We’ve been doing a lot of thinking about communities and the future of business this last 2 weeks. Well someone has to. Serious head scratching, some desk learning, asking the best people ( thanks Heather, Tim particularly, our advisory board members).
We met the guys from giffgaff this week who epitomise the good example of what’s possible with social business- v inspiring:)
It made me realise that we are very rich in community building experience that once understood, we can liberate further:
1) Today I had an inspiring day: helping 4 companies as a result of our client communities helping each other.
2) Last night we had a v fine time talking about apps with people we work with, some regularly, some from time to time.
3) Tuesday I learned what an unconference was and that we invented it first in LimeBridge.
Just 3 examples of the communities we’re in and have helped to generate.
The most significant step in learning for me this week was that social business is not about social media, it’s about being social. It’s about your values. And it’s not new. If your values bring people together and they include being transparent, honest and sharing then you can build social businesses using today’s tools.
Social businesses can build and grow fast on a popular sentiment: that companies don’t work for their customers and their employees. Amazon, eBay, first direct, Innocent are not new businesses but they are businesses that grew fast and strong because they are social businesses with very strong values and ethics.
I’m going to invent a word for it: being an “uncompany”.
I think Budd from now on will be an uncompany. LimeBridge already was, we just didn’t know it.
Next year we want to generate another community of people who share our passion and are trying to make “The Best Service Is No Service” processes work in their businesses. That’s why we’re thinking hard. Maybe our manifesto should just be that passion: “How do we stop doing dumb things to our customers and our people?”
Let me know if you want to take part
Right, off to bed – should we be an uncompany providing nano-consulting? See you – same time, same place, tomorrow’s thinking
