Latest headlines: Scott Tiner on redeveloping a strategy, Mark Coxon on building trust, plus news from NEC, AVer, Audinate, Sony and more
June 15, 2020 | Volume: 13 | Issue: 12
Welcome, everyone, to rAVe Ed. I don’t know if it’s raining where you are, but it’s all doom and gloom over here in N.C., so I come to you with all the news you need to brighten your day. Here’s what we’ve got:
Five columns! From the big, beautiful brains of Scott Tiner, Mark Coxon, Anthony Coppedge, Michael Timmes and Leah McCann. The gang’s all here.
rAVe News: Voting is open for the ninth annual rAVe Readers’ Choice Awards. We got a ton of nominations (thank you) but now we want to give out the final awards. Go vote now — the poll is only open for 10 days. Second piece of news: LAVNCH WEEK 2.0 is happening … and we are kicking off Monday. I’m sure many of you are interested in EdTech Day, June 25. Go register.
Product News: From the likes of Audinate, AVer, Extron, Sony, NEC and more.
Industry News: From AVIXA and data from Futuresource Consulting.
So, settle down, grab a coffee or your drink of choice, and get reading! Oh, and stay healthy out there.
Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” This quote is reasonably relevant today, as we have all been “punched in the mouth” by COVID-19. Most successful firms had developed strategies years ago and have been consistently and successfully following them. Developing a clear strategy and sharing that with your firm is critical to success. The strategy guru, Michael Porter, suggests two basic strategies: Do what your competitors do, but do it cheaper, or do something that only you can do.
As an industry that has our own revenue challenges right now, how do we treat people in a way that they’ll remember us favorably when this is all over? Lead with empathy and transparency. Put yourselves in your client’s position. What uncertainty do they face? What hard decisions are they having to make? What course of action will help them best reach their new goal, as it has most likely changed since March? How can you help them maximize their resources by offering solutions that accelerate them reaching their goals?
As of this article’s writing for rAVe, one of the most recent common phrases in the English-speaking lexicon has to be new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic. The term is a hopeful euphemism to cope with the rate and volume of change in short order so that humans can find ways to accept and normalize this particular period in history. The AV industry should see this pandemic shift in business not as a storm to be weathered but a new normal to embrace. To help innovate and lead differently in a new normal, the principles of design thinking focus on how to thrive moving forward as AV manufacturers, systems integrators, consultants or AV dealers
Many integration company leaders found themselves suddenly managing predominantly remote teams. In many cases, employees and their spouses have been working at home alongside children trying to focus on remote schooling. HR policies have not only needed to get creative to handle some of these situations but also needed to factor in what employee work-life balance can look like beyond COVID-19. The pandemic is providing us all with an HR reality check: Something like this can happen, and it can also happen again. As a result, integration firms find themselves reimagining HR policies.
Last week, AVIXA (the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association) held an important and data-driven webinar based on consolidated findings from the past 12 weeks of its Impact Survey — a weekly assessment of proAV industry trends, attitudes and perceptions in light of the pandemic. The “COVID-19 Impacts to Pro AV Businesses Webinar,” available to AVIXA members, sought to summarize almost three months’ worth of data from two main groups in the AV industry, providers and end users.