Id add that a strong pov is now necessary to attract and retain the best talent - They don’t want to align themselves with a flash in the pan either.
Here’s the progression I’ve seen for enterprise B2B founders related to this topic:
- Early stage - founder mode: individual is more likely to pitch the product and product roadmap in customer convos (because they are the only one who can).
- Growth stage - founder has enabled someone else (sales, marketing, product functions) to give the product pitch and roadmap. That allows the founder to focus on the longer term pov.
As an added bonus - Having a founder who can discuss trends and synthesize a compelling POV about the future is an excellent “carrot” for sales to pull in more senior buyers in their sales cycles too.
Omg great list! I've read some of these. I love Octavia Butler so much. I've recently started working my way through a stack of Adrien Tchaikovsky (that guy is a publishing machine!) but man Children of Time was great.
That's my favorite series of his, and I think there's a new one (coming?) out soon. If you like "How do non-humans think?" books, then check out "The Mountain in the Sea" by Ray Nayler (more octopus intelligence), "Gnomon" by Nick Harkaway (human intelligence fractured into non-human intelligences by John LeCarre's son, who writes like a scifi Tom Robbins), "Semiosis" by Sue Burke (plant intelligence!), "The Bees" by Laline Paull (dystopian aviary fiction!), and "Vast' by Linda Nagata (whacked out far future where a human protagonist uploads his mind into a fully alien, malignant, colony-mind spaceship - it's a trip).
The new one is out and I have it on my list. I just read Service Model (loved it) and Alien Clay (less so for me). I do not understand how that guy produces two books a year.
Thanks so much for these recommendations - there are too many good books!
Given your going to London soon, and if you are prepared to stretch Sci-Fi to include Urban Fantasy, then the Rivers of London series is great and fun about London.
If you are looking for something old that says something new about AI, look up some of the old (1950's) Asimov Multivac short stories. In the age of Multivac, the key human skill is to know what questions to ask. The one I remember was 'Jokester'
Great article! I recently read Elegy, Southwest by Madeleine Watts. A road trip story that deals with grief, relationships and adult life. A summer in the woods sounds like perfection!
I do think you need both. A POV without any good differentiated capabilities can be easily leveraged by a competitor. The best POVs end with - "this is why you have to buy our stuff vs anyone else's."
Underscores the value of trust, as well as new product or platform knowledge, in the customer discussions. Particularly challenging when competing with a better known firm that does not support the brand as well in the new direction under discussion. Have personally witnessed a new rep being lectured by a boss to say that their product "does everything" .
Oh I've seen companies fall into the "we do it all" trap. It leads to margin erosion, custom development, and heartbreak (and not necessarily in that order!).
I've been saying for some time that what we have left is the uPOV (unique point of view). It's the basis for which I have tried to build on top of business storytelling and founder & legacy stories.
In the work I'm doing with clients, this point of view stuff has become increasingly important. I think when the tech isn't changing too much, we can often get away with a kind of mushy view of the future of our market, but when things are all up in the air like they are right now, we have to give customers more of a reason to believe.
There’s so many! I feel like I’m that way around but with Andy Weir. Erm I think it’s the Revenger series. Titles I remember are Inhibitor phase and bone silence. Think those are all part of the same series
Yay for Sci Fi recommendations! I've read all the Andy Weir stuff! I really need to get on Alastair Reynolds - I feel like the only person on the planet that hasn't read him yet. Got a recommendation for a good one to start with?
April, a bit of a non sequitur, but if I’ve read your book and am adopting the framework into my workflow, what is the best way to attribute the IP to you? I’m not sure if I need to make that a footnote on my website. I’m not claiming it as my IP, I currently just use it as part of my work engine.
Absolutely. When a company doesn't have a clear viewpoint, customers see them as just another option among many. A strong point of view helps people understand what you stand for, builds trust, and makes your brand stand out before any conversation even starts.
Excellent points April. I just restacked this article by saying Yay, finally someone who agrees a strong POV is critical. I'll go one step further and add that, in addition to the company having a strong POV, it is important for the individual leaders to have one as well, especially those who are representing the company externally. Often, what can build trust greater than product features is when your leaders share their own individual perspectives, especially around why what they're building matters now more than ever. This, coupled with where they see the industry is headed and what we must get right during that transition period. Then speak on the features. Poof: credibility goes through the roof!
Super interesting article and POV (see what I did there? :))
I've build my fair share of small products, definitely not at a huge scale, and I noticed that what buyers really do when they as for our view of the future is checking whether we've thought past the sale. Because if you can't relaly describe a 5-year world, you probably won't be able to hold on for 18 months.
Great article, April!
Id add that a strong pov is now necessary to attract and retain the best talent - They don’t want to align themselves with a flash in the pan either.
Here’s the progression I’ve seen for enterprise B2B founders related to this topic:
- Early stage - founder mode: individual is more likely to pitch the product and product roadmap in customer convos (because they are the only one who can).
- Growth stage - founder has enabled someone else (sales, marketing, product functions) to give the product pitch and roadmap. That allows the founder to focus on the longer term pov.
As an added bonus - Having a founder who can discuss trends and synthesize a compelling POV about the future is an excellent “carrot” for sales to pull in more senior buyers in their sales cycles too.
That's a great point about the POV being a way for sales to get more senior level engagement. I've seen exactly that in the companies I've worked with
Not sure what you've already read and liked, but some series I'm really into:
Yoon Ha Lee: Machinations of Empire/Hexarcate
Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice series (Imperial Radch) - there's a new book out!
Tamsyn Muir: Locked Tomb (if you haven't read them - they're really weird!)
Dan Simmons - Hyperion Cantos (Endymion) - glad he finished before he died 😬
Arkady Martine: Teixcalan series
James SA Corey: The Expanse - and their new series is pretty good!
Some standalone books which were great (not all scifi):
Angel Down: Daniel Kraus
Fever Beach: Carl Hiassen
There is No Antimemetics Division: qntm
Katabasis; RF Kuang
Summerland: Hannu Rajaniemi
The Other Americans: Laila Lalami
The Dream Hotel: Laila Lalami
Automatic Noodle: Annalee Newitz
The Book of Records: Madeleine Thien
In Universes: Emet North (like a better Midnight Library)
The Tusks of Extinction: Ray Nayler
The Mountain and the Sea: Ray Nayler
Beautyland: Marie-Helene Bertino
The Water Outlaws: SL Huang
In Ascension: Martin MacInnes
A Gentleman in Moscow: Amor Towles (I wish I liked the rest of his books as much as I loved this)
The Overstory: Richard Powers (perfect for reading in the woods)
Anything by Nick Harkaway
Great list! The new Ann Leckie is on my stack right now! Omg everyone is reading the Expanse right now!
It's worth a read if you haven't, but I'd say the last few aren't nearly as great so unless you're a completist you can stop when you get bored.
Here's my full running list: https://joshuaherzigmarx.notion.site/Scifi-speculative-series-I-ve-loved-640a06a405b2484baa80cb7cc86c4b42
Omg great list! I've read some of these. I love Octavia Butler so much. I've recently started working my way through a stack of Adrien Tchaikovsky (that guy is a publishing machine!) but man Children of Time was great.
Ok - and Also "Overstory" which isn't scifi but does center trees as the main character, sorta.
That's my favorite series of his, and I think there's a new one (coming?) out soon. If you like "How do non-humans think?" books, then check out "The Mountain in the Sea" by Ray Nayler (more octopus intelligence), "Gnomon" by Nick Harkaway (human intelligence fractured into non-human intelligences by John LeCarre's son, who writes like a scifi Tom Robbins), "Semiosis" by Sue Burke (plant intelligence!), "The Bees" by Laline Paull (dystopian aviary fiction!), and "Vast' by Linda Nagata (whacked out far future where a human protagonist uploads his mind into a fully alien, malignant, colony-mind spaceship - it's a trip).
Can you tell I love this stuff?
The new one is out and I have it on my list. I just read Service Model (loved it) and Alien Clay (less so for me). I do not understand how that guy produces two books a year.
Thanks so much for these recommendations - there are too many good books!
Given your going to London soon, and if you are prepared to stretch Sci-Fi to include Urban Fantasy, then the Rivers of London series is great and fun about London.
If you are looking for something old that says something new about AI, look up some of the old (1950's) Asimov Multivac short stories. In the age of Multivac, the key human skill is to know what questions to ask. The one I remember was 'Jokester'
Hey thanks for the recommendations!!
Great article! I recently read Elegy, Southwest by Madeleine Watts. A road trip story that deals with grief, relationships and adult life. A summer in the woods sounds like perfection!
This one looks great - thanks for recommending it!
A strong point of view is becoming a bigger differentiator than features.
I do think you need both. A POV without any good differentiated capabilities can be easily leveraged by a competitor. The best POVs end with - "this is why you have to buy our stuff vs anyone else's."
Underscores the value of trust, as well as new product or platform knowledge, in the customer discussions. Particularly challenging when competing with a better known firm that does not support the brand as well in the new direction under discussion. Have personally witnessed a new rep being lectured by a boss to say that their product "does everything" .
Oh I've seen companies fall into the "we do it all" trap. It leads to margin erosion, custom development, and heartbreak (and not necessarily in that order!).
Have a look at - Sean Stewart - Wikipedia https://share.google/nrQ31GcAsZ7ZT2Tzs
Sci-fi from a different angle - magic is all around us. :)
Ah interesting! Thanks for the recommendation!
I've been saying for some time that what we have left is the uPOV (unique point of view). It's the basis for which I have tried to build on top of business storytelling and founder & legacy stories.
In the work I'm doing with clients, this point of view stuff has become increasingly important. I think when the tech isn't changing too much, we can often get away with a kind of mushy view of the future of our market, but when things are all up in the air like they are right now, we have to give customers more of a reason to believe.
Great read thanks April, sci fi recommendations wise I love these two authors
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Alastair-Reynolds/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Andy-Weir
There’s so many! I feel like I’m that way around but with Andy Weir. Erm I think it’s the Revenger series. Titles I remember are Inhibitor phase and bone silence. Think those are all part of the same series
Yay for Sci Fi recommendations! I've read all the Andy Weir stuff! I really need to get on Alastair Reynolds - I feel like the only person on the planet that hasn't read him yet. Got a recommendation for a good one to start with?
April, a bit of a non sequitur, but if I’ve read your book and am adopting the framework into my workflow, what is the best way to attribute the IP to you? I’m not sure if I need to make that a footnote on my website. I’m not claiming it as my IP, I currently just use it as part of my work engine.
Great piece, thanks! If you read Spanish, try to get the novel Entremuros, by Sergio Missana.
Absolutely. When a company doesn't have a clear viewpoint, customers see them as just another option among many. A strong point of view helps people understand what you stand for, builds trust, and makes your brand stand out before any conversation even starts.
Excellent points April. I just restacked this article by saying Yay, finally someone who agrees a strong POV is critical. I'll go one step further and add that, in addition to the company having a strong POV, it is important for the individual leaders to have one as well, especially those who are representing the company externally. Often, what can build trust greater than product features is when your leaders share their own individual perspectives, especially around why what they're building matters now more than ever. This, coupled with where they see the industry is headed and what we must get right during that transition period. Then speak on the features. Poof: credibility goes through the roof!
Super interesting article and POV (see what I did there? :))
I've build my fair share of small products, definitely not at a huge scale, and I noticed that what buyers really do when they as for our view of the future is checking whether we've thought past the sale. Because if you can't relaly describe a 5-year world, you probably won't be able to hold on for 18 months.
The POV works as evidence of having thought!
Not science fiction, but highly recommend Golden Boy - unexpectedly quirky and complex, as is the author’s backstory https://a.co/d/0hkYueKx