Forget Your MBA - Big Design 2011

Transcript

1. MBA
   FORGET YOUR
   MANAGING A
   LIVING COMPANY
   @marcelosomers
   #forgetMBA
   behindcompanies.com
   

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2. Marcelo Somers
   Product Manager, Sabre Holdings
   

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4. Business
   IS A DESIGN PROBLEM
   

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5. Company
   THE LIVING
   

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6. The average life expectancy of a
   multinational corporation is between
   40 and 50 years.”
   - Royal Dutch Shell study, 1983 (http://buswk.co/o14v7q)
   “
   

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7. A full one-third of the companies listed
   in the 1970 Fortune 500 had vanished by
   1983 – acquired, merged, or broken to
   pieces.”
   - Royal Dutch Shell study, 1983 (http://buswk.co/o14v7q)
   “
   

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8. Companies die because their managers focus on
   the economic activity of producing goods and
   services, and they forget that their organizations’
   true nature is that of a community of humans.”
   - Royal Dutch Shell study, 1983 (http://buswk.co/o14v7q)
   “
   

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9. Making money
   IS NOT YOUR GOAL
   

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10. Profit is the result of doing things right rather
    than the purpose of business activity.
    Profitability is a measurement of how well the
    business discharges its functions in serving the
    market and customer.”
    - Peter Drucker in Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices (http://amzn.to/gZzfiU)
    “
    

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11. http://www.flickr.com/photos/38047620@N00/3745750018/
    

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12. http://www.flickr.com/photos/38047620@N00/3745750018/
    When you look at growth as a strategy, it becomes
    somewhat seductive, addictive. But growth should
    not be—and is not—a strategy; it’s a tactic.
    - Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO (http://bit.ly/eAUwQE)
    “
    

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13. http://www.flickr.com/photos/38047620@N00/3745750018/
    The primary lesson I’ve learned over the years is that growth
    and success can cover up a lot of mistakes. As we return the
    company to growth, it’ll be disciplined, profitable growth for
    the right reasons.”
    - Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO (http://bit.ly/eAUwQE)
    “
    

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15. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wa-j/503225832/
    

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16. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wa-j/503225832/
    Focus on just a few things, and do
    them better than anybody else.”
    - Steve Ells, Chipotle CEO (http://bit.ly/rsqZI3)
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17. Constraint
    THE PRODUCT IS THE
    (or service!)
    

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18. http://www.xtranza.com/blog/?p=284
    

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19. At Apple the top priority is the product.
    Sounds trivial, but very few companies place product first.
    Those who do tend to be producing creative works. Most
    companies place either production or distribution first.”
    - Horace Dediu (http://bit.ly/fApvkB)
    “
    http://www.xtranza.com/blog/?p=284
    

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20. ‘Because we can’ isn’t a reason
    for doing something.”
    - Kyle Baxter (http://bit.ly/qhCeFv)
    “
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jorgeq82/5401489188/in/photostream/
    

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21. Insanely Happy
    MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS
    

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25. Real Artists ship
    IDEAS ARE CHEAP,
    

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28. We fell into the trap of thinking
    like an incumbent.”
    - Kellan Elliott-McCrea, Flickr Architect (http://b.qr.ae/oJuudR)
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29. The best PR/marketing tip: make
    something worth writing about.”
    - William Wilkinson (http://bit.ly/oUiEjn)
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30. Manager
    THE ROLE OF A
    

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31. A lot of startup talk seems to say that you should
    simply get a lot of smart people together and let
    them do whatever they want until something
    sticks, and that is a recipe for success in
    everything (product, team happiness). This is
    wrong. So wrong. Creativity comes from
    constraints and direction.”
    - Justin Kan of Justin.tv (http://read.bi/gp0Hl4)
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    http://www.flickr.com/photos/twitteroffice/4997601108/
    

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32. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dobrzanski/4361486036/in/photostream/
    

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33. http://www.flickr.com/photos/67191365@N00/3488168037/
    

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34. Experience
    DON’TJUST HIRE FOR
    

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36. Knowing that “it can’t be done” because you can
    recount each of the failed attempts in the last 20
    years to solve the problem can be a boat anchor
    on insight and imagination. This not only
    affects individuals, but happens to companies as
    they age.
    - Steve Blank (http://bit.ly/eYkItr)
    “
    

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38. ARROGANT HUMILITY
    

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39. ARROGANT HUMILITY
    Confident in what you’re good at
    

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40. ARROGANT HUMILITY
    Confident in what you’re good at
    Curious
    

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41. Golden Gooses
    SLAUGHTER YOUR
    

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42. Businesses don’t get to pick the timetable for when
    their preferred model takes a permanent dirt nap.”
    - Merlin Mann (http://bit.ly/n4EVvS)
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43. http://www.flickr.com/photos/greateryesterday/3036997998/
    

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44. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitty-cats-corner/504114431/
    

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45. http://www.flickr.com/photos/40693413@N08/4663437969/
    

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47. We imagined ourselves as a venture-capital-
    backed start-up in Silicon Valley whose mission
    was to attack and disrupt The Atlantic.”
    - Justin B. Smith, President of The Atlantic Media Company (http://nyti.ms/qvQq9O)
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49. Move fast. If we make mistakes, let them be
    because we are too fast rather than too slow.”
    - Lou Gerstner, IBM
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50. Thank You.
    NOTES AVAILABLE:
    HTTP://BIT.LY/FORGET-MBA
    @marcelosomers
    behindcompanies.com
    

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51. KONTRA’S LAW:
    A commercial company’s ability to innovate
    is inversely proportional to its proclivity to
    publicly release conceptual products.
    http://bit.ly/pSyHXa
    

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