The Current — Volume #009
Welcome — our goal is to provide a roundup of key stories and trends influencing the business landscape in the Sunshine State. We’ll bring the goods with strategies, tools, content, and tactics to help you visualize the future and chart the path to positive outcomes.
And of course, a few fun conversation starters for the (virtual) water cooler. Away we go.
Not receiving this email? Sign up here to have our insights delivered directly to your inbox!
The Best Stuff We Have Read
How Airbnb Pulled Back From the Brink
We all know that 2020 has been a challenging year for the hospitality industry but when COVID began, Airbnb was on the brink of collapse. Being in a position where you need to cut staff, projects, and raise additional financing to keep the lights on is not one any of us would enjoy holding, but Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has managed to navigate the crisis fabulously. This article highlights some of the strategies and tactics that Chesky used to pull Airbnb off of the ropes and position for an IPO later this year.
Here at the Current, we have written in the past about the shifts in the hotel industry since COVID. In this article, the NYT builds on our initial ideas for how the hotel experience will change for customers going forward. We can’t help but wonder if some of these principles like Mobile guest rooms, enhanced contactless room controls, robotic servers, and pop-up dining areas are ideas that will be relevant in other industries as well.
One key trend that has clearly gained momentum in 2020 in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing. Different groups ranging from investors, corporate executives, institutional asset managers, and politicians are all now in the process of identifying a position and strategy for ESG related topics going forward. For those of us who have spent time researching ESG, it’s clear that it is a complex topic. The definition of what success looks like and the factors involved are ambiguous. In this recent whitepaper, the WEF attempts to provide some clarity.
Biz 101
In this new section, we will provide a mental model, strategy, or tactic that a successful businessperson regularly leverages to drive outstanding results. Today, we explore a simple framework for approaching strategy.
Clayton Christensen on Milkshakes, Innovation, and Jobs to Be Done.
When thinking about product strategy, a simple but powerful question to ask, is ‘what job does my product or service do for my customers?’ In this short video, famed strategist Clayton Christensen explains how he helped McDonalds rethink its breakfast strategy with Milk Shakes.
Maybe You’re Wondering, “Who is Slalom?”
Slalom is a local-first company. With an 8,000-person international presence, we launched in Florida last Fall with the goal of becoming a driving force in our local community.
Thanks for reading!
Like what you just read? Sign-up here to join hundreds of business leaders in Florida and have essays like this delivered directly to your inbox!
