When To Use Or Ignore Best Practices
Reporting from Florida, as we are visiting family
Within B2B brand management, I started noticing that many “best practices” were outdated in our current market, especially from a creative perspective.
I think the same is true about sailing, where best practices are still up for interpretation, even though sailing has existed for 6,000 years.
Why am I connecting these very different environments? Sailing taught me that even the most ancient of practices is still evolving.
Let’s jump into it
There’s no definitive answer on how to best configure a sailboat. There are numerous variations and subtypes, as well as adaptations. Despite its long history, innovations still happen, and you may feel like you’re living in the past powered by the future.
For both sailing and brand management, the best choice is more about “best fit”, not best practice.
For instance, we have an Ovni. To the French speakers this will sound a little ridiculous, as “ovni” means UFO in French. While our boat is great for worldwide sailing, it’s overkill for a small lake. Since we spend most of our time sailing oceans, this boat is a good fit for us.
My husband and I on our Ovni
When building a new brand experience or relaunching an existing brand, the marketing team needs to carefully consider any best practices before automatically using them. Assuming best practices are “must-do practices” can limit creativity, relevancy and novelty.
After working with many different teams, I noticed best practices were challenged by two types: start-up’ers (because they need to be different) and been-there-done-that experts (because they’ve seen everything).
But what about all the teams and people in-between?
A helpful resource
Before automatically applying best practices to a brand campaign or project, it’s helpful to go through a series of decisions to understand what the best fit is. My husband and I do something similar when we’re modifying our sailboat.
This “Best Practice to Best Fit” decision flowchart I made makes it easier for teams to diagnose so-called best practices and decide if they should be applied or reconsidered.
Best Practice to Best Fit Flowchart
When I was working on a brand relaunch for a luxury hotel and resort chain, understanding what best practices were current and which ones should be challenged was key. My team did this in the beginning and it drove our successful guest experience strategy.
During project discussions, teams can refer to the flowchart and ask these additional questions in order to make the best decisions:
- What key best practices are crucial to this project?
- Are there best practices our team members disagree on?
- Are there best practices we haven’t questioned for awhile?
- Is there an external team member who can check our logic?
- Are there other assumptions we could run through the flowchart?
Looking back, there were projects for which I wish my team and I had taken more time to consider these best practice assumptions. Teams who have the patience to do so will only make things easier for themselves later on.
Even the most experienced people working in a given field reconsider their knowledge periodically. The world is moving quickly, and what was a best practice yesterday might not be a best practice today.
Before applying a best practice, determine if it’s truly a best fit for your project
And there’s more
✏️ Join: I’ll be presenting “Realza la Experiencia del Cliente con la Marca” soon. Stay tuned for the announcement!
📚 Read: Everyday Dharma blends Eastern wisdom with Western business practices to help you find purpose and joy in your daily grind.
🎧 Listen: Why Can’t We Tolerate Discomfort explores why it’s important to understand what your discomfort means.
📍Visit: Cenotes (underground chambers or caves) near Playa del Carmen, Mexico are great for swimming or scuba diving.