One of the oldest tricks in my API storytelling playbook has been writing about competitors within an industry or sector of business and government. It is a tactic I used to obtain the attention that led me to being a Presidential Innovation Fellow (PIF), and strengthening the relationships I had across many different business sectors. People in enterprise organizations who were frustrated with the pace of change from their business leadership when it came to APIs would ask me to write about their competitors and showcase their API operations—-something that would in turn get read by leadership, piss them off, and motivate them to invest more in their API strategy.
I am a big believer in the power of outside-in change within large enterprises. Beginning with the weird super powers consultants have when it comes to saying something and leadership listening, but also the massive influence that storytelling from the markets and competition can have. I have seen direct evidence of me writing stories about a “competitive” governance agency shifting the leadership API strategy of another agency, and similar stories shifting the conversation with credit reporting, transit, financial, and healthcare companies. Business leaders are notorious for listening to outside stories over what is being told to them by their own employees, and this is a strategy I’ll dust off and continue to use.
When it comes to shifting the API governance landscape within your enterprise, I am happy to come in as an outside expert and consultant to share what I know, what I am seeing across your industry, and help you make sense of your own API landscape. However, I am also happy to write anonymous stories about your competitors to help get the attention of your leadership, just let me know. I can go through the API portals and communities of your competition and write an honest review of what I am seeing, and how it impacts the wider business sector. There are no guarantees your boss will read me, but with some planning, crafting of the right story or series of stories, and social media placement, you’d be surprised what we can drum up.
I know how frustrating it is to get your business leadership to see APIs and listen to your expert opinion. Sometimes you are just too close to things. Sometimes your leadership learns over time how to lose the signal of what you are saying, reducing your expert advice to just background noise. You should always try the front door when it comes to engaging with your business leadership regarding your API governance strategy, but when that fails or does not get the results you are looking for, I am happy to explore some outside-in tactics that might get people talking. I am happy to research your competition and tell stories at no charge, and I am also happy to explore deeper conversation with internal stakeholders, as well as your consumers, about what is needed when it comes to APIs inside and outside the enterprise as part of a formal consulting arrangement. API Evangelist has established a unique position in the industry, where I don’t have to play by the normal rules associated with building a startup that sells to the enterprise—-so, let me know how I can help.
