Jul
29
Written by:
Sean Obrien
7/29/2009
There aren’t many management books that I make a point of re-reading each year, but “How Would You Move Mount Fuji? Microsoft’s Cult Of The Puzzle” is one of them.
The book, which is slim and a quick read, outlines how Microsoft and other tech companies use “puzzle interviews” to hire creative thinkers. The idea is that when candidates are presented with an impossible question ( “How would you move Mount Fuji?”) they should be able to reason their way through to an answer.
Of course, the answer won’t be “right.” That’s not the point. The point is to see if applicants can think on their feet in a high-stress environment. It’s a somewhat cruel technique, but an effective one, and I’ve used it in the past with success. (Sorry Josh.)
Rereading this book reminds me to view challenges from multiple points of view, to systematically reason out the best answer I can and then commit to it. It’s that whole “thinking outside the box” blah blah, but it works.
Another one of their famous questions is “How many piano tuners are there in the United States?” The goal is to reason out how many pianos there could be based on the cost of pianos, the size constraints, popularity, etc. Then you work through how often those pianos need tuning and how large of a geographic area each tuner could serve.
You get the idea.
Eventually you guess: “If pianos are tuned once a year and piano tuners can do 1,000 tunings a year, you would expect there to be one piano tuner for every 1,000 pianos. With five million pianos in the United States, there must be something like 5,000 piano tuners.”
What’s neat about the question is that it forces you to start really analyzing things like demand and customer base and the concept of niche retailing.
As all of you already know, identifying a niche and owning it is a key to a successful specialty retail business—even if you’re selling piano tunes. Or eyeglass repair.
This morning I broke my glasses; snapped the frame. Suddenly I realized just how much I rely on those blasted things and how screwed I am without them. Fortunately there’s a little shop here in Carlsbad that does repair work on eye glasses.
Talk about a niche business.
The crazy thing is, the store is crowded. When I arrive the waiting room is full. What’s even cooler to a retailing geek like me is the fact that the owner/sole employee has an unmistakable swagger. He’s talented and he knows it. His services are needed and he knows it. He has a defined niche business and he owns it. Why shouldn’t he be proud—and maybe just a little cocky?
Remember, this is a guy who fixes glasses.
But when your glasses are broken, this guy and his small shop becomes the center of your world—and you’re grateful to know him. You happily fork over the $15 it takes to have your frames repaired.
So as you work your way through the summer rush, what is it about your business that allows you to swagger? What service or knowledge or product or customer experience sets you apart? What is it about your store that makes your customers grateful you’re around?
It’s a basic question, and something you probably already know. But just like re-reading “How Would You Move Mount Fuji,” it’s an exercise that always produces a fresh perspective, no matter how many times you do it. Never lose sight of what gives your store its swagger.
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