Can you imagine if Apple had decided not to include the features of an iPod on the iPhone, for fear that it might cause them to sell fewer iPods?
Companies does nutty things like that all the time. Does yours?
Today’s newsletter, Cannibalize Yourself (Before Someone Else Does), takes a lesson from Steve Jobs, from a story in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs.
Go ahead, compete with yourself.
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Hi Steve,
Your astute article also raises another potent issue. With internal competition rising for a decade, less people are willing to share. Ideas become “owned” by individuals, which result in a perception of “job security”. One of the great harmful side-effects of this bad economy is the threat of one’s job. This has been very detrimental to cooperation and reciprocity in the workplace. As a manager, I have to contend with the phrase “playing it close to the vest” daily, as team members hold secrets and even compromise or sabotage each others’ projects. My only salvation is the resolution that whatever action is taken, the results must be for the good of the company. Personal endeavors, self-aggrandisement and stepping over one’s colleagues can’t have a place in the company if the company as a whole suffers. Wiser managers than I will say that I can’t be aware of half of what behind-the-scenes activities are really taking place. This is true. This is why I “hold to” that policy with such determination, to combat the in-fighting that is being fueled by the heightened competition. We all want that “shark in the tank” to keep the work pool working hard, but not at the cost of quality ideas or opportunities being missed. Or dismissed.
Steve Jobs had the benefit of his awesome rank (earned by many very hard-fought years). He WAS the company. Infighting, lack of collaboration was personal. I haven’t quite achieved that level in business. For me, I believe the tougher question is, “how do I create a productive environment where I can balance competition and cross-pollination of ideas without encouraging combative co-workers bent on rising above all others at any expense?” What tools do others use to keep the energy high, but the mutual respect and team mentality strong?
Steve,
Great reminder. I preached this till I had to leave the last company I was at. They would not introduce a product that their customers were begging for because they feared it would cannibalize their ‘flagship’ product. They had sunk millions of dollars in the development of the flagship only to find that the market was not as interested in the product as the company itself thought they should be.
The kept at it and kept at it but to date (going on 5 years now) they have only one single customer who had the vision to adopt the flagship product. I can only imagine the market they’ve lost because they refused to consider the discovered needs the marketplace exhibited. It was right under their nose and they would not see it.
I left and started my own company and I’ve just forwarded your news letter to every employee with instructions to “read, ponder and expound”. Hopefully, we can figure out where we need to work at self cannibalization!
That insight’s pefcert for what I need. Thanks!
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Excellent, thank you for sharing this insightful idea !