Comments on: The Tree Stump Theory

By: 2 concepts for better usability | Retail: Shaken Not Stirred

2 concepts for better usability | Retail: Shaken Not Stirred — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:35:55 +0000

[...] heads prevents us from seeing our customers’ perspectives. We also easily miss lots of “tree stumps” on our sites that regularly get in our customers’ [...]

By: The Case to Cross It Up | Retail: Shaken Not Stirred

The Case to Cross It Up | Retail: Shaken Not Stirred — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:57:15 +0000

[...] I also wonder how many times we fall back too easily on such an excuse. I’ve written about my Tree Stump Theory previously, and it’s certainly prevalent in this case. We have a lot of compelling reasons [...]

By: “If it ain’t broke, you ain’t looking hard enough” | Retail: Shaken Not Stirred

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:53:34 +0000

[...] Those problems are hard to see without a concerted effort, as I discussed in more detail in my Tree Stump Theory post and other posts on [...]

By: Kevin Ertell

Kevin Ertell — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:17:42 +0000

Thanks for your comment Rebecca. Old habits die hard, don’t they? I’ve found that true change needs to be practiced. The habits that created the status quo were developed over many iterations over many years, in most cases, so changing those habits requires repetition until new habits are ingrained. Would it be possible for your team to repeat the same process of looking for tree stumps and implementing change every couple of months until new habits can take hold?

By: Kevin Ertell

Kevin Ertell — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:13:40 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Carrie. You make an excellent point. As the old saying goes, “Good can sometimes be the enemy of great.” Cutting down huge trees is good progress (in this metaphor), but getting to great means we can’t rest on our laurels and have to keep on finding and removing those remaining tree stumps.