Dell wants us to do more; I vote for less

Dell wants to expand footprint, yet are we already feeling squashed?

Standing in the long, plodding security line at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport, I glanced skyward. What else is an impatient traveler to do?

There, amidst the towering façade of the airport was a large banner advertisement: Dell: The Power to do More. (BTW: The companion ‘Do More’ web site is actually very vibrant; I sense myself wanting to get out of my chair and go for a run in a wooded area. 😉

Hmm.

More.

America’s become obsessed with abundance. More options, choices, selections, varieties, features, listings; more work in less time. More activities for our children crammed into a weekend. More items on the ‘to do’ list; more ‘go time’, less ‘down time’.

In a harried world, I opt for a little less. Not ‘sitting on the beach’ less, but a workload that yields quality output. I want to be the best at a few things, not mediocre at everything. I want to reflect on my day and think: “I got plenty of great work done today.” Not “I seemed busy, but what did I accomplish?”

Yes, we are pushing ourselves, our teams to do more with less, but at what cost? More mistakes, low quality, tense, frustrated people and teams are the norm, not the exception.

I get it; I understand the positioning for Dell mega-banner stretching across the interior of Austin’s airport; Dell wants to branch out from the ultra-competitive PC business into cloud computing, healthcare technology storage, services, tablets; they can’t and won’t survive by just selling dumb boxes forever. They want a larger share of wallet from existing customers. It’s easier to get ‘more’ from your existing customers than chase new ones.

If you poll 100 busy professionals and give them the following choice, what do you think the response would be?

  • Would you like to do more within a typical day?
  • Or do a better job with the work that’s already your responsibility?

I predict that the majority would choose the latter option. Many workers, already overwhelmed by the pressures and deadlines of the day, forget specific details around tasks, cut corners, push quality aside in favor or ‘getting it done’.

What do you think?

Dell may still sell more software and services and gain precious market share from this campaign from sheer brand identity and recognition on its home turf of Austin, Texas, yet its quantity over quality push seems off-target in a world that sometimes needs a pause button.

I say ‘mercy’ on more, and ‘all systems go’ for putting forth a quality effort on the ‘right’ work.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

Share Button
Follow

Get every new post on this blog delivered to your Inbox.

Join other followers: