Book: The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action

Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton

Summary: The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action is not just another strategy book about “what to do.” Pfeffer and Sutton convincingly argue that management already knows what to do. The gap that exists between “knowing” and “doing” actually resides within the unique culture of an organization. Yes, we are talking about execution.

You’ll love this book if: You are willing to take an honest appraisal of your organization’s culture, and the roles that fear vs. collaboration play in execution.

You’ll hate this book if: You are comfortable with building your business using a hierarchical management structure laced with fear.

Words of Wisdom:

Fear starts, or stops, at the top. It is unfortunate, but true, that a formal hierarchy give people at the top power to fire or harm the careers of people at lower levels … Organizations that are successful in turning knowledge into action are frequently characterized by leaders who inspire respect, affection, or admiration, but not fear.

Why we think this book is important: An environment of action, which values employee collaboration and cooperation, is far more likely to result in satisfied, motivated employees. People who feel good about their jobs - the impact of their work-related activities – create positive customer touchpoints along the way.

Book: Karaoke Capitalism: Daring to Be Different in a Copycat World

Author: Jonas Ridderstrale and Kjell A. Nordstrom

Summary: Karaoke Capitalism: Daring to Be Different in a Copycat World offers a compelling argument against traditional business metrics such as “benchmarking” and “best practice.” In a thoughtful and well-supported (there are 510 footnotes) case, we learn just how dangerous it is to sustain sameness – that it leads merely to mediocrity.

You’ll love this book if: You understand (or want to understand) that corporations cannot survive following the “me-too” rules of the business world.

You’ll hate this book if: You are not comfortable cultivating change, creativity or diversity in your organization.

Words of Wisdom:

Companies must, therefore, also learn to forget. They must delete to develop, destroy to build … Quite often doing so is easier said than done… In an organizational setting, getting rid of the past is particularly difficult since many senior executives are at the top because the are experts at what was important yesterday.

Why we think this book is important: This book provides detailed insight on why you must – and how you can – design an exceptional customer experience by transforming your organization from the inside out.

Book: The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging

Author: The Editors of The Huffington Post with an Introduction by Arianna Huffington

Summary: The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging is exactly what it says. In addition to insights and and posts from famous bloggers, the guide provides helpful basics such as a listing and short description of the most popular blogging services and optimizing your blog for search engines. Although the book has a decidedly political and journalistic orientation, it is an excellent place to start for blogging of any kind, and even contains a “Glossary of Blogging Terms” for total newbies.

You’ll love this book if: You are ready to jump in and start writing.

You’ll hate this book if: You allow the guide’s political frame of reference get in the way of its educational content.

Words of Wisdom:

The blogosphere thrives on authenticity. No one really sounds like a law paper, an academic paper, or a PowerPoint presentation. So your blog shouldn’t sound like that either. You want your posts to sound like you at your most witty, entertaining, and relevant. Tape yourself as you critique something you read in the newspaper. If you take out the “ums” and clean up the grammar, a transcription of this tape could be the start of a good blog post. Or don’t clean up the grammar.

Why we think this book is important: Blogging is a touchpoint opportunity that cannot be overlooked. Your organization’s blog is the ideal medium for your organization to have an ongoing authentic conversation with your customers.

Book: Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us

Author: Seth Godin

Summary: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us explores the idea that humans have always joined tribes, and the Internet now makes tribe assembly easier than ever. The business application here is that by providing opportunities for your customers to engage with your product or service, while giving employees the freedom to accomplish amazing things, you potentially set up a platform for a conversation – even a tribe – to form around your organization.

You’ll love this book if: You are open to encouraging employees and customers to openly and passionately dialogue about your organization – and learning from this experience.

You’ll hate this book if: You are not interested in creating a customer experience worth talking about, and you think it’s OK for your employees to be bored with their jobs.

Words of Wisdom:

The business world has a long history of conservatives tribes, of groups of people who relish the status quo. The big news is that this has changes. People yearn for change, they relish being part of a movement, and they talk about things that are remarkable, not boring.

Why we think this book is important: Engaged employees translate into engaged (and profitable) customers.

Book: Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today’s Cluttered Marketplace

Author: Noah Kerner, Gene Pressman, Andrew Essex

Summary: Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today’s Cluttered Marketplace is a book about authenticity. While the book’s examples are from design and culture-related industries, the message is clear for any organization, be it a bank or an automobile manufacturer: Cool is the ultimate point of difference.

You’ll love this book if: You believe you can learn a business lesson from looking outside the traditional boundaries of your current industry.

You’ll hate this book if: You think the word “cool” is only for kids.

Words of Wisdom:

The only way to build a true communion with an audience – to a point where they might deem you or your work “cool” – is to follow a personal vision and stay true to that vision no matter what. And if your completely off-the-wall idea gets old, come up with another one.

Why we think this book is important: Cool = authentic. Customers cannot be fooled: Ensure that your touchpoints are authentic.

I was skeptical at first of a book called Chasing Cool co-authored by a guy who used to be a DJ.

But it was the subhead of the book that made me buy it: Standing Out in Today’s Cluttered Marketplace.

I mean, who doesn’t want to stand out in today’s cluttered marketplace, right?

It turns out that Chasing Cool is a book about authenticity. And you won’t find – or become – cool by chasing it.

The authors (Noah Kerner, Gene Pressman, Andrew Essex) describe interviewing innovators from “influential industries”:

Music, architecture, design, film, Internet, consumer brands, art, fashion, advertising, and nightlife … All that time yielded one common thread: none of these people chased anything. They trusted their guts, put their names on the line, and followed their personal passions … They pursued a vision and, then, somewhere down the road, cool found them.

The world’s best …

One of my favorite examples in the book is about a famous ultra-premium vodka.

Grey Goose’s tagline: “The World’s Best Tasting Vodka” is simply … a “positioning statement.” Yet Goose is synonymous with “ultra-premium” vodka.

Is Goose really the world’s best-tasting vodka? Well, according to the now-infamous Times vodka taste test in 2005, Smirnoff was actually the best-tasting: “Pure, clean, and ultra smooth, with pleasing texture and classic vodka aroma.”

The idea behind Goose? Genius. And definitely cool.

Rock stars who … aren’t

As mentioned above, the music industry played a part in this book. (Makes sense; most of us think rock stars are cool.) What was interesting, however, was that apparently (some) record companies use software to help decide what artists to sign.

It becomes less about a gut decision to sign someone who seems genuinely talented than it is about the arc on a spreadsheet.

(Doesn’t sound very cool, does it?)

There’s even a program … which helps record companies determine the chart potential of a song before deciding whether to invest in promoting it. The company claims that they can find mathematical patterns in music and that hit songs are concentrated into a tiny number of trait clusters.

Perhaps that helps explain why the list of  Billboard’s Top 10 grossing tours of 2008 was dominated by classic rock acts.

Cool – is it like Justice Potter Stewart’s “I know it when I see it?”

Bottom line: Your customers will know it when they see it

You can’t fool your customers. And why would you want to try? Strive to ensure all touchpoints are authentic. Your customers will know (and appreciate) you for it.

And that’s pretty cool.

PS – that guy who used to be a DJ? He’s the CEO of noise, based in NYC.