Innovation: What You Think Matters Little
No matter what business you think you’re in, you’re in the tool business. Your customers are not buying the set of features you offer. They’re…
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Disrupt Yourself before Anyone Else has a Chance
When trying to solve new problems or capitalize on new opportunities, individuals and organizations often look inward and apply familiar mental models, tools and techniques…
Differentiate to Dominate
This is part two of my second of three hybrid strategies you can use to win against your big-box competitors: Differentiate to Dominate! You can…
You Can’t Compete with the Big Box Stores So Don’t Even Try
You can’t compete against the Big Box stores – for their customers, so don’t even try. The good news is that they can’t compete against…
The Power of Profit: How to make more profit from your existing sales
How do you define your best customers? The customers who generate the most revenue for you? The customers who buy the broadest range of products…
Ideas Only Become Innovations Through Collaboration
Great innovations are not achieved by solitary work, in a vacuum, or emerge fully mature when first conceived. Innovations are not the product of a…
The Power of Questions and Innovation
Every profession has a basic set of tools they use to ply their trade. Surgeons have scalpels, Cowboys have ropes, hikers have backpacks, and musicians…
Creativity is Not a Gift
There is a myth that creativity is an exclusive gift bestowed on a lucky few who are naturally creative. The reality is that creativity is…
Three Fatal Mistakes Poor Managers Make
Among unsuccessful organizations there is a repeating pattern of high negative-impact management behaviors exhibited by the person at the top of the organizational chart. Here…
Empowered or Accountable? Which Comes First?
Every leader wants their team members to be accountable for consistently doing the right things and for keeping their commitments. Effective leaders can connect the…
Effective Communication is Not a Goal
Effective communication is not an end in itself, but rather tools for achieving the communicating partners’ goal. The goal of communication is to exchange information…
Top Reason Why Good Companies Fail
After more than 30 years of running my own businesses, and consulting with other leaders on the operation of theirs, I’ve identified the top reason…
Innovation is More Than New Product Development
The idea of innovation has become encrusted with myth—that innovation is only about developing new products. New products are, of course, important, but they’re not…
Being in the Right Seat on the Bus is Useless
In the book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins suggests getting the right people on the bus and in the right seats. While this seems…
How to Build a Great Team (Part 1)
Today we begin discussing the first of five characteristics of high performing teams. Whether you are a business owner, manager or CEO you need to…
