Mohan Nair: an Inspirational Revolutionary
Apr 27 2007
If you haven’t seen this man speak, you are missing an opportunity to be inspired. Mohan is dynamic, bright, no-nonsense, and demands for all of us to take action and creative positive change in the world. At Portland’s InnoTech eMarketing Summit, Mohan talked about the ingredients for success in business, e-business, healthcare, and human nature on an individual level. In his current role as Chief Marketing Officer for $7.8 billion healthcare giant, the Regence Group, he has a surprising amount of passion (to be expected from a startup founder, not a healthcare juggernaut). Perhaps, it’s because he now has the platform to radically change the largest industry in the country and make it truly transparent.
Here are a few notes I took from his keynote speech this week:
Problem: We’ve become too oriented around Data Obesity but Knowledge Starved.
Solution: The key is at the core of the company’s philosophy, the concept, the mission, but ultimately it’s about the CAUSE!
Great Company Example:
Apple: inspired, they listen, intuitive products and design, engaging, positive experience to everything about them.
You can have the same ingredients, but the whole company, culture, brand, story, has to be there:
1) Identify what differentiates you
2) Do it better than others
3) Be sincere about it
Other great company examples:
Les Schwab – running towards you with a smile. Sudden service. Great employee hires. Great training.
Nordstrom – Herioc customer service.
Southwest Airlines – they make it fun, but thier key is to get people who don’t want to fly to get on a plane and to their desitnation on time and budget.
Starbucks – profound desire to make sure everyone in the company will win together.
Missions are given; Causes are TAKEN.
Causes are what make companies really take off.
How does this apply to Regence and the healthcare industry?
Current system – is based on entitlement. You pay for other people who get sick often.
New system – you pay directly based on how healthy you are. Rewards you for wellness and health improvements.
Regence is taking tactical steps to address this:
1) Social networking within the site myregence.com
2) Regence members are co-creating the brand with the company.
You have to believe people are inherently good and trustworthy, which makes transparency work (e.g. eBay, Progressive Insurance, etc.)




I am excited to join a great panel for an upcoming Software Association of Oregon event called 


