I felt like clicking ‘Like’ on an FT article about ‘a techie with food ambitions’ – except the FT does not do ‘Like’. There are four ideas worth looking at – once we strip the article of its physical food content and replace it by the metaphysical world of the professional services business:
- Pattern recognition. Our job, at least in part, is to add value by seeing patterns where others only see elements or objects. Patterns have an integrity by virtue of which we can see connections. They provide insight into the next chapters of a story – before it happens.
- Scaling. The challenge is not to get some tiny pilot project going, but (on occasion at least) to move the basis of competition for our clients. These are two entirely different things. While scaling of product can often be done by throwing money at it, scaling a business solution usually requires a lot more subtlety in dealing with the stakeholders.
- Knowledge of the business. Understanding what’s going on, even on a superficial level, helps us to figure out what elements should be part of the solution in order to stabilise it for the duration. Understanding our clients’ business also helps in making sure that whatever we do translates into a better experience for their customers.
- Stardust (or, as the article calls it ‘magical theme-park’). The most elusive idea of all. It is the importance of creating commitment of our own people to their profession, to their clients and to our company, our culture.
Four ideas taken from the world of ‘fast casual’. Let us know what you think.