Wim GE De Vos

Blog

  • person first

    One night a father was relaxing with his newspaper after a long day at the office. His son, who wanted to play, kept on pestering him.

    Finally, fed up, the father ripped out a picture of the globe that was in the newspaper and tore it into a hundred tiny pieces. “Here son, go ahead and try to put this back together,” he said, hoping that this would keep his little boy busy long enough for him to finish his newspaper.

    To his amazement, his son returned after only one minute with the globe perfectly back together.

    When the startled father asked how he achieved this feat, the son smiled gently and replied

    “Dad, on the other side of the globe there was a picture of a person, and once I got the person together, the world was okay.”*

    Next time we are faced with a challenge or opportunity. Let´s think about this. Focus on putting the person together first. Because once we do – the rest will be OK.

    Personal Kaizen works wonders.

    *From “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”.

  • Tissue can do things that cells can´t…*

    There are things that are impossible in theory but possible in reality.

    We know the stories “of the impossible happening” from the field of medicine and healing. And now this is also happening with increased frequency and impact in our society.

    Just look at Wikipedia; people working for free; opens source being superior to proprietary software; students teaching students;…

    Social power is a magical thing. So is the hive mind and its possibilities🐝.

    “These impossibilities become possible as the result of large-scale collaboration and massive real-time social interaction, which in turn enabled by omnipresent instant connection between billions of people at planetary scale“*

    The connected collective is more powerful than the specialised individual.

    Tissue can do things that cells can not.

    “The power of a shared human connectivity: If we connect everyone to everyone else – and to everything else – all the time and create new things together a 100 miracles that seem impossible today, will be possible tomorrow“.

    Tissue can do things that cells can not.

    *main idea from “The inevitable: understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future”.

  • Rethinking SaaS …to SatS.

    Rethinking SaaS …to SatS.

    Imagine rethinking software around the user and not the money.

    Imagine Software at the Service (SatS).

    Looking back we see that the transition from Software as a Product (SaaP) to Software as a Service (SaaS) was primarily about the business model. As a result it became all about the money. This new model to monetise then drove product design. Sometimes drove it off a cliff…

    The result of this software optimised for a business model resulted in:

    • super aggressive sales practices (ever had someone from Salesforce on the phone?)
    • “Salesforce Fridays” (your best sales talent actually hating every single Friday afternoon after a super successful week because they have to “populate the system”)
    • hidden lock-in strategies of all sorts making you doubt deeply before adopting any product

    But the times they are a-changin´… (and pretty fast recently)

    The future transformation of software is all about the User.
    This will re-focus software product design fundamentally.

    Think Software at the Service (SatS).

    Imagine software optimised for:

    • Autonomy of every user in your company
    • Employee engagement by allowing for a high degree of personalisation
    • full transparency and pay-as-you-use

    Imagine software you trust deeply. Software you can mold and shape to be what you want it to be. Personalised for you.

    Imagine taking deep dives into user types and habits instead of optimising for the high-touch or low-touch sales strategies. We will come to appreciate the power of personalisation by users instead.

    Imagine software that is built to create value for the user not just the investor. Software designed with a focus on how it will serve the user best.

    Imagine…and now build it. Your focus determines where you end up.

    Small decisions that make a BIG impact 💥.

  • Optimists vs Pessimists

    Optimists vs Pessimists

    The current climate looks challenging. Especially because we get bombarded with negative inputs and confronted with a dark context. But contexts are not reality.

    Every day each of us gets to choose what we focus on. What to work on. And our focus and work will guide our direction and ultimately outcomes.

    We are not born an optimist or pessimist. We train to be one.

    Optimists train their mental muscles daily for a growth mindset. It does not come easy. Nor does working out every morning at 6 AM. But over time the effects are massive. And the option is there for every one of us.

    Optimists believe in the power to change things. Not some naive “things will work out”, but a belief that if we focus on the right things almost anything is possible.

    Optimists see failure as a learning moment on route to the goal. It fuels us to do and think better.

    Optimists transmit confidence that we and the people around us can steer towards a better outcome. Together.

    Optimists deeply understand the power of community. Togetherness. We will bundle positive energy whenever we can.

    Optimists are the ones people follow and look to for inspiration. Nobody wants to follow a pessimist.

    Optimists are the ones who change the world. Because we envision a future that can be. And are willing to work hard for it.

    Let´s make optimism the standard. Together.

    And think like a Proton. Always positive.

    Note for eternal pessimists: if you refuse to put in the work (yes I just called out your mental laziness) and always see the glass half empty… do us a favour and get a smaller glass.

  • The importance of Demos

    wow-moment

    Most of what we sell is too hard to understand without a demo.

    If a picture is worth a thousand words,

    a demonstration is probably worth a million.*

    Steve Blank in The 4 steps to the epiphany.

    So let´s ask ourselves the following 6 questions:

    • Do you have a demo script?
    • Do you have a demo space?
    • Do you have a demo strategy?
    • Does your demo create a WOW moment?
    • Who does the demo?
    • How often do you demo?

    There is a direct correlation between:

    the amount of WOW moments you create

    &

    the growth of your business… *

    *YOU, once you got your demo-act together.