Do the right thing.

Previously I wrote about redesigning iconic cursive logos and about the differences of being efficient vs being effective. 

 And recently while reading The Service Organization, this anecdote about Peter Drucker stuck out to me:

“Author and management consultant Peter Drucker shared the idea that efficiency is about doing things right, and effectiveness is about doing the right things.”

And it all comes together...

One one hand, changing a distinctive, super iconic cursive logo to a hyper legible logo that completely blends in is a perfect example of doing things right. 

The logic? Cursive isn’t taught anymore. Fewer people can read it. Clearly, the right thing to do is to make it legible by more people.

The problem is that the change is superficial.

Technically, I guess it’s more legible. But as stated in the previous post, the logo isn't the problem.

On the other hand, doing things the hard way, like Jonathan Stark does, because it’s better for the customer is an example of doing the right thing. 

Sure, with efficiency Jonathan could make it easier on himself and maybe even sell to more people. But their experience won’t meet his level of quality.

Not only that, it's easy to imagine that a fewer number of happy, engaged customers have more lifetime value than a higher number of disengaged customers. 

Jonathan chooses effectiveness over efficiency.

Now, think about your day to day work. Your status quo...

You're probably doing things right, but is it even the right thing to be doing?