Those who follow Harvard Business professor Thomas J. Delong (author of Flying Without a Net) may recognize his terminology about doing “the right thing poorly.” (Delong wrote about the concept in Harvard Business Review here.) Sources also point to Guy Kawasaki’s The Macintosh Way in 1990. But this week I learned how to apply the Performance Matrix to life as [...]
Nobody likes to fail. Failure can be embarrassing, humiliating and emotionally upsetting, so it’s no wonder we’re naturally inclined to avoid the risk. Unfortunately, the fear of failure can also be paralyzing, which is why—as a leader in my organization—I strive to give myself and others permission to make mistakes. Without it, how can we [...]
As you might expect, we put a lot of thought into the question, “What does it take to be an effective successful entrepreneurial CEO?” There are many ways we try to assess a potential entrepreneurial CEO and their ability and capacity to build a great business. One of the reasons it is so hard to [...]
I began the month July by celebrating the Entrepreneurial Freedom we enjoy in the United States. Throughout the month, I highlighted Socially Conscious Businesses and Entrepreneurs who combine making big profits with making a profound impact in their communities and the world. Those companies didn't get to where they are today by chance. Great leaders, ones [...]
Planning for marketing and advertising efforts isn’t all that difficult. It’s just hard work and a lot of detail. Most plans I see are thick. Even on-screen they seem to have the heft of a 500-page effort. I try to simplify by looking for four pretty basic elements. These aren’t textbook definitions, they’re my personal [...]
Customers, talking about you on social media is what you want, and the way you respond makes all the difference to the reader. Here is what I think is really true: Start with interesting and informative posts. If edgy will help, then by all means, be edgy.A few days ago, researching the pretzel business, and gaining five [...]
One of the joys of running a small agency is that we get to work for all kinds of clients from the very small (literally Mom and Pop startups) to the massive (Ford, Chase, 3M). I think we usually learn more from our work for smaller clients and that’s counterintuitive, isn’t it? When I was very young, [...]
I’m not a very successful entrepreneur. Are you? You may think so because your business is doing well financially. Or you’ve managed to stick a lot of money in the bank. Or you’re on the cover of Inc. Magazine. But these are not the true indicators of success. The most successful entrepreneurs I know are the [...]
The world is replete with organizations with great strategies. But how many of those great strategies are actually executed? Less than 15%. That's the number that John Spence shared with me when we spoke recently. John is the author Awesomely Simple, and an executive trainer and coach who has worked as a trusted advisor with numerous Fortune 500 [...]
ARE YOU CONSTANTLY FORGETTING WHERE YOU PLACED YOUR KEYS? DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR MIND SHUTS DOWN IN THE AFTERNOON? HERE'S WHY. We live in an age of information overload. While many of us find ourselves inundated with vast amounts of data daily, our fast-paced society also requires us to make more rapid decisions. Psychologist [...]
