All posts by Nicholas Mosley

Nicholas Mosley EvMBA 2016
01-Structuring a problem, 05-Creating & constructing good solutions, 07c-Telling stories

Crowdsourcing Principles

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When someone thinks of the idea of “Crowdsourcing,” their first thought may be Kickstarter or some very successful micro-lending organizations.  Crowdsourcing for financial support has been hugely successful.  For example, LeVar Burton has raised more than $5MM to bring back the PBS “Reading Rainbow” program via apps. (http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/books/2014/07/levar_burton_s_kickstarter_campaign_brings_hit_pbs_show_app_to_).  On the more ridiculous side, over 1,000 people have contributed and promised to buy the Ostrich Pillow, a pillow you put your head inside to sleep in public (http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-ridiculous-idea-to-ever-get-funded-on-kickstarter-2012-10_)

Crowdsourcing can be used within your company to solve a wide range of problems.  Often a company that has a “flat corporate structure” where opinions and contributions from all employees are valued have a better chance of innovating.  Effective digital platforms and campaigns cater to the Gen Y workforce that most companies want to attract today. Social networks and transparency are something that this generation takes for granted and they want their work-lives to enhance their digital experience.  The key to fully taking advantage of your workforce is to manage the massive amount of data that can be generated.  Having an issue “champion” to manage the process is the best way to begin.

An employee platform will also help companies identify effective opportunities for additional training, advancement and retention that will amount to huge savings, build reputation and attract the best talent in the long run.  Businesses are losing out on innovative employee contributions if they are not creating a way for employees to freely share ideas for improvement. Organizations are even presenting operating challenges to intra- multidisciplinary teams for new perspectives and problem solving.

Deciding what issues should and should not be posed to the entirety of a workforce is important.  However, some of the most complicated issues deserve the most options.  This is new space for older companies but one worth exploring.

 

 

01-Structuring a problem, 07a-Crafting an effective formal presentation, slide-craft

The Art of an Executive Summary

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In my job I give 3 or 4 client-facing presentations per week.  These presentations are often very similar, and over the course of my career there are very few new issues in my specific field.  It can be very simple to reuse an old presentation with a few adjustments.  However, it is important to understand that this may be the first time your client has come across this particular issue or undertaking.  An easy an effective was to frame an issue and have your audience moving in the same direction is an executive summary page. 

Below is an article written by a CBS contributor outlining an effective executive summary. The key is to not approach the summary in chronological order… problem, solution, and outcome. If the goal of the presentation is a sale or a call to action, end with that.  Structure the summary beginning with current problem, the desired outcome, and then the solution. This ending will provide a nice transition into the meat of the work you will present.

The goal is to establish your credibility by displaying your understanding of the customer needs, provide a compelling value proposition and why your solution is unique.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-art-of-the-executive-summary/