How to Win When Your Boss is an Idiot

I thought the most exceptional case study provided in chapters 9 and 10 of Groundswell was the one that didn't succeed. The authors talk about one of their automotive clients whose marketers decided they needed a jointly authored executive blog since GM and other competitors had one.

However, they made a mistake I think we can all relate to--trying to convince someone of something that they will never agree to no matter how expertly you argue your case. The marketers spent 8 months researching and figuring out just how awesome their executive blog could be, and at the end of those 8 months they enjoyed this feedback from their bosses:

ur plan....iz poop.

There was no convincing these executives that "were being asked to live in the middle of the groundswell when they had not the faintest idea what the groundswell was." Luckily, the company's original founder had plenty of time on his hands and was already regularly engaging with customers and employees about new products under development. He was the guy the marketers should have been courting all along, not the "old-world thinking" executives who only saw the possibility of negative comments and losing control of their marketing message by introducing blogging. They didn't, and probably wouldn't until they actually saw it in action, appreciate the power of the groundswell. Embracing the groundswell is "making customers an integral part of the way you innovate, with both products and process improvements."

The marketers soon realized after their failed pitch that they would never talk their bosses out of their nonsense positions. They had to tweak their vision for the blog so it required only minimal supervision and thought-investment from the executives. They also addressed executive concerns about loss of control. The result was (I'm assuming...) a successful blog that began to catalyze an important mental shift in the company about the importance of engaging the groundswell. When your company embodies this shift, you start to "become so engaged with your customers that you walk in step with their needs and wants."