LAS VEGAS–After attending the Adobe Summit in Las Vegas, which focuses on the digital experiences brands are offering their customers, as well as other trends, Gene Hammett said he came away with three lessons that could be beneficial to all business owners and leaders.
Hammett, a growth strategist and host of the podcast LeadersintheTrenches.com, acknowledged not everyone has the budget of an Adobe or the resources of a big brand, but that doesn’t mean innovation within everyone's reach.
After listening to dozens of speakers and talking to hundreds of leaders, Hammett said it became clear that these businesses aren't all doing the same thing. But they've all adopted the three following perspectives and found their own way to implement them, according to Hammett. Those three perspectives:
People-First Thinking
Adobe, with more than 9,400 employees, initiated a digital transformation, expanding from "the Photoshop company" to a full suite of marketing applications, noted Hammett, writing on Inc.com. Even a company with Adobe's resources couldn't manage such a large shift without the buy-in of its employees.
“By doing this, the brand empowered employees to think for themselves to move their projects forward,” Hammett said. “It also resulted in radical transparency: Adobe's trust in its employees allowed leaders to share key financial data that enabled people to make decisions to benefit the overall mission. In doing so, the company positioned itself to take bigger risks and be more creative in its approach.”
Fast-growing companies know people must be put first, added Hammett. “But this isn't just about the employees: When employees' needs are met, it frees them up to think about how best to serve customers. It allows them to engage with their projects in a deeper way-- and that includes improving the experience they offer customers.”
The Knowledge That Experience Matters
To that end, Adobe has changed how its systems collect data and make it useful to customers' teams. In a typical scenario, data is collected only through conversations and recorded via customer relationship management (CRM) tools, reported Hammett.
With new technology, you're able to see what your prospects are engaging with, too. Steve Lucas, CEO of Marketo, shared during his keynote. "The line between epic and epic failure is experience." (Marketo was purchased by Adobe in 2018._
An Intentional Approach to Innovation
When companies are committed to evolving, they make intentional choices to push beyond the current limits of work and technology. That's how they not only improve the experience they offer customers, but also their products and services, wrote Hammett.
“Adobe hosts a segment called ‘MAX Sneaks’ showcasing ideas from the brand's engineers, product managers and marketers. These demonstrations aren't about Adobe products or features,” wrote Hammett. “These feature ideas from forward-thinking employees who want to be part of the industry's innovation. The audience votes on the most desired ideas. Adobe coaches each Sneak participant on how best to demonstrate his ideas to the crowd of 15,000 people. Each idea is developed and shaped, incorporating AI and other transformative tech. From motion-enabled illustration brushes to 3D virtual camera apps, Sneaks include possibilities for a variety of areas the brand is involved in.
“Fueling innovation and upgrading the customer experience comes back to an organization's capacity to put people first. Without these three priorities, it's doubtful that any company-- big or small-- will see the fast growth it wants.”