Why my next boss should be a FARMER. Because he will take care of us like he takes care of his farm. He manages, he cultivates... not like my actual boss that does things every day differently... and inconsistently. A farmer has no choice... work hard and be consistent ! That's the boss we all want to have !

1. INNOVATION LESSONS
age : courtisy freedigitalphotos.net - SDMania
MY NEXT BOSS
SHOULD BE A
FARMER

2. IN THIS TIME OF CRISIS…
MY NEXT BOSS SHOULD BE
AN INNOVATION WARRIOR
AND ACT LIKE A…
FARMER

3. Not isolated like the old one…
Detail of the Middle Age Calender « Les_Très_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Berry_mars »

4. But like this modern guy…

5. BECAUSE….
HE FORECASTS

6. My farmer…
• LOOKS AT THE MARKET
–what can I sell best next year ?
• LOOKS AT THE EXISTING
–Will I have bad weather like this year?
• ESTIMATES EXTERNAL RISKS
–Is it going to rain even more next year ?
• DISCUSSES WITH HIS PEERS
–The power of networking

7. SO MY FUTURE BOSS SHOULD KNOW….
Where the market could be heading to !
What is going to be hot next year !
What customers are going to buy !
What risks are attached to it !
How much ressources he needs to make
things happen next year
– And the best mix between his different
portfolios
–
–
–
–
–

8. AND MY FARMER,
HE MASTERS
THE ART TO
FOCUS

9. My farmer…
• KNOWS WHAT TO PRODUCE AND WHAT
NOT…
– He doesn’t jump on everything that moves !
• HE CREATES FOLLOWING COLLECTED
EXTERNAL DATA
– Hours of sun… hours of rain… market needs
– He doesn’t invent a market…
• ONCE HE STARTS SEEDING… HE
CONTINUES UNTIL THE END
– The power of networking

10. So MY FUTURE BOSS SHOULD KNOW….
– How to focus
– How to analyze market data and market
perceptions
– How to detect 2 or 3 products to leverage
risks
– Change but stay consistent in what he is
doing

11. WHILE MY FARMER…
HE MASTERS
THE ART TO
SELECT

12. • WHICH SEED SHALL I PICK ?
–What is the best way to seed it ?
• ON WHICH FIELD WILL I SEED IT ?
–Integrate limitations of the field
(market)
• WHICH MIX
–Several seeds for several fields to create
the best mix for next year

13. WHILE MY FARMER…
HE
THINKS
LOGISTICS

14. IT IS ALL ABOUT LOGISTICS
– Where do I buy the best seeds ?
– Where do I store it ?
– The best time to seed ?
– Does my ground need treatment before
seeding ?
– Are my machines ready to seed ?
– To who am I going to sell it ?

15. MY FUTURE BOSS KNOWS….
– How to create innovative teams !
– How to create for them the environment
to be innovative
– How to receive lots of ideas !
– How to value those ideas
– How to create an idea-portfolio
– How to…

16. WHILE MY FARMER…
HE
INVESTS

17. My farmer
–He invests in tools to work more
efficiently… not in nice to have
–But also in basic technology to stay
connected with the market place
Looking to the rate of companies with less than
5 employees connected to the Internet…
Farmers are in the TOP 3, just behind IT/Web
companies.

18. So my next boss
–Should invest in equipment so the job
can be done easier.
• No buzz… just efficiency
–Should understand that technology can
make a difference.
• Not buzz… just to stay connected with
reality

19. MY FARMER THEN….
HE
SEEDS
TO COLLECT

20. My farmer
–He prepares the soil so the seeds have
the most change to succeed
–He picks the best moment to seed
–He uses the best material to seed
–He looks to weather conditions and
adds water or does extra irrigation

21. SO MY FUTURE BOSS HAS TO…
– Prepare the ground of innovation
– Launch the innovation project on the
right time
– Creates the right environment
(equipment + people + workflow)
– Gets the things done at the right time

22. THEN MY FARMER…
HE NURTURES

23. • He then starts managing his project
–He monitors the product
• How is it growing ?
–He looks to the environment
• Is it raining/dry… => sprinkling
• Insekts … => pesticide
• Growth … => extra fertilizer

24. SO MY FUTURE BOSS HAS TO…
– Feed the innovation project with the
right intentions and ressources
– ????
– ???
– ???
– …

25. NOT TO FORGET THAT MY FARMER…
HE OPTIMIZES

26. – Where do I buy the best seeds ?
– Where do I store it ?
– The best time to seed ?
– Does my ground need treatment before
seeding ?
– Are my machines ready to seed ?

27. NEW TECHNOLOGIES
– HE USES NEW TECHNOLOGIES
– A SMARTPHONE TO SEE HOURLY
WEATHER CONDITIONS
– EMAIL ALERTS TO TRACK PURCHASING
RATES (like on the STOCK MARKET)

28. MY FARMER…
HE COLLECT
WHEN TIME IS
READY

29. – When Weather forecast is positive
– When Stock prices are at high
– When he is ready but others aren’t

30. AND MY FARMER…
HE
ALWAYS
LEARNS

31. ONCE COLLECTED
• HE LOOKS AGAIN AT THE MARKET
–what can I do now that deliver better
next year ?
• WHAT WORK METHODS DO I HAVE TO
ADAPT TO DO BETTER NEXT YEAR ?
– product shift, better time to market…

32. STEP SIX
TRANSLATED
INTO
BUSINESS

33. MY BOSS….
– HE MASTERS PLANNING
– HE MASTERS THE ART TO FOCUS
– HE MASTERS THE ART TO SELECT THE
BEST PRODUCTS
– HE ALWAYS THINKS LOGISTICS
– HE KNOWS HE HAS TO NURTURE TO
COLLECT LATER
– HE COLLECTS AT THE RIGHT TIME

34. Credits : freedigitalphotos.net – Simon Howden
SO MY NEW BOSS SHOULD
DEFINITELY BE A FARMER

35. OTHER ADVISE CAN
BE FOUND
IN MY LATEST
BOOK…
AVAILABLE FROM
ALL AMAZON
STORES
(paperback + kindle)