Disclaimer: This is not a political site, and in no way am I trying to express any particular opinion about politics or the war.

When the towers were hit, I don’t remember a single person opposed to war. Folks were walking around with pictures of Bin Laden with a target on his forehead.

Here we are a few years later, and most people want out. You hear a lot of people talking about how Bush lied to get us into Iraq, and how it’s a waste of lives and money and resources.

How did we go from a country enthusiastic about war, to one strongly opposed to it in such a short time?

I don’t care to weigh in on whether the war is right or wrong, or whether we should stay or not. What I see from a business standpoint is a very good illustration of the culture change we are experiencing.

Years ago, we went to war on talk. We listen to rousing speeches by gifted orators and were stirred to fight. No more. We live in a time of information. We live in a time where rousing speeches can be proven to be based on shaky information in a matter of hours. The facts can be spread in minutes. The Bush Administration did not acknowledge this. They did war the old way. By talking. The new way of war (if any at all) should be by spreading information that shows the people that it is necessary. If there was a website where the government would give the public constantly updated information on reasons to proceed, the plans for proceeding, the intended goal, and the exit strategy, people may be more likely to allow it. The complaint now is not so much that the war is wrong, but that we just aren’t seeing the info we want to be able to even make an informed decision.

What does this have to do with business? Everything. People are not sold things anymore. You can tell me that your product is the best in the world, but I’m going to check it out on a dozen websites with user reviews and side-by-side comparisons. I’m going to see for myself.

What this means is that your business needs to rely on supplying your customers with good information, instead of good sales pitches. President Bush tried to lead a war with a sales pitch, and the people weren’t buying. Don’t make the same mistake in your company.

Categories: Perspective ~ Trackback