There goes my "Baby"...New Product Launch and Accidents

So, I was stuck outside on the ledge, for 3 hours, at least; I couldn't see into the palpitating depths; the panicking eyes; the whole world staring at you; an animal stuck in a cage,cowering. I was on the verge of a breakdown, but was shit scared to try and break the glass.What happened was very simple;

Anybody seen The Darwin Awards, a satirical movie on the MISadventures of forensic detective "MICHAEL BURROWS",superbly portrayed by Joseph Finnes, about the funny ways in which a man can get into trouble( A LOT OF IT ).

Straight away getting into the happenings of the day in a chronological order:

Got into my room; locked the door from inside; slipped out of the sliding windows, perched myself on the ledge to try and call my friend( signal's low inside the room, so getting a full network requires stepping out into the open), and the window pane slid shut. These sliding windows have a characteristic of opening only from inside. Hence, I was trapped on the ledge- for 3 hours. The reason being, nobody seemed to have the key to the inside room. All the hustle bustle, frantic cries for help aggravated the issue further. With a motley bunch of friends, as my saviours, I had no choice but to try something on my own. And try I did. While futile efforts at sliding the window's from outside failed, mustering all my courage, I did manage to break the glass. Not before, slitting my wrist against broken glass.

Being a marketer, I always associate any incidence with the learnings and insights into the ever competitive world of branding.

Lesson One:
Its not easy to give up control:

From Kevin Roberts to Seth Godin, everybody has his opinion on this. We talk about one to one marketing, but giving up control of your 4Ps (7Cs) or whatever you may call it to the customer, requires selfless overtures in accepting that there are more intelligent people around you and value is CO-CREATED, neither PRO-CREATED nor RE-CREATED(PRO as in proactive or reactive).

Lesson Two:
Don't expect too much out of your product or yourself.

When launching a new product, a brand/product manager faces a similar dilemma in which I found myself. The whole world staring at you, waiting for a miracle to happen. A pointer to all those, who have anticipations regarding their "baby";beware of the fallacy that your product will change the world, some brands are "late bloomers", case in point- Apple introduced Newton Message Pad a PDA phone in 1993, but the product failed to take off because of the non acceptance of business phone at that time. Hence, be passionate about your product, but don't lose sight of your motives.

Lesson Three:

Nothing tests your managerial skills more than in times of distress.

In the upturn, everything seems to work right; products sell, there is no supply shortage, all the good people abound the organisations, paycheques become fatter than the wallet, and everyone sings songs about the corporate philosophy.
Its only the downturns which produce exceptional leaders like "Newton Jack" or Jack Welch(GE) and Lou Gerstner(IBM).

Lesson Four:
It is the disasters which create unequivocal relationships among adversaries.

In other words,rivalry is only among the respectable i.e. who compete in an ethical environment;

Here is a recent news I picked up-
"Rough time etches out rivalry, is proved when Vodafone, a mobile service provider, rescued its archrival Airtel, as a major fire destroyed some of the latter's crucial telecom switches in Mumbai. "Welcome to the Vodafone Mumbai Network. Happy to help" is the message that greeted Airtel users in Mumbai, as Airtel dealt the blazing setback, caused by a short circuit in the power cables."(Courtesy- Silicon India)

Lesson Five:
Become the "Fall Guy", don't have a habit of "Passing the Buck".

If the product fails to capture hearts and emotions, don't feel low or booze away to oblivion and don't(READ IN CAPS) ever blame anybody. To taken ownership for your decisions is not just exemplary but also self motivating. The top management appreciates your honesty and integrity, although that might not be always visible.

The worse that can happen is that you are fired, but you would definitely have a story to share and inspire your counterparts in other organisations. All influential people have grown as individuals by traversing the same path of misfortunes and failures.

Lesson Six:
Don't listen to a guy who gets stuck in a mess and then goes on to write pages on his stupid experience.