How Big is Your Mote?
Is anyone outside of your company inside your mote?
This post was inspired by a great podcast that I listened to, “At the Table.” I’m for sure a fan of Patrick Lencioni I think any new leader can learn a great deal from his work. Consider that my unpaid ad for Patrick and his work (a secondary nod to the podcast).
While listening to this podcast I could not help but thing of the small business owner who does not have a worldwide reach, or endless supply of resources to hire consultants to help them. They also talked about the consultants that do not want to be tired to just one company, but we can save that for another day. I liked the image above, thank you autoevolution, because there are some roads leading away from the castle, but it does not have much inside the mote. That means everything this castle needs to survive has to be inside the walls of the castle. Also information will be limited getting in and out. You do not want that to be the case for your business so you need to consider the following:
How big is your current mote?
How do you invite others into your mote?
What can you learn from those inside the mote?
I think it is pretty clear, but just to make sure you want a mote around your business. You want some protection from the outside environment to ensure that you remain successful. The questions to consider is how big is your current mote? Do you have room for others to join you inside the mote. This will be people outside of your company, but that can be trusted with more information than the general public. These could be select members of the public that are ambassadors for your company. They could be freelancers, or consultants that you use, or that use your services. Either way you want to make sure that you have room for more people outside the company, but inside your mote. Engage with them on a regular bases. See what feedback or market intel they have for you, what do you have for them? This will be a two way street, just make sure there is some room for them inside your mote. It is ok if part of the process to come inside the mote requires no disclosure agreements, after all the mote is there to protect you.
Once you have the space inside your mote set up how do you invite others to join you there? Some of that will happen naturally. You will just have customers that want to join you inside the mote, same with vendors. Others may need an invitation. That could be as simple as “hey, I would love your feedback on this”. It could also be as formal as a social media group, or members club. Just remember it is a two way street and you want a diverse crowd inside your mote. This group is there to help you keep your competitive edge.
With that in mind, how do you get information from this group? How are you asking for feedback or market intelligence? How are you given them information? This group will be able to help you find the next product or service you need to offer. They will also be able to help you see the direction of the market. Test ideas with this group inside the mote. Share Big Hair Audacious Goals (BHAGS). Talk to them about challenges with supplies, or quality. Again, this will be a diverse group, which means there is a good chance they have already been there and done that, or knows someone who has. So you can learn a lot by just asking for some input or advice. For those inside the mote that have questions of their own, be there to listen and help them with input or recommendations. It is a two way street after all.
Remember:
You need a mote to keep your company secure and protected for success.
You need space inside your mote for some folks from outside your company to engage.
For those inside your mote it is a two way street, so make sure you are giving as much, if not more than you are receiving.
Thank you for your time reading this post. I hope you found a small bit of helpful information here. If you did please pass it along.