why it matters?

It matters because it is what makes the company special to work for. From a learning perspective and from an impact perspective. By identifying and highlighting the product specific aspects of the organization, it is possible to develop a competitive and independent HR strategy, attracting the right people, and retaining them. Learning will be tied to the product itself – meaning that the companies growth and individual learning is directly linked to on another. Powerful, ey?

AIESEC context (skip this if you aren’t so interested in those specifics):

In AIESEC, the membership experience (TMP/TLP as we call it), is designated as a leadership development experience. But, of course, it is possible to develop leadership in a number of different ways in the world, and even working or volunteering in other student organizations or NGOs. So what’s special? The products – different sub products of exchange – all involve 3 specific processes that develops leadership in a very unique way. (1) An exchange involves leading another young person to leave their home country and embrace an experience in another country based on what you tell them. That is a pretty significant leadership experience. (2) An exchange involves leading another organization, a company or an NGO, to actually change the way they run their business – by taking in a student or graduate from another country. This is never on the top of the strategic priority of a company. Lead that! (3) To deliver an Exchange successfully, a young person, 18-25, has to deliver an experience together with another young person, 18-25, across the world. Co-create customer value and leadership development where previous there was none. Yeah, that’s product specific leadership development. And product specific impact.

Conclusion

There are many things that have happened in the last 2 months in my life and in my experience. The reason I wanted to put these four points down is that I see them as my specific leadership learning that somehow came to fruition at the end of this period. Is that all? Hopefully not. Will they evolve? Hopefully so.

The obvious question for myself is - what is around the next corner - or even - what's the next turn? All I know right now is that I am grateful for this last period, as in my own mind I have realized things that at least to me where never as crystal clear as they are right now. For all those reading who have helped me learn in the last months and years - thank you.

I wish you a great end to the old and a wonderful entry into the new year.