Why You Should Anticipate The Future Even If You Can’t Control It
“Focus on what you can control.” Every leader knows that, right? Why waste time on the things you can’t control when you can use it to deal with the things you can? ... Read More
The Cost of Quality: The 1-10-100 Rule
Early in my career, I was trained in the field of service quality. One concept that has always stuck with me is “The 1-10-100 Rule.” ... Read More
Let’s Put an End to the False “Strategy vs. Culture” Debate
People, let’s put an end to it. The false debate about which is more important: strategy or culture. It’s a debate that seemingly refuses to die, and it’s based on a total misunderstanding. But before I get into that, a little history … ... Read More
Lease Your Beliefs, Don’t Own Them
The double-edged sword of “knowing” is that it gets in the way of learning. ... Read More
Your New Year’s Goals Will Fail … Unless You Do This
We’re fresh into the New Year. You’re full of ambition and full of energy. And, importantly, you’ve identified your goals. ... Read More
Why Now is the Right Time to Think About Cutting
It’s been a great run. The economy has been on an upswing for years. Do we even remember what a recession feels like? We’re due. And many forecasters believe we’re due in 2019. Of course, economic forecasts and economic reality are often two diff ... Read More
What Driving With Two Feet Taught Me About Strategy
I’ve been a two-foot driver since I was 16. And I don’t mean just when driving a standard. What I mean is when driving an automatic. One foot on the accelerator, one foot on the brake. ... Read More
Developing Strategy? Focus on Two Types of Objectives
You and your team are developing your company’s strategy. Let’s imagine your primary goal is to improve customer retention. ... Read More
The #1 Mistake Every Company Makes When Strategic Planning
Everyone does it. Every company I have ever consulted with – high-tech, low-tech, service, manufacturing, blue-collar, white-collar, whatever – takes on too much. Too many strategies, too many objectives, too many initiatives, too many projects, to ... Read More
The 7 Most Important Questions to Ask Your Customers
What should you want to know about your customers? Some would say, “As much as possible.” Others would say, “One thing: How likely is it they would recommend you?” So which is it: everything or one thing? ... Read More
