I'm tracking others' insights - on Innovation

I've been watching how other bloggers address topics that I think are critical to the marketplace leadership of professional service firms.  Take a look at what I found recently, followed by my own remarks. 

High-fives to Michelle Golden, whose blog mostly focuses on law and accounting firm marketing, for providing a close look at how she advises clients on integrating service improvements (both to the offering itself and to its delivery) into a marketing plan.  Golden does a great job of illustrating the link between Marketing and a firm's Operations side, as well as the role of the individual fee-earning professional to ensure a focus on this critical area.  How many consultants put illustrations like this on their blogs?  (Only the ones who are actively generating their own innovations, that's who.)

Comments

[Suzanne Lowe]

Michelle, you said you're "half-expecting some operational experts to come along and find fault with my diagram."

Well, if they did, you'd learn something and you'd IMPROVE it! We're smarter together than we are alone.

[Michelle Golden]

Wow, Suzanne, thank you very much for your kind praises. Especially the "I" word because innovation is something I feel is my responsibility as a consultant and it means a lot to me that you see this as an innovation. :-)

Funny you mention "how many consultants put up illustrations like this on their blog" because I presented to a group of marketing professionals this week about blogs and two worries (if their prof'ls would blog) presented were:
1) we think our professionals will be worried about criticism of their advice/solutions offered (as in..."that's not the best way to do it"..."or why would you do it that way..."); and
2) the age-old concern about "giving away" advice you otherwise might sell.

Truth is, I was half-expecting (and still am) some operational experts to come along and find fault with my diagram showing what may be, and probably is, missing. When I weighed the potential embarrassment of that with the benefit of evolving my model based on others' feedback, I got excited about the opportunity to improve it!

To the second concern, giving away stuff -- even to the "competition" -- never bothered me.

I'm curious how we, in any of our respective professions, can encourage new ways of thinking and looking at things when we are so guarded that we fear the very steps that lead to collaboration toward innovative breakthroughs!

Kudos for your continued impressive work, Suzanne. I value your blog.

Michelle