WHAT IS BETTER THAN INNOVATION ?

Photo, from www.guerrillaonline.com

In the pursuit of personal freedom, many of us look for opportunities to start our own businesses or get better jobs. Better jobs - will not ultimately create personal freedom because you still are subject of another person who decides how much to pay you, when you can have your leave, when you have to report to work etc.

The option for employing yourself - be your own boss is what seems the best alternative we have towards our realizing  personal freedom.

When we do our own businesses we remember the importance of bringing unique products to the market so that we can stay competitive. Read The Importance of Innovation from http://www.guerrillaonline.com 

But today, I want us to remind ourselves that innovation alone is not enough.

According to Smit and Cronje, product innovations offer little opportunity for sustained competitive advantage because they can quickly be copied by rivals.

Since competition is high, what is better than innovation is Total Quality Management. This concept emphasizes intense focus on customers ensuring that customer service and customer care are at the heart of every activity in our businesses,  concern for continual improvement in everything we do because quality can always be improved, accurate measurement of activities to control standards we set for the perform of our business  activities, and empowering the staff. 

( Smit and Cronje , The principles of Total Quality Management)

Above all we should never underestimate the power of learning. By embracing challenges and learning from our mistakes, and learning about our products, competitors, processes and our general world economic trends we can be able stay focused and gain competitive edge. 

If we fail to learn, we know the tragic of our failure to learn is the death of our businesses hence, we jeopardize our personal freedom. Let us remember the words of  Peter Senge:-

" Learning disabilities are tragic in children, but they are fatal in organizations. Because of them, few corporations live even half as long as a person-most die before they reach the age of forty".