Matter

About the Author

Peter Sheahan, Founder & Group CEO of Karrikins Group, is renowned globally for his groundbreaking business insights and thought leadership. His expertise has been sought by leaders from diverse companies, including Microsoft, IBM, AT&T, and Wells Fargo. Julie Williamson, the Vice President for Strategy and Research at Karrikins Group, brings decades of management consulting experience and holds a Ph.D. in organizational communication. Together, they combine practical business acumen with deep academic insights to offer transformative strategies for businesses.

Main Idea

Matter: Move Beyond the Competition, Create More Value, and Become the Obvious Choice by Peter Sheahan and Julie Williamson explores how companies can differentiate themselves by becoming indispensable to their customers, employees, and communities. The book emphasizes creating sustainable value and solving high-impact problems that few others can. By finding their "edge of disruption," companies can innovate and lead in their markets, making them the obvious choice year after year.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Part I: Elevated Perspective
• Define: Discover Your Edge of Disruption
• Learn: Establish Your Point of View
• Share: Be Known for What You Know
3. Part II: Elevated Relationships
• Influence: Play High
• Partner: Engage Like You Mean It
• Connect: See the Whole Board
4. Part III: Elevated Impact
• Leap: Be the Disruptor
• Live: Answer the Call

Introduction

People want to engage with companies that matter. They seek organizations that provide unique, valuable outcomes not easily replicated by competitors. To become such a company, one must perpetually innovate and adapt to evolving market needs. This book provides a roadmap for creating more value and becoming the obvious choice in any market.

Part I: Elevated Perspective

Define: Discover Your Edge of Disruption

Finding your edge of disruption involves identifying the unique problems your company is positioned to solve. It's about looking towards the future and leveraging your capabilities to drive meaningful insights for your clients. This process requires challenging your assumptions, adopting an optimistic stance, and exploring unanswered questions.

"What are the problems we are uniquely positioned to solve with a scalable solution?" - Peter Sheahan

• Challenge Assumptions: Question deeply held beliefs about your industry and business practices. Write down the five most irrevocable truths you believe about your business and examine them critically.
• Optimistic Stance: Ask growth-oriented questions like "How can we use this to our advantage?" and "What opportunities are hidden in this disruption?"
• Explore Unanswered Questions: Stay curious about industry trends, customer needs, and potential innovations.

To discover your edge of disruption, you must challenge the status quo and look beyond your immediate environment. This means questioning long-held beliefs and assumptions about your industry and business model. By taking an optimistic stance, you can identify new opportunities and leverage them to your advantage. Exploring unanswered questions will keep you ahead of the curve and ensure you remain relevant in a rapidly changing market.

For example, a company might assume that its current business model is the best way to generate revenue. However, by challenging this assumption and exploring new possibilities, the company might discover a more profitable and sustainable approach. Similarly, asking questions like "What if we tried this?" or "How might we improve our product?" can lead to innovative solutions that set the company apart from its competitors.

Learn: Establish Your Point of View

Developing a unique perspective involves taking intelligent risks, co-creating with your customers, and leveraging internal expertise. This requires moving from mere ideas to actionable insights and establishing your point of view as a trusted source of innovative solutions.