Your Most Important Decision
Your Most Important Decision Quick self-check: what flashed through your mind when you first saw that headline? What’s truly your most important decision? I’m going to suggest that it’s your people: Hiring the right folks, putting them on the right teams, and even just hanging out with people that uplift. For now let’s focus on […]
Intuition in Management
Intuition in Management Why Intuition in the Age of Management Science? Two reasons: First, intuition is a prerequisite for real insight, meaning a fresh understanding of the situation, seeing a reality that you hadn’t noticed before. “Wow, our company is just not living up to its potential!” Insights like that are pure gold. Second, intuition […]
New Product Development
New Product Development A reliable stream of new products or services is essential for the vitality of any organization. To assure a reliable stream, you’ll need a robust New Product Development (NPD) process. “But wait,” you say, “new products are, by definition, different. They don’t lend themselves to the constraints of a process.” So yes, […]
Strategy Checklist
Strategy Checklist Strategy is your most fundamental plan for succeeding and thriving. I suggest a living document in a 3-ring notebook. Update it once a year. Here is a minimum set of tabs for your strategic notebook; you’ll probably need others that are unique to your situation. ? Our Customer Who is our customer? What […]
Asking For Help
Asking For Help When to Ask Mostly, you don’t need help. You’ve been running your business for awhile, and you’ve learned a lot. But…there are two situations where it might be wise to bring in help from outside the company: You’re doing something new. You have a vague sense that you may not know what […]
Video: Water Cooler Culture in the Time of COVID
As we use Zoom more and more, we lose that informal connection over the water cooler…and that might compromise an organization’s innovation. Here’s an idea….
Navigation: The 7 Biggies
Navigation: The Seven Biggies Are you skimping on any of these strategic elements? Don’t do it! Every single one is critical. Marketing Who is your target customer? What are their real needs, both physical and emotional? Do your products and services truly meet their needs? Do you have an effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system […]