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| "We waited three years ... for THIS??" |
Like
HAL 9000 from Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001:
A Space Odyssey, Kodak—the once undisputed leader in its field—is now
singing “Daisy Bell” to an increasingly hostile audience.
Case
in point: When Kodak unveiled its first smartphone last January at CES 2015,
analysts expected the long-awaited phone to go on
sale in late March, likely in the United Kingdom. Instead, Kodak missed the
deadline by two months, opted for the Netherlands over the UK, and gave their
phone the same name as the Perez-Hilton manufactured boy band that was unleashed on the public shortly
after Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection back in 2012.
Not
that anyone noticed. Kodak’s big announcement would have been the proverbial
one-hand-clapping were it not for intrepid reporting by PhoneArena.com and the Ecumenical News.
And
not that anyone cared. The reviews from Kodak’s big reveal back in January were
the tech-community equivalent of, “Aww, Kodak! Let’s just scotch tape that to
the refrigerator door so everyone can see it.” TechRadar.com labeled it nothing special. And the Verge warned: “This is the first Kodak phone, and
it’s probably not for you.”
We know this mighty has fallen.
The question is how? The smart money’s on their mission statement.
Before Kodak started Chapter 11 of
their tragic history, their mission
statement was a 110-word board-room war cry that spoke of “a world-class, results-oriented, diverse culture based
on our six key values” that offered their “customers and consumers
differentiated, cost-effective solutions” in pursuit of their “fundamental
objective … Increased Global Market Share and Superior Financial Performance.”
[Caps theirs.]
By contrast, Instagram—which
became the new first-name in
photography when Facebook acquired the company for $1 billion in cash and stock
just two months after Kodak signed their articles of surrender—doesn’t have a
mission statement. It has a quest: “To
give all users a view of the world as it happens.” And it seems to be working
for them. RBC Capital recently reported
that Instagram could generate more than $2 billion in ad revenue next year.
The
jarring contrast between Kodak’s mission and Instagram’s quest is a cautionary
tale for those organizations still clutching to the “What’s good for GM”
mentality of the 20th century.
To
be successful in the Interactive Age, you need to have a connection with your audience
or your customers (or your “customers and consumers” if you’re not into that
whole brevity thing)
well before you try to sell them your product or service. Simon Sineck
demonstrates this quite beautifully in his TED
Talk.
And
the most meaningful connections begin with a shared
quest. Unlike a mission—which is a directive from an external source that’s
nailed to the break room wall right above the coffee maker—a quest is driven by
a passion that comes from within to achieve a purpose that you hold dear. By publicly
declaring your quest, you will find and attract entire online communities who
share your goals, and your passion. And who will rally with you in pursuit of your
shared quest.
And
that’s when your successful journey really begins.
