Business Strategy

1 Sep, 2014

Perspectives: Why Is Customer Service So Bad At Most Places?

By |2016-10-29T15:29:24+00:00September 1st, 2014|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Execution, Five Friends, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change|

From Scott McKain: Customer service is bad at most places, because evidently that is what CEO’s and managers want. What other reason could there be for them to accept such miserable performance? Most care more [...]

8 Jul, 2014

What’s in a Name Change? Part I

By |2016-10-29T15:29:27+00:00July 8th, 2014|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

The majority of the world spent the last five days living their life. A small slice of the universe who make their living selling ideas, however, were agitating themselves into a frenzy. In case you missed it, the National Speakers Association, an association of which I am a member, decided to re-brand itself and change its name to PLATFORM. This is a first world problem. In the context of all of the turmoil in the world, the re-naming of this 41-year old association ranks right up there with … well almost nothing. And yet, people on all sides of the argument lit up the blogosphere and social media channels supporting their positions … even if it meant refusing to consider that others might be equally right in their own stance (see my blog on “Is It Always Right to be Right” for more on that phenomenon.)

2 Jul, 2014

Challenge Your Thinking. Focus Your Execution. Deliver Desired Results.

By |2023-11-27T16:10:52+00:00July 2nd, 2014|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

The walls of The Loomis Agency are adorned with pictures of dogs. There are so many photos and references to our beloved canine companions that conspiracy theorists might wonder if the company is secretly reviving [...]

17 Jun, 2014

The Fault in Our Institutions is the Fault Within Ourselves

By |2016-10-29T15:29:28+00:00June 17th, 2014|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

The lack of confidence in the institutions that define our collective culture is threatening the civility, economic prosperity, and standing of the United States as a world leader. Let’s start with the government. The President’s [...]

12 Jun, 2014

Is It Always Right to Be Right?

By |2016-10-29T15:29:28+00:00June 12th, 2014|Accountability, Corporate Culture, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change|

The 1971 Oscar in the Short Film, Cartoon category went to a piece titled “Is It Always Right To Be Right.” It was directed by Lee Mishkin, narrated by Orson Welles, and written by Warren Schmidt. The opening words of the film are: There once was a land where people were always right. They knew they were right and they were proud of it. It was a land where people stated with confidence, "I am right and you are wrong." These were words of conviction, courage, strength, and moral certainty. In this fictional land, any attempt at cooperation and understanding were viewed as cowardice and weakness. Everyone was so convinced of their rightness that no one dared to utter words such as, “You may be right” or “I may be wrong.”

2 Jun, 2014

Are You a Challenger Brand?

By |2016-10-29T15:29:29+00:00June 2nd, 2014|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

There’s a quote about leaders and followers that suggests “If you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes.” For many brands, that’s certainly true. We all understand there are a limited number of spots at the top and that in each category, there can only be one market leader. It’s also true that most brands will never even sniff the position at the front of their respective pack. But that doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself, or your brand to follower status. Whether you’re in second place, third place, or last place, by adopting a challenger brand mentality and embracing three distinct “states,” you can step out of your role of follower and start creating a whole new view.

29 May, 2014

Jack Be Nimble: Sure, but how?

By |2014-10-20T16:56:01+00:00May 29th, 2014|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

This would have been the message if the speaker at your last business meeting presented in nursery rhymes: Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Jack jump over The candle stick. You feel better, right? You now know what is expected of you and the definition of success. And, you have no real context for why it is important or idea about how to move forward.

19 May, 2014

Break the S-R Loop to Make Change Work

By |2014-10-20T20:03:28+00:00May 19th, 2014|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

We taught mice and pigeons to do all sorts of interesting things during my graduate school class in behavioral psychology. The principle is simple: provide a stimulus and elicit a response. The stimulus-response cycle still plays an important role in animal training today. And, it is evident in virtually every routine action we take. You don’t think about your response; you just make it. And at some point, it becomes automatic. On most days, those automatic responses are benign routines that allow you to effectively navigate. Unfortunately, they can also become anchors that prevent you from making a change that will transform your business and your life.

13 May, 2014

Focus on What Truly Matters

By |2016-10-29T15:29:29+00:00May 13th, 2014|Accountability, Book Reviews, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

These days it seems that we’re all so busy, overcommitted, and information-obsessed. Our never-ending to-do lists are long and we run around trying to “keep up” or “be important,” and in the process stress ourselves out. Unfortunately, it often takes something bad to happen to slow us down, wake us up, and force us to focus on what truly matters most in life.

4 May, 2014

Should You Put Lipstick on the Brussels Sprouts? How Leaders Communicate Forced Change

By |2016-10-29T15:29:30+00:00May 4th, 2014|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

My presentations about leading change usually include a story about Double Stuf Oreos and Brussels Sprouts. You can view the story here, but the basic principle is simple: A child will willingly change what they are doing to reach a jar of cookies on top of your refrigerator. You seldom see them act with the same sense of urgency to acquire Brussels sprouts. With that in mind, leaders generate creative tension when the vision they create for change is compelling – like cookies – rather than boring like vegetables.

27 Apr, 2014

Defining Integrity: How Leaders Earn Trust & Respect

By |2016-10-29T15:29:30+00:00April 27th, 2014|Accountability, Business Growth, Corporate Culture, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership|

How do you define integrity? Is there an absolute definition? Or, do you find yourself quoting the phrase made famous by Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: “I know it when I see it”? We know that it appears at or near the top of every list of desirable leadership traits. It is the essential ingredient for building and sustaining trust with others. Go ahead—take a stab at it. Integrity is . . . It is more difficult to define integrity than you thought, isn’t it?

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