As we’ve done the past two years, my son Dan and I are writing this column jointly. I will recommend two management-focused books, while Dan addresses two brand-related books. Our overarching theme for these selections is trying to help understand and accept complexity. We hope you enjoy our selections.
Focus on management
■ Several people recommended “Team of Teams,” by retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, to me, and after reading the book, I can clearly understand why. The full title of the book — “Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World” — is very telling. McChrystal assumed command of operations against Al Qaeda in Iraq in the period following the Saddam Hussein’s removal from power. While his forces were superior in number, training and resources, they were losing because there were silos: slow to adapt to a constantly changing problem, and the machine-like predictability with which the military organization functioned. To be successful, McChrystal had to redesign the approach that had served the U.S. well for more than a century. His approach, which is applicable to organizations and businesses includes:
• Appraisal and recognition of strengths and weakness;
• Fostering a collaborative form of communication that encourages participation through investment and ownership;
• Increasing awareness and shared common purpose to promote trust and link the various “teams”;
• Complex problems solved through resilience and adaptability;
• Empowered execution — the authority to act is distributed throughout the organization;
• Understanding that the nonstop changes in today’s complex, data-rich environment mean there is no permanent fix.
Applying McChrystal’s approach to an ongoing complex problem such as live attendance at sporting events can illustrate its effectiveness. The problem is complex. Winning and losing, other forms of competition, costs, technological alternatives, and perception affect the problem in a variety of ways that can change not only annually, but also monthly or weekly. Trying to solve the problem with one team is impossible. You need buy-in and input from a variety of empowered teams working with a shared focus and having trust in each other to effectively address the issue and continually work to modify approaches as market conditions change.
■ My second selection might seem like an odd choice, but I believe that a great culture is essential to establish a great organization. “The Levity Effect” by Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher was a gift from Eric McKenzie of the San Diego Padres. The authors base their premises and recommendations on a variety of research studies that illustrate the importance of fun in the workplace. There is a list of 142 things to do to increase levity in the workplace that are simple and easy to implement. Fun is actually one of the few common denominators that are effective regardless of age, gender and ethnicity as long as the fun does not come at the expense of someone’s feelings.
The book underscores the health benefits for employees who work in a fun environment, but I was most interested in the chapter dealing with the levity effect on innovation. Dave Clark, vice president of human resources at Nike, states, “If you can find a job where you have fun, it will feel like a calling, and if you find that zone, where you have such a passion for the job that it becomes fun, you are in the sweet spot for creativity.” Who could imagine that having fun can increase innovation and productivity and decrease absenteeism? What a concept!
What’s that brand?
■ The first brand-oriented book is a primer on the basics of brand strategy called “60 Minute Brand Strategist” by Idris Mootee. I have searched for years for one single book to give to the many people I have encountered in my career who have asked, “How can I learn more about branding?” “60 Minute Brand Strategist” does it all and does it in an engaging, visually appealing way packed with real-world examples from GE, Mini, Lego, Starbucks and others. This won’t replace two years of MBA marketing content, but it certainly will help anyone who wants to know more about the things you hear every day working with a brand management team.
I have read hundreds of business books, and many of them were focused on brands and marketing. This is the one book that I could give to anyone that would be instantly readable, relevant and truly useful for years to come.
■ If you know the basics and now need to learn how to make sure that you are armed with the latest in brand thinking from one of the best out there, I recommend “The Brand Flip” by Marty Neumeier. The book explains the rapid shift toward a brand dialogue where consumers have a lot more power to inform, shape, and ultimately make or break your product or brand.
Neumeier’s premise is:
“The best customers are no longer consumers or market segments or tiny blips in big data. They’re individuals with hopes, dreams, needs and emotions. They exercise judgment, indulge in whims, express personal views, and write their own life stories. They’re proactive, skeptical and creative.”
This is a shift for some brand managers today, but it is a necessary one to understand and be prepared for.
In each of the 18 chapters, the book examines an individual flip, defined by Neumeier as “an accepted business truth upended by technological change. These individual flips add up to the overall brand flip.”
I don’t want to spoil the great content in the book so I won’t go too deep into these individual flips, but I’ll share two: transactions flipped to relationships, and deciding flipped to designing. There are 16 more flips that Neumeier clearly defines and then shares an example of a brand that learned from these shifts in consumer behavior and demand. Some of these flips have been covered as entire books, so it will be a nice refresher or a great CliffsNotes for those who are not up to date on some of the best brand and marketing books of the past few years.
Best wishes for some productive reading over the holiday season!
Bill Sutton (wsutton1@usf.edu) is the founding director of the sport and entertainment business management MBA at the University of South Florida and principal of Bill Sutton & Associates. Follow him on Twitter @Sutton_ImpactU. Dan Sutton is senior brand manager at Riot Games.
