Comments on: Let’s commit a thoughtcrime http://blog.business-model-innovation.com/2009/08/let%e2%80%99s-commit-a-thoughtcrime/ A fresh approach to strategy Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:31:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Using the business model canvas is art. Here is how you use it | Business Model Innovation http://blog.business-model-innovation.com/2009/08/let%e2%80%99s-commit-a-thoughtcrime/comment-page-1/#comment-885 Using the business model canvas is art. Here is how you use it | Business Model Innovation Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:48:43 +0000 http://blog.business-model-innovation.com/?p=394#comment-885 [...] write about best-in-class, social something, customer-centric. All empty words (See post on the horror of Newspeak). Start with precisely describing who your customers are. Do not write business customers but [...] [...] write about best-in-class, social something, customer-centric. All empty words (See post on the horror of Newspeak). Start with precisely describing who your customers are. Do not write business customers but [...]

]]> By: Patrick Stähler http://blog.business-model-innovation.com/2009/08/let%e2%80%99s-commit-a-thoughtcrime/comment-page-1/#comment-89 Patrick Stähler Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:29:10 +0000 http://blog.business-model-innovation.com/?p=394#comment-89 @Christian Thanks for mentioning the <a href="http://harvardbusiness.org/product/four-truths-of-the-storyteller/an/R0712C-PDF-ENG" rel="nofollow">article</a> by Peter Guber. You raised an interesting question about truth and honesty in management. I think there are different layers of communication and of what you tell. <strong>For yourself, you should be honest to yourself and accept the the unvarnished truth about your business.</strong> That does not mean that you become a worrywart or pessimist. You just have to be frank. In the business plan you hand over <strong>to an investor you should show a realistic, but optimistic view of your venture and the risk included. </strong>The investor will "grill" you and your business plan sufficiently so that it is good that you prepared yourself with the first layer. The third layer is the <strong>communication with your customers. You focus on the value proposition, on the utility you provide.</strong> Here, you do not communicate what you cannot do or where your disadvantages are. You communicate the positive aspects. Best regards to Hamburg! Patrick @Christian
Thanks for mentioning the article by Peter Guber. You raised an interesting question about truth and honesty in management. I think there are different layers of communication and of what you tell.
For yourself, you should be honest to yourself and accept the the unvarnished truth about your business. That does not mean that you become a worrywart or pessimist. You just have to be frank.

In the business plan you hand over to an investor you should show a realistic, but optimistic view of your venture and the risk included. The investor will “grill” you and your business plan sufficiently so that it is good that you prepared yourself with the first layer.

The third layer is the communication with your customers. You focus on the value proposition, on the utility you provide. Here, you do not communicate what you cannot do or where your disadvantages are. You communicate the positive aspects.

Best regards to Hamburg! Patrick

]]> By: Christian http://blog.business-model-innovation.com/2009/08/let%e2%80%99s-commit-a-thoughtcrime/comment-page-1/#comment-88 Christian Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:17:40 +0000 http://blog.business-model-innovation.com/?p=394#comment-88 Dear Patrick, I do agree with you that a lot of the language which is used in managerial context just serves the cause of being interesting and so much of an expert. The underlying topic to me is something that you state in the middle - it is about being honest within the organization and to the stakeholder (attention: newspeak!). I do believe that it is important to know what really is the case with a faulty business unit. I actually doubt that it is the best way to be totally honest to your investors for example. Even if it is morally correct, I believe that an investor will judge an honest CEO different from a NEWSPEAK-CEO. That leads to a dilemma of telling the truth or hiding it behind shiny phrases... Peter Guber wrote an interesting article concerning the honesty-topic in HBR (Dec. 2007) with the title 'The Four Truths of the Storyteller'. Finally, I need to admit that you're correct when you demand honesty and the careful use of these nice words. The backing of such honest behavior has to come from the board and the CEO and therefore from the investors. Perhaps no one tried to be honest and it is worth a try... Kind regards, Christian Dear Patrick,

I do agree with you that a lot of the language which is used in managerial context just serves the cause of being interesting and so much of an expert.
The underlying topic to me is something that you state in the middle – it is about being honest within the organization and to the stakeholder (attention: newspeak!). I do believe that it is important to know what really is the case with a faulty business unit. I actually doubt that it is the best way to be totally honest to your investors for example. Even if it is morally correct, I believe that an investor will judge an honest CEO different from a NEWSPEAK-CEO. That leads to a dilemma of telling the truth or hiding it behind shiny phrases…
Peter Guber wrote an interesting article concerning the honesty-topic in HBR (Dec. 2007) with the title ‘The Four Truths of the Storyteller’.
Finally, I need to admit that you’re correct when you demand honesty and the careful use of these nice words. The backing of such honest behavior has to come from the board and the CEO and therefore from the investors. Perhaps no one tried to be honest and it is worth a try…
Kind regards, Christian

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