At 28 days, I guess February flies by for everyone!

The best part of what we do is being involved with a variety of projects.  From video shoots to transformation initiatives, from educational programs to stage presentations, the mix keeps your imagination sharp and client value large.

In March I’m off to San Antonio to take the transformation platform from a large market level to a local market impact.  I head to New York to complete the third phase of our Narrative Arc strategic initiative. Then it’s off to Richmond for a platform presentation.  Believe it or not, March features my first week without travel in 2007!

There are a couple of magazine articles that will get some much needed attention during my home office time, and I will get a chance to finish a new graphic reporting format for all the projects that need follow up.

Someone recently noticed an email I sent was time stamped 4:15 AM and asked, “What the hell were you doing working at that horrible hour of the day?”  I have a weird work day that allows me to finish all the stuff I do, plus an odd biology that simply does not require much sleep.  It’s kind of like cheating, as I get a few more hours than most.

Thanks to all of you who continue to visit my blog every Friday (Steve’s Corner at www.creativeventures.com) and send your cascade of emails.

I received a lot of email on the subject of transformation, which is always a good indicator that the subject has traction among the readers of the newsletter.  So here we go with the next two aspects of a real, strategic, and substantive transformation process.  Remember, change can happen in an organic way, but real transformation is a process, a process of deep and true clarity.

Last month I talked about the aspect of SIMPLICITY (the only way to embark upon any systemic approach).  This month I want to hit on The Challenge and Small Victories.

THE CHALLENGE:  All transformative processes start with The Challenge.  The Challenge usually comes from an organizational imperative or initiative, but it might also come from a market condition.  When President Kennedy wanted to put a man on the moon, he clearly challenged NASA to engage in a transformative process that would make it a reality.  The challenge ignited the process.  When the Japanese auto industry launched a complete commitment to small cars in the 1980’s, the market challenged our domestic big three to transform their idea of a profitable car to stay competitive.  The Challenge is a BIG player in the true transformation process.

SMALL VICTORIES:  Transformative processes thrive on energy; primarily the energy of momentum.  A strategic goal should be to structure the process so that you get a couple of fast victories, no matter their size, to sweep the idea forward.  These victories need to ignite the fuse of accomplishment.  This is done through the age old idea of “beating your drum loudly”.  You need everyone to know that we had some quick wins.  By committing to a frequent and open channel of communication you will engage the participants at an emotional level (the highest level of engagement).  Quick wins create momentum.

Next month – Change the Way You Think, and Pay Attention!

There is so much out there for someone who is “easily fascinated”.

Jefferson Han:  I would love to give you a great written piece about how Jeff Han will change the world, but it is way easier for you to watch this:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBQhE9QXlnI  

iPhone:  If you have been living under some large rock for the past few weeks and have missed the wonder of the soon to be released iPhone from Apple, here you go:  http://www.apple.com/iphone/

Jet Blue:  OK, JetBlue made some horrible decisions during the Valentines Day ice storms and created a whirlwind of bad press (anyone that believes “any press is good press”, might want to visit with these guys). 

They create a customer service pledge in order to get into the good graces of the buying public.  HUH???  Create an unmanageable (that sounds good at the time) recovery strategy to fix an anomaly?  There are 10 million domestic flights a year and every once in a while something goes wrong.  It might be mechanical, bad weather, or good old dumb ass people, but something will go wrong.  The natural thing to do is RUSH to a perceived solution. 

So, the old Blue boys create another system to manage, where if they are late by a certain amount of time you get some $$$.  If the departure gets moved back further you get more $$$.  I would love to be at the counter when someone says, “My watch says you are now really late and I want my $$$”, and the gate attendant says, “Our company clock says we still have 5 minutes”. 

Don’t create another system to solve the problems of the first system.  They should have given the damaged passengers a couple of free tickets to anywhere.  Then later work on the common sense aspect of their existing systems.  Now the government wants a law to regulate the Jet Blue problem. Perfect, the same guys who can’t even patch a road will now dictate corporate problem solving.