“I’m conditioned to think about solving from a vertical thinking standpoint: Let’s define a process and let’s define the problem, let’s think about all the pieces within it,” Goldberg said. In today’s business landscape, horizontal thinking echoes Silicon Valley-informed tech culture, which favors accelerated product iteration, experimentation and a fail-fast mentality, in the service of incubating successful ideas. Google’s Goldberg draws inspiration from how her two children, ages six and 10, instinctively tackle a project the way the CEO of a tech startup would, which reflects their “horizontal thinking,” said the head of industry, retail, for the tech giant.īroadly speaking, horizontal thinking solves problems via a nonlinear and creative approach, whereas its opposite, vertical thinking, takes an analytical, careful and precise approach to finding solutions. Google’s head of retail: Inspired by the ‘horizontal thinking’ of a child “In terms of do better less, we used to have 10 strategic priorities for the year, now we have five,” he said. Shedding the business of “overtaxed mediocrity” simplified Moosejaw’s focus, too. The exercise birthed Moosejaw’s “product-perfection strategy,” which is informed by the seemingly simple question: “What does perfection look like in the eye of the consumer?” Comerford said. “While product videos were at the bottom of the list, although we had invested a lot in product videos,” he said. “Some of the things we thought were important they didn’t,” and vice versa, Comerford said.įor one, online product information specificity and the ability to view an item from multiples angles, like seeing the back of a sports bra, ranked “way up there ahead of site speed, our returns policy,” he said. The results from about 50,000 respondents came as a surprise. The outdoor retailer offered consumers $10 to rank the nine core tenets of its business (as defined by Moosejaw), in order of importance to them. Moosejaw turned a harsh light on its own business to suss out the mediocrities according to the folks who matter most: its shoppers. I’ve taken this as a personal mantra to do less better.” “In order to do that, you have to be willing to cede something. Put your eggs in that basket and really overinvest in one area to truly differentiate yourself,” he said. You have to decide: Look at your core customer and find out what they want. “The point was, if you try to do everything or compete in every facet of business, you end up being mediocre in everything. The lessons learned yielded bona fide business returns for Moosejaw.įor Comerford, Fei’s talk on “overtaxed mediocrity” struck a particularly resonant chord. “I remember when I got the note saying I’d been nominated, I thought, ‘I need this like I need a hole in the head’ - especially in the run up to holiday,” he said, noting, the frantic make-or-break selling season for retailers. Walmart nominated Comerford, who heads up Moosejaw, the outdoor retailer it purchased in 2017, to attend Harvard Business School’s leadership training program by well-known professor Frances Fei. Walmart’s Moosejaw CEO: The revelation of ‘overtaxed mediocrity’ ignites change Going beyond the glittering generalities that often turn discussions of inspiration into weightless abstractions, here, Goldberg Comerford Mike George, CEO of QVC/ HSN parent company Qurate Retail Group and Stella & Dot founder Jessica Herrin share concrete examples of how a flash of inspiration catalyzed business. Indeed, inspiration comes in many forms, and can impel executives to shift gears to drive business in seemingly unforeseen ways, retailers told CO. Getty Images/metamorworksįor Jodi Goldberg, it was how her son played with his 3D pen, tackling the art of creation with exploratory abandon, that awakened Google’s head of retail to the value of business innovation that’s fueled by experimentation.Īnd for Eoin Comerford, the phrase “overtaxed mediocrity” is what struck a resonant chord with the CEO of Walmart’s Moosejaw chain, leading to the outdoor retailer’s pared-down, shopper-centric revamp. From mimicking the way children naturally tackle obstacles to drawing feedback from casual conversations, these top executives share the experiences that fostered innovation.
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