Every business leader wants to see their business grow. All too often, the business owner that launched the business relies on their intuition to sustain it. While Operations professionals study process and collect data, rarely does that practice extend to the front office. Growing skills to build relationships, implement measures, and collect relevant data are […]
Tag Archives: business strategy
Intention is everything when creating strategic and business plans. Too many executives use annual plans as a “snapshot” or “State of the Enterprise” presentation rather than a dynamic instrument of change. AH Maslow is credited with developing the Cycle of Change which identifies three transformations to achieving change. They are: awareness that change is necessary, […]
While perusing a digest on LinkedIn, I came across a link to a Gallup report entitled “State of the American Workplace 2013” (http://bit.ly/1RQ5Bpa to register and download.) This is an informative report that establishes a quantitative value for employee engagement. When measuring employee engagement, the companies in the top quartile reported 22% more profit, 41% fewer […]
We are approaching that time of year when we make and forget resolutions. Verne Harnish in “Mastering the Rockefeller Habits” wrote that effective business leaders identify just one high-priority goal to be accomplished over the next 12 to 18 months. The power of one shared goal greatly increases the likelihood that the goal will be […]
Many Connecticut businesses, particularly manufacturers, are concerned about how they will replace their aging workforce. These concerns are elevated by graduating students’ perceptions that some industries hold no future for a career where they can find prosperity and fulfillment. While parents, teachers, government, and industry need to set accurate perceptions, businesses need to honestly assess […]
Labor Day stands for so much in the popular culture. To beachcombers it means the end of summer, to parents and it means the return to school, and for executives it means the final stretch of the fiscal year. Skilled managers have a strategic initiative that will change the face of their business. Labor Day […]
I recently saw an article in the Wall Street Journal by Kevin Clark titled, “The Philadelphia Eagles’ Personnel Strategy: Targeting College Grads.” As the title suggests, the Philadelphia Eagles have decided that student athletes who graduate from college perform better than those who don’t. The rationale being that those who self-motivate to finish an academic […]
I am in a book group that’s reading Richard Rohr’s “Falling Upward – A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life.” The premise of Mr. Rohr’s book is that the first part of life is a focus on learning how to do for ourselves through managing a career, picking a partner, etc. The second part […]
Last month, I discussed how too narrow a focus on metrics and results can have unintended consequences that impact management’s anticipated outcomes. Employee disengagement, customer complaints, and material shortages can impede results if management does not take a broad enough view of the organization. Enterprise management is a system. Often, managers think they can treat […]
I recently witnessed a discussion panel with two venture capitalists arguing whether identifying an attractive market or assembling a credible executive team was more important in gaining funding for a new venture. Both parties agreed that both elements are mandatory for entrepreneurial success. Yet, both had it in their mind to pick one over the […]
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