Less innovation and more execution. What to do is not as important as how we do it.

cc image

There are not proposals that, in terms of business model we can consider an innovation.  Two recent news:  print on demand, as proposed by Google, or freemium subscription services like the one that is intending spotify have both been tested. The interest to know their outcome is not merely to get potential models that can be imported to other brands, but to demonstrate once again that execution, and not great ideas, are the way to competitive advantage. We are back to what we were talking 10 years ago: subscribers, physical goods, etc.

Many people are dark when it comes to sharing ideas with others, in fact, in Internet, probably less people than in other sectors. It even looks  immature considering  “magical” an idea, and so, trying to protect it. Nowadays, not ideas, but gettings things well done build up competitive advantage, so that, it does not matter we can have the best idea, what really matters is whether we have the capacity to execute it. This is very related with our prior topic, is innovation over-valued? And this is also related with transparency, because since ideas are not as important as their execution, in fact, the key is to share them, to challenge, in order to improve them.

It looks clear that companies like Google know that are not great ideas but great execution what it will make them to continue leading the way. Accordingly, they hire the best, they motivate their people and, therefore, they continue to launch more and better products. Media need to understand what the battlefield is when it comes to playing online, and it is execution,  how we do what we want to do, how we operate and develop our digital operations. We have to think less what to do and focus in how we do it.