Leadership blogging: Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn’s Asian travelogue of strategic, short storytelling

Brian DunnBrian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy, has blog called The D. Brief which, he says, “is where I share news and ideas and get your feedback about them.” You can also follow Dunn on Twitter

The past two weeks he’s used his blog to chronicle a trip to Asia in a series of blog posts he called Chasing the Sun (Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV). I like this series of posts because he tells little stories that convey his values, rather than the typical “I went here, we went there” travelogue I see so often.

I’m always hammering away with my belief that leadership blogging is the art of strategic, near real-time, short storytelling. Dunn’s travelogue blog posts are all near real-time (eg, “I left for this year’s trip on Sunday morning”), they’re all strategic, and each includes a short little story. To wit:

Blog post: Chasing the Sun, Part I

Short story:

During the flight to Seoul, Barry Judge (Best Buy’s Chief Marketing Officer) and I had a chance to review our Holiday TV spots… we tried to get our various devices on various networks. It took time (and I’m sure we looked random and quite humorous trying all sorts of connections and attempts)…

Strategic value conveyed directly:

But our role is more than just contributing to the products, we as a company have to determine the best drones for sale that aren’t in the electronics manufacturing business what technology can do for them. I know I’ve said it before, but it’s not the “stuff” – it’s what that “stuff” does for people and how it can keep them connected to what matters most that’s important.

Blog post: Chasing the Sun, Part II

Short story:

I see people in the Connected World everywhere I go, but I’m always extra curious about how it works in airports (where everyone is on-the-go and clearly trying to keep in touch). The Inchon airport was no exception…

Strategic value conveyed directly:

Best Buy and our employees are here to inspire people to what is possible today. Think about your own digital camera. When did you get it? If it’s more than a few years old, the difference in how it looks, performs and shares is staggering compared to what’s available now. And you can probably connect, share and use that camera in ways you didn’t even imagine when you bought it.

Blog post: Chasing the Sun, Part III

Short story:

After the meeting, we had to hustle to catch a bullet train to Tokyo. It’s a 2 and a half hour trip, even with the Bullet train hitting top speeds of 160 mph…

Strategic value conveyed directly:

I’m pleased these innovations are increasingly driven by the voice of the customer, and I can tell you everyone in this industry is driven to bring ever-expanding technological capability to consumers. Capability to enable connection to the things people care about, so they can build their own, personal Connected World.

Blog post: Chasing the Sun, Part IV

Short story:

We left early because (as I mentioned in my last post) Typhoon Chabba will hit land tomorrow and we wanted to get out before it hit.

Strategic value conveyed directly:

Combined with these great engineering companies, Best Buy has the opportunity of a lifetime to connect the people who want to:

  • Connect with the information they crave.
  • Connect with the entertainment they desire.
  • Connect with the people they love.

Finally, during one of the meetings this week one of the people I was meeting with told me his Grandfather’s favorite expression was “Empty Hands” and that he thought this philosophy was important in his leadership. Because I’m a Connected World kind of guy, I Googled the phrase and found it was from a story about Alexander the Great. The gist of the story is that we should always remain humble because into this life we are born with empty hands and at the end we leave this life with empty hands…. If you are interested for the whole story, click here.

I thought it interesting that Gerald Wilkie, General Manager of the Best Buy store in Burlington, NC, attached this comment to Dunn’s Part III blog post:

Brian,

I love the slide first seo and the opportunities our senior leadership gives us to hear not just direction, but insights as well. Thanks for everything you do and how you lead! Keep on doing what you do!

Gerald Wilkie
GM #648