N - O - V8

There are difficulties with the economy, education, and other areas of life. One of the common themes I hear is that innovation will make it better. While I believe that innovation is the way to a better future, I do wonder how much we support the efforts to innovate.

BusinessWeek had an interesting article on innovation and the role of government.

While I question the need for more bureaucracy, I could see an expanded opportunity to actively encourage more innovation through the Departments of Commerce and Education. Seems like the government is already bankrolling some nonpartisan efforts on innovation.

Educationally, professionally, or personally those who innovate are less common. In the development of innovation they are likely to be less appreciated. It is only with the confirmation of success that society gives credit for innovation.

Think about your TV recordings. Did digital TV recording start in the late 1990s? Think again--it's middle aged!

There are businesses that do a great job of turning innovation into products, services, and profits. They change the game in ways that create greater prosperity and convenience. Fast Company tracks and recognizes innovative businesses annually.

Let's roll those innovation thoughts over to K-12 education. Once you have the basics, how should your education evolve? We will get into more of these ideas in future postings. We see examples of educational innovation in people that challenge the educational status quo. I think about charter schools and new private schools and new types of assignments that are unfamiliar to their parents from their time in the same level of school. For now, let focus on personal uniqueness as a route ot innovation.

Standardized testing usually doesn't measure your capacity to create innovative solutions. Innovators tend to use common ideas in uncommon ways. Think about ways that you are uncommon.

• How did you develop those unique skills?
  
• How do you use your uncommon skills?
  
• What innovative things do you use now that you did not touch a few years ago?

For example, mobile phones are commonplace now. The commercially available portable phone was an innovation. When they were big and bulky, they were new. Once the price and size shrunk, they gained more widespread acceptance. The smaller, smarter phone was another step. Blackberrys, iPhones, Google phones and their apps are innovations that feed off each other and challenge the innovators to dig deeper.

Sometimes business innovation is simply repackaging something you have already done in a way that is more publicly acceptable. Let's get it started?

Why I Don't Twitter

For the mobile community that hangs out a lot, Twitter is probably one of several useful ways to answer the question, what are you doing?...right now!

Nowdays there are other methods to do the same thing. I saw Loopt on an iPhone commercial. Seems like a more personal version of that localized personal update...and it works on Blackberry and the G1 as well.

If you are an extrovert with a ton of friends, these may work for you. I doubt the introverts are trying to keep up with 100s of pals or want 382 of your best buds to start tracking your movements.

I'm sort of old school...text messaging is fine.

Do I really want to admit what I am doing throughout the day. This commercial highlights why it is sometimes best to not Twitter.

After all, do you want trackable, step by step personally incriminating evidence of what led to the wassup sequel?

I can't get no...satisfaction?

The other day, I was in a fast food business that focuses on chicken. There was a customer who was not happy with her order. She explained that it was not done enough for her. As the issue was handed over to the shift manager, she checked the chicken. The shift manager explained that the chicken was fully cooked and she had cooked it herself.

The customer wanted another order. The shift manager explained how she cooked the chicken for the required time and that all of the chicken was similarly prepared. She offered to refund the customer's money. The customer insisted that she wanted another order of chicken. The manager gave her the option of a refund or keeping her original order.

I was very interested in this exchange, because of that old (false and incomplete) adage--the customer is always right. While the customer is always right about his/her expectations, that does not change the reality of the business. Unless the manager believed this was a bad piece of chicken, giving away more of the same doesn't make the customer happy, it just makes the restaurant less profitable. Good for the shift manager.

All customer satisfaction is not equal. In some cases what we expect is not even close in different industries. The average level of service we expect from the cable company is far different than our expectations from an internet retailer.

Before you paint me with the "doesn't get customer satisfaction" brush. let me say that it is important to deliver a high level of service to your customers. Doing so should get you more business if you understand how to make their experience a memorable one.

However, if your best is not good enough for them, you have to make a business decision. Are we going to get better or do we believe our level of accomplishment is good enough? If you have no plans to get better, target customers that like your level of accomplishment and quickly get the others out of your business.

It is better to not have customers that you will not satisfy, than to keep them around. The more they show up, the more your happy customers start to wonder if their level of approval is appropriate.

Woot - Shopper's Delight

I really like to shop.

Without unlimited funds I have to find other outlets for the shopaholism.
One is a work outlet to allow you to shop. Another is Woot! If you are willing to be awake at Midnight Central Time, there is always a bargain to consider. While you may or may not have interest in this daily opportunity to spend a few bucks, it is very temporary. Once they sell out or the 24 hour period ends, that item is gone.

When the Woot folks really get their ADHD on, there is a Woot Off. Look for the orange lights and you can buy one Woot after another for a day or three. Shop, Shop, Shop until your heart's content.

Mostly there are tech toys available for purchase on Woot. Sometimes there are less technical items like vacuum cleaners and the infamous bag of crap. However, they do have other Woot sites where you can buy wine or unique t-shirts.