Take Notes: There is ALWAYS a Pop Quiz!

There once was a time, before the Internet, before overly accessible annoying pop idols and their exploits, when people used to employ this old contraption called a note pad. I can imagine that your minds eye immediately becomes populated with some form of laptop computer, but what I am referring to was even MORE convenient than that! Yes it was so!

These notepads were the weapon of choice for flat foots and gum shoes alike, no doubt recording some of the most crucial pieces of information in the 20th century! Clues to a murder, the crux of a news story.... a long as you could find a pen and a fountain in which to refill it (I'm pretty sure that's how they worked...). More importantly, as per my mantra, that information was ORGANISED then ANALYSED to identify an opportunity.

They [notepads] are almost redundant these days, (though ink has been conceptually superseded by battery power) with the introduction of smart phones, tablet PCs and the like. In fact these days, many things that people hoped could not be recorded, suddenly are being aired across the globe in a matter of minutes for all to see. Thanks Youtube, Wikileaks, Wikipedia and co.

There is so much information out there that if you really wanted to know something or find an opportunity, it would just be a matter of looking in the right place.

The same thing can be said for your business intelligence (No need to look sideways when I say that. It isn't all cloak and dagger subterfuge). Where ever you are, you should be able to access, review and update customer data, and, record potential opportunities.

Satisfying customer expectations is the essence of Quality Management, but, how can you meet expectations with out knowing what the customer wants? That is where things like the smart phone have become so essential. Every little detail that you learn, contributes to your understanding, and therefore, your ability to prepare for and meet, your customers expectations.

If Customer X calls your company and your customer relations representative is about to transfer them to your phone, you have roughly 20 seconds to reacquaint yourself with their history, before they start to think that perhaps their business is not that important to you.

If your quality management system is worth what you pay for it, you should be able to get to that information before interest wanes. Ready? Start flipping through that note pad... NOW! 20, 19, 18....

P.S. I recorded the notes for this piece, verbally on my smart phone.

Evolution And Innovation: what's the difference?

When you see something new, how often do you really see it as innovative? These days, technology makes our whole world smaller, and, chances are that when you see something new, it has been done before in one form or another. Does that make it any less innovative? Is most modern innovation really just evolution?

One impending product, which is being promoted as a great innovation, is the electric car. Electric cars aren't exactly new, in fact, I had one when I was about 10 years old. Sure it could only carry 6 gun brandishing G.I. Joes, and the battery was about half the entire mass of the vehicle, but I had one nonetheless. In fact, at the start of the 20th century, almost a third of all automobiles sold in the U.S. where EVs (electric vehicles).

Geeting back to more recent times, in the U.K., the diminutive G-Whiz, which is apparently the world's best selling electric car, is more Golf Buggy than a modern car. In fact, if you have more than one friend, or want to travel more than 48 miles, you had best look elsewhere.

Japan, of course, have the iconic Hybrid Prius and Honda Insight (as well as a selection of other mild hybrid vehicles)which utilise energy normally lost through braking, to charge batteries, which in turn drive the front wheels. The wheels can also be driven by the petrol engine to add modest pep to progress, or take over entirely as speed rises, or battery charge drops.

The U.S. has a number of electric vehicles, including the cost prohibitive Tesla Roadster, which adds a bit of sexiness to battery vehicles (in fact it looks a bit like the aforementioned remote control vehicle that used to transport my G.I. Joes), which is, like the G-Whizz, solely dependant on battery power, and therefore, not really that practical. This is compounded by the fact that it is actually stupid fast, which is an energy hungry pursuit.

Then there is the Chevrolet Volt, which will be popping up across the globe in the next few years, under the Chevrolet, Opel, and possibly, Holden brand names. Similar in approach to the Hybrids from Japan, the Volt has both an internal combustion engine (or ICE, which is just like any contemporary petrol engine) and electric motor with batteries. It differs, however, in it's preference to drive solely from the battery pack and electric motor. The ICE actually serves as a generator, creating electricity to charge the batteries. Pretty innovative, right?

Well, sort of. Submarines have been doing this for decades. Of course the Chevrolet Volt will also have the benefit being plugged into the garage wall when you are at home, which wouldn't be advisable for U-boat Captains.

So what is the difference between Evolution and modern Innovation? Application and time.

Innovation can be the start of a new process, so looking to other industries to solve your own problems, can make you an innovator in your own industry.

Evolution is the rest of the industry trying to catch up to you.