I recently read an old FORTUNE magazine article about Paul Allen and his NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers. According to the article, he took one of the best brands in the NBA and nearly destroyed it. How does a smart man do something like this? It’s the same mechanism that takes us all down – strategy that makes sense on paper but doesn’t make sense in the real world. It usually comes down to this - thinking something’s important when it’s not.
What is truly important for success?
As an Idea Coach, I assist people in moving their ideas forward and to create successful outcomes – a published book, an effective marketing campaign, a new tv show – it is crucial to connect with what are the important areas to focus on and give your resources to.
Although there’s a lot of complexity to Allen’s story, I’m going to focus here on his team building strategy and how that hurt him.
His original strategy was to buy names for lots of money without any thought about how these people would play basketball together, or their character.
Allen became one of the biggest payroll spenders in the NBA despite the fact that Portland was the 8th smallest market. “The philosophy was talent at all costs,” says Allen.
Unfortunately, these big names were mostly over the hill and on their way down and many were involved in criminal activity. As a result fans and sponsors turned off. A big sponsor said, ”The team reached a place where it just didn’t represent our values.”
With ticket sales dismally low, Allen considered selling the team.
But he loved the game and changed his mind, rethinking his strategy instead. He got back into the game of basketball. He cut the payroll, letting go of the idea of buying a championship. He focused on building a team of young players through the draft, a strategy that made sense for a small market like Portland. He focused on the character of the players. Allen spent money on marketing, bringing in a Nike executive to rebuild the brand.
Now, the Trail Blazers are worth 21% more than they used to be and are expected to sell our every home game this year. They have 20 new sponsors and the city is behind its team again.
How does this apply to your idea? What filter can you use to test your strategies to give you a better chance of succeeding?
I versus THOU
Whenever you’re developing an idea, no matter what type of idea it is, one’s ego competes with one’s soul with each decision. In writing this article, I sit with my motivations. Am I trying to prove to you that I’m smart? Do I truly want to help you with your idea? I imagine you sitting at your computer reading this, looking for something that could be useful. I know you’re curious, I assume you have an idea you’d like to bring to market. What is going to help you? I ask the article…tell me what needs to be communicated.
There is this thing that happens when you have an idea. You think it’s yours. (You may not be guilty of this but many are.) Like a parent, you think you know best but you’re making something for someone else. All creators walk a fine line of being connected to your truth about what you think is right and also being flexible enough to the universe’s feedback to make relevant changes.
I read recently that websites are about customers, not about products and it brings up a concept that’s very different in Japan than America. In Japan, it’s the speaker’s responsibility to be understood. In America, though, it’s often the listener’s responsibility to figure out what’s being said.
Who are you focusing on? In the words of Martin Buber, “Through the thou, a person becomes I” and although that may seem esoteric in this context, it is through a deep relationship with our customer that our ideas truly come to life. With authenticity and humanity built in, we fall in love.
“When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.” Buber
And when an idea truly connects with its customer, it is because we as creators are connected as well.
To your success!
Susie Arnett
Idea Coach
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