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Break All the Rules: Business Lessons from MasterChef

August 26, 2010 By 1 Comment
MasterChef

I have to admit I have this love/hate, moth-to-the flame relationship with reality TV: I resent that it's the nearly the only thing made any more, and yet I keep getting drawn back in. But what really fascinates me is when, like last night, an episode of MasterChef can serve as an advertisement for the importance of market research. If you didn't see it, the final challenge of the night pitted Red Team vs. Blue Team in true Gordon Ramsay style to cook the best hamburger for hungry truckers.  The truckers … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Issue Discovery, Reboot Potential, Triage Tagged With: ,

How to Grow Your Business

August 3, 2010 By
Achieve high performance through better strategic planning and execution.

We're drawing closer to fall which for my business tends to be a busy time - a time of renewal as business owners and managers get back from summer vacations... and begin looking forward to Christmas vacation. I really got stuck on the idea of touching the pulse of as many savvy people as I could to really find out what the top issues are right now. So last week, I did something that seemed logical at the time - I asked the folks on my list a very simple question: What's the biggest challenge you're facing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Issue Discovery, Reboot Potential Tagged With: , ,

How to Find and Win Clients

August 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Win through better strategic planning and marketing.

photo by MattoxIn a post started here, I asked you to respond to my reader's comments on their biggest challenge in growing their business. What I'd like from you: 1. Read through the responses. 2. Find one that you know how to solve, or for which you have a helpful suggestion. 3. Leave a comment with your answer. (Remember, you can post under an anonymous "name.") 4. If your response is on this list, check back here for what people suggested. Diversify or Die As an ad agency, we've had some … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Issue Discovery, Reboot Potential Tagged With: ,

How to Survive on Fewer Resources

August 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Use financial controls and Balanced Scorecard to do more with less.

In a post started here, I asked you to respond to my reader's comments on their biggest challenge in growing their business. What I'd like from you: 1. Read through the responses. 2. Find one that you know how to solve, or for which you have a helpful suggestion. 3. Leave a comment with your answer. (Remember, you can post under an anonymous "name.") 4. If your response is on this list, check back here for what people suggested. Do More With Less Our clients have no budget for anything but the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Issue Discovery, Reboot Potential Tagged With: ,

How to Do Marketing

August 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Clarify you brand message to engage your employees and customers.

In a post started here, I asked you to respond to my reader's comments on their biggest challenge in growing their business. What I'd like from you: 1. Read through the responses. 2. Find one that you know how to solve, or for which you have a helpful suggestion. 3. Leave a comment with your answer. (Remember, you can post under an anonymous "name.") 4. If your response is on this list, check back here for what people suggested. Nobody Understands What We Do We've created innovations in eCommerce and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Issue Discovery, Reboot Potential Tagged With: , ,

How to Do Leadership

August 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Practive Leadership and The Act of Leading

In a post started here, I asked you to respond to my reader's comments on their biggest challenge in growing their business. What I'd like from you: 1. Read through the responses. 2. Find one that you know how to solve, or for which you have a helpful suggestion. 3. Leave a comment with your answer. (Remember, you can post under an anonymous "name.") 4. If your response is on this list, check back here for what people suggested. Getting Unstuck Knowing where and how to grow, and how to start.  Knowing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Issue Discovery, Reboot Potential Tagged With: , ,

Five Keys to Overcoming Management Overwork

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment
optimize your management processes for high performance.

There’s an especially strong theme coming from owners and their executives: the desire to invest smartly in improving business results. Actually, it’s stronger than that. It’s an awakening to the absolute fact that “business as normal” is simply not okay. It’s not okay to struggle and kick and scream and work hard and still produce… fill in the blank for yourself: the same old sales results, a lack of profit, not enough clients, insufficient productivity, a lack of satisfaction, or all of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Accountability, Issue Discovery, Performance Factors, Reboot Potential, Restore High Performance Tagged With: , , , ,

Making Business Resolutions Happen

January 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Use Performance Factors to make resolutions stick and High Performance happen.

We are at an interesting time.  A struggling economy is forcing many businesses into creative action to improve their position right at the turn of the year, a time when many naturally resolve to improve and do better any way. While this double whammy of introspection still hasn’t inspired everyone to new levels of action and success, in my own practice, I have definitely noticed an uptick in leaders pulling out all stops and resolving to make 2009 a growth year despite conventional wisdom. So what are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Accountability, Action Planning, Fix Your Processes, Issue Discovery, Performance Factors, Reboot Potential, Restore High Performance Tagged With: , , , ,

Block and Tackle, But Know Your Goal

November 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Set the right goals and follow up with the right action plans for high performance.

In a classic 1964 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Viking Jim Marshall recovered a fumble and made an impressive 66 yard return all the way to the end zone.  Unfortunately, it was the wrong end zone, resulting in Marshall handing a free score to his competition when he threw the ball out of bounds. In business, we’re often told that when times get tough it’s a mistake to over-think. That instead, we should just drive hard to get the ball and push down the field at all costs, but … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Action Planning, Fix Your Processes, Issue Discovery, Reboot Potential Tagged With: , , ,

Sabotage Your Business in Ten Easy Steps

July 30, 2008 By 1 Comment
Businesses fail for common reasons. Learn how to avoid them.

The nice thing about cars is they’re predictable. Every model has its own quirks that tend to act up like clockwork, and any mechanic worth his salt can tell you what to look for.  I remember my 1987 Honda Accord (an otherwise exceptional vehicle) had a body joint below each tail light that, as if on cue, rusted out… right along with every other 1987 Honda Accord in the exact same spot. It’s the same with businesses.  Businesses tend to have very common cracks and crevices that expand and contract as the … [Read more...]

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