In today’s hyper-competitive market, a burning question for most companies is: “How can we achieve a significant and sustainable competitive advantage in order to retain our customers?” After all, keeping existing customers is five times less expensive than finding new ones. That’s good business in anyone’s book. Traditional competitive factors like product design, technology,…
No matter what you do, time marches on at its own pace – tick, tick, tick. There's nothing you can do to change that (unless you can travel close to the speed of light). Time is a great equalizer; it runs at the same speed for everybody, rich or poor, jet pilot or snail farmer.…
As with a building, a team is only as strong as the foundational values on which it is built. And just as in a building, cracks in a team’s foundation can be difficult to spot. Problems with a team’s foundational values can initially look like some simple flaw in the exterior. If you find yourself…
Margie Blanchard, Ph.D., has been a driving force behind the Ken Blanchard Companies' growth as a premier management consulting firm. She heads up its office of the future, a study of emerging trends in the workplace. When I interviewed Margie a few years ago, I was taken by her keen insights and profound reflections. During…
The key to passionate performance is found within the hearts and minds of employees where their basic human needs are fulfilled. It’s a simple but powerful formula: When their needs are fulfilled, they are engaged and perform at their peak ability. When their needs are not met, they are frustrated, out of control, unfocused, and…
Can you recite the flight attendant’s safety speech? I bet you can. You know, the one that goes something like, “... In the event of a loss of cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will drop from above. If you are traveling with a child, place your mask on first ...” I found this version of…
In my last week's post, I described five common risks for growing businesses. Here are five more risks you need to manage to scale your business. #6: The planning horizon is too short. Think of the inscription on your car’s side view mirror: "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear." We tell our…
Over the past 20 years, I have observed 10 recurring risks for growing business and have helped clients address them. Understanding how these risks apply to your business and proactively managing them will help you sustain growth. These first five risks apply to growth businesses in varying degrees. Generally, the risk factors are more prevalent in younger…
Neither the pilot nor the skydiver were seriously injured when they hit the ground, according a local Sheriff's Office. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. I am not sure why the whackiest things seem to happen in my home state of Florida, but here is one of those things that was captured in…
Your agility is a primary competitive advantage. Here’s how you can build more – and an unbeatable team. Being agile means being quick – responding to things quickly and acting quickly. Agility is a trait of successful leader. Not surprisingly, it’s also a trait of a successful team. It becomes particularly valuable in times of…
