management

4 Jan, 2014

A Result to Remember Part II: How GE Proved that Sometimes it IS the Product

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:36+00:00January 4th, 2014|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change|

Three weeks back I wrote about my exceptional service experience at Sewell Lexus of Dallas. The theme of the post was that it was the Sewell people rather than their product that has kept me as a loyal customer for over 20 years. The premise behind that post is the same one I offered in my 2006 book, Results Rule!: Fundamentals are the minimum. Being distinctive is the difference if it adds value. I can purchase a Lexus from a number of different dealers. The quality and service of the Sewell staff makes them distinctive in a way that adds extreme value. The very nice folks that service GE kitchen appliances just reminded me that you can’t forget the first part of my premise: Fundamentals are the minimum. Because without the fundamentals, there is nothing you can do to stand out with your customers (at least not in a positive way).

23 Dec, 2013

Defining a Good Change: It is More Than Results

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:37+00:00December 23rd, 2013|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

Every change is evaluated against the result AND the damage inflicted during its implementation. Ignore the people side of the change (feelings and perceptions), and it is only a matter of time before the desired results suffer, too. The type of change needed in today’s successful organizations is continuous. It is generated from every level, and it requires engagement and commitment from those involved. You can mandate compliance. Commitment and engagement to make change work are volunteered when you focus on more than the end result.

14 Oct, 2013

Three Lessons About Leading Change from the Debt Ceiling Chaos

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:38+00:00October 14th, 2013|Accountability, Business Strategy, Communication, Corporate Culture, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change|

There has to be something we can learn from Washington’s failure to address the debt limit, right? There are three very important lessons about leading change you can take from the chaos over approving the federal budget and raising the debt ceiling.

13 Aug, 2013

Connect with People Where They Are

By Randy Pennington|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.

4 Aug, 2013

The Problem and Opportunity with Change

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:40+00:00August 4th, 2013|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Innovation, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

Another blog post about change? Really? The last three I posted aren't enough? How about the thousands of other books, blogs, and articles on the subject? I am with you. I don’t need to hear another message that changes are coming and I need to get on board. And yet, we are confronted with this reality: Most of our efforts to make change work don’t work as well as we had hoped … or even at all.

14 Jul, 2013

Dodos and Coyotes: Only the Nimble Survive

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:41+00:00July 14th, 2013|Accountability, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Leading & Managing Change, Results|

Your long-term success will quite possibly come down to a simple question: Are you a dodo bird or a coyote? Learn if you have what it takes to thrive in a world of constant change.

9 Jun, 2013

The Scary Side of Mentoring

By Randy Pennington|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 Randy Pennington|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.

19 May, 2013

Playing Favorites

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:43+00:00May 19th, 2013|Accountability, Book Reviews, Leadership, Personal Development|

Do you have a favorite employee? Just thinking about admitting it causes us to cringe at the possibility of the negative backlash from those who are the not-so favorites, should they ever learn our true feelings. But that’s the point. They already know.

31 Mar, 2013

Congress, the President, the Sequester, and You

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:44+00:00March 31st, 2013|Accountability, Government & Politics, Leadership|

This week’s blog is a rant about the sequester that went in place in March. If you are sick and tired of the discussion, check back next week for something else. If you want to understand the impact of irresponsible leadership, read on. I promise this will step on everyone’s toes.

24 Mar, 2013

Fernando, Fred, and Results

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:45+00:00March 24th, 2013|Accountability, Book Reviews, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Fred 2.0: New Ideas on How to Keep Delivering Extraordinary Results is loaded with practical examples and compelling stories of how individuals, companies, and entire communities have decided to distinguish themselves through service to others.

12 Nov, 2012

Why There Are No “Excellent Service Day” Parades

By Randy Pennington|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?

28 Oct, 2012

My Plan for Growing the Economy

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:47+00:00October 28th, 2012|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Results|

The American economy needs to grow again. Not the 1.5 – 2.0 percent growth we have seen over the past months. We need real growth in the 3.5 – 4.0 percent range. That is the [...]

22 Sep, 2012

Constant Change is the New Stability

By Randy Pennington|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.

31 Aug, 2012

The Presidential Election & Defining Integrity

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:48+00:00August 31st, 2012|Accountability, Communication, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership|

There are several guarantees in the campaign for President of the United States: • The other side – regardless of the side you are on – will be portrayed by their opponents as completely out of touch with the “average” American • Every candidate will make promises that can only be kept with the cooperation of Congress, and every candidate will pledge to work with their opponents across the isle • Personal attacks will be plentiful and usually cloaked in an argument about policy implications • The choice between candidates will always be framed as two distinct visions that will determine the destiny and fate of the country • Integrity – or specifically the lack of it – will be called into question by the candidates, their surrogates, and the media pundits There is little any of us can do to change the first four items on this list. They are going to happen regardless of any efforts to restore civility and common sense to the campaign.

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