innovation

13 Aug, 2013

Connect with People Where They Are

By |2016-10-29T15:29:40+00:00August 13th, 2013|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Communication, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

Scott Keller and Carolyn Aiken, consultants at McKinsey & Company, suggest that 80 percent of what leaders care about and talk about when trying to enlist support for change does not matter to 80 percent of the workforce. To gain the commitment for the change that you want, you must connect with people where they are. You do that by making the change relevant and real.

23 Jul, 2013

The New Normal Has Happened Before

By |2016-10-29T15:29:41+00:00July 23rd, 2013|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

“When will things get back to normal?” That question has been asked countless times since the economic meltdown of 2008. Most people want to know when the job market will bounce back; the economy will return to something close to sustained growth; uncertainty will subside; or the rate of change will slow to a more manageable pace. But, what if this is it? What if instability, rapid change, and uncertainty are the new normal? And, what if I’m wrong and things bounce back quickly? If you can succeed now, you will crush it then.

9 Jun, 2013

The Scary Side of Mentoring

By |2016-10-29T15:29:42+00:00June 9th, 2013|Book Reviews, Business Growth, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leadership Development, Results|

The old-fashioned view of mentoring is someone outside a learner’s chain of command who equips that learner with new skills and knowledge. It is an archaic expert to novice or smart to unwise philosophy. The goal is the transfer of information or expertise, much like pouring knowledge into the head of a passive learner. It is the model that antiquated teachers used to teach facts students only recalled long enough to score favorably on the test.

27 May, 2013

Past Success Proves You Were Right … Once

By |2016-10-29T15:29:43+00:00May 27th, 2013|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Leadership, Results|

You own your logo and marketing message. Your customers own your brand relevance in the marketplace. And when your customers say you are irrelevant, no amount of advertising, positive press, or sales promotions will convince them otherwise. Two iconic American brands are proving that every day.

8 Apr, 2013

Opportunity Lost

By |2016-10-29T15:29:44+00:00April 8th, 2013|Business Strategy, Leadership, Results|

In its “Economic Prospects for the Year 2000,” the writers at Business Week saw a glass half-empty and chose to see it as mostly full. The world painted in its 1989 article would have been a great place. The vision that they created was completely possible. We missed the opportunity. We lacked the rigor in our thinking and failed to consider all the possible implications of our choices. We lacked the discipline to execute toward the vision. And, we lacked the courage to confront reality and put long-term success ahead of short-term reward.

31 Dec, 2012

Connected, Aware, and Relevant

By |2016-10-29T15:29:46+00:00December 31st, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Communication, Leadership, Results|

My December 31, 2012 social media post drew a lot of likes and one great question. Here is the post: We shouldn’t fear getting old. We should fear becoming disconnected, unaware, and irrelevant. The response from friends, fans, and followers was great because of the age span represented. I heard from people in their twenties and people in their sixties. Here’s the great question I received: How do you change your mindset to keep from becoming disconnected, unaware, and irrelevant?

12 Nov, 2012

Why There Are No “Excellent Service Day” Parades

By |2016-10-29T15:29:46+00:00November 12th, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Personal Development|

A thought struck me as I contemplated the observance of Veterans Day here in the United States and Remembrance Day in Canada: Have you ever wondered why we don’t have an Excellent Service Day parade? Is it only because that excellent service is so rare? Or, is it because there is a significant difference between providing service and actually serving?

22 Sep, 2012

Constant Change is the New Stability

By |2016-10-29T15:29:48+00:00September 22nd, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change|

You can blame technology or globalization or anything else you want. It doesn’t really change the fact that the status quo is the kiss of death for every person, every organization, and every marketplace. And that is where constant change becomes the new stability.

22 Aug, 2012

Where Are You Running?

By |2016-10-29T15:29:49+00:00August 22nd, 2012|Accountability, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Most of the people I speak with today describe their life as running as fast and far as they can … and then being asked to run even faster and farther. One of the participants in a leadership boot camp I’m conducting for a client asked for help with time management. It turns out that she didn’t really need time management tips at all. She keeps a calendar with priorities, and she knows all of the time management techniques she needs to be successful. In fact, this leader is widely considered to be very effective by her colleagues. The problem that we face isn’t time management. It is focus and resource allocation to be more effective.

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