Do we need to train new lions?

This week, I'd like to share and discuss my perspectives on 2 topics related to marketing in particular and management in general. I would love to hear your thoughts :)

First, we've been hearing over and over, and over again...

1. Be Customer Centric.

Listen. Watch. Do It All Over Again.

And what's the best way to do this? One must be reminded that: "If you want to understand how a lion hunts, don't go to the zoo. Go to the jungle" (Jim Stengel)

Focus groups, Ad-Boards, and Surveys only take us so far in understanding customers. They are our zoos, our controlled groups. Most of the time, I find it helpful to validate what I thought I've already known through these methods. Often, I think these methods provide a foundation to form some hypothesis and understanding of customers, which will then need to be further explored through qualitative research - of which, ethnography is a wonderful method I got to explore during my MBA program (through the Business Design class in which we were introduced to the famous Design Thinking).

2. But Do Customers Know What They Have Not Known Yet?

I've been pondering two concepts in two different books I've read lately:

• "The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company" by Robert Iger: "Avoid getting into the business of manufacturing trombone oil...the world only consumes a few quarts of trombone oil a year!". In other words, only invest in building things that customers need.

and:

• "The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton Christensen: "Markets that don’t exist can’t be analyzed"; and that large successful firms fail for the same reason they became successful in the first place - because of ... well surprisingly or not - good management, by which we always comply to "listening to customers".

What if people didn't know that they might need ... trombone oil one day?

What if disruptive innovations could turn trombone oil into a "Tesla's electric car"- a "movement"?

Perhaps the question we should ask ourselves is:

"How may we simultaneously listen to customers' needs and predict what they may need?"

or

"Do we need to train new lions?"

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3. Final thoughts

What is the best way for very successful, large, up-market firms like Disney and alike to continue focusing on the highly profitable, highly demanded products & services, but not lose sight of trombone oil - which may one day disrupt the market?

As a matter of fact, we've seen large companies like mine and others acquire small & rising companies, take them under our wings and incubate them for success someday. I love the idea of large firms creating small enough sub-firms that serve small markets (while they're still small), that appreciate small wins, but have enough financial resilience and support from their mother organizations to persevere until their products/services yield results.

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What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear your perspectives :)