Posts Tagged 'Innovate'

HomeTag: Innovate

Dream-Diagram-Develop

Posted by:

Dream-Diagram-Develop

Dream-Diagram-Develop

The term design-build has been circling around in the construction industry for quite some time.

It refers to a company that will both design and build your dream home.

For purposes of this article, I will use the idea of design-build in a parallel way to refer to your business or organization.  Whether you are building a home or a business, it all starts with a dream.

Dream

Have you ever looked through a high-end luxury home magazine?  The pictures are beautiful.  Everything is ...

Continue Reading →
4
MAR
0

Categories: Blog, Business Consulting, Business Development, Business Growth, Business Process, Innovate, Leadership, Management

Tags: , , , , , ,

Lonely At The Top

Posted by:

Lonely At The Top

Lonely At The Top

I have been blessed with a long and storied career in business.  I have found business to be very challenging.  And, thank God, I have also found it to be very rewarding.

But, I have also found it to be very lonely at the top.  Here’s why: When you are the leader of the organization, sometimes it’s hard to find the right person to talk to.

Is This You?

Let’s say you are a Controller or CFO.  An Executive Director.  ...

Continue Reading →
17
FEB
0

Categories: Blog, Business Consulting, Business Development, Business Growth, Business Startups, Innovate, Leadership, Management, Marketing

Tags: , , , , , ,

Change Is Multi-Dimensional

Posted by:

Change Is Multi-Dimensional

Change is Multi-Dimensional

When it comes to making decisions, it’s important to realize that change is multi-dimensional.

In life and in business, we often come to a crossroad or a decision point.  We try to weigh the pros and cons – and then, make the best decision possible.  And it is here where we pause for caution, as not every decision has its desired consequence or outcome.  Or, rather, the decision itself introduces some other unintended consequences.  Change is multi-dimensional.

The ability to ...

Continue Reading →
17
JAN
0

Categories: Blog, Business Consulting, Business Development, Business Process Consulting, Innovate, Leadership, Management

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Sweet Tea and Economics

Posted by:

Sweet Tea and Economics

Sweet Tea and Economics

This article could have also been titled A False Sense of Security.  But hopefully you’ll understand the title selection in a bit.

Sweet Tea

When I was a kid, I would enjoy an annual pilgrimage to my parent’s home state – Arkansas.  I would enjoy my grandmother’s freshly-boiled sweet corn, french fries, fried okra, and all other types of Southern comfort food.  But what I didn’t enjoy so much were grandpa’s fresh shot, squirrel and dumplings.  I didn’t like ...

Continue Reading →
10
JAN
0

Categories: Blog, Business Consulting, Business Development, Business Startups, Innovate, Leadership, Management, Management Action Items

Tags: , , , , , ,

The Business Cycle

Posted by:

The Business Cycle

The Business Cycle

In the cycle of life, a plateau is called maturity.  The cycle of life is this: birth, growth, maturity, decline, and then ….

The business cycle follows this same natural cycle.  Start-up, growth, maturity (e.g., a plateau), decline.  Left unto itself, your business or organization is likely going to follow that natural progression.

Ask your typical entrepreneur.  Start-up is fun.  Growth is pretty cool.  Plateaus and declines – not so much.

The Dreaded Plateau

You and your organization are somewhere in the ...

Continue Reading →
19
DEC
0

Categories: Blog, Business Cycle, Business Growth, Business Process, Business Startups, Innovate, Leadership, Management, Problem solving, Startups

Tags: , , , ,

The Great Illusion (Symptoms and Causes)

Posted by:

The Great Illusion (Symptoms and Causes)

The Great Illusion

In life and in business, we often notice the symptoms before the causes.  Symptoms are by-products.  They are not causes.  And though symptoms will make you miserable, they are not causational.

Fever is a sign of infection.  Where is the infection?  Smoke is a sign of fire.  What is on fire?  Those are the real questions.

In business, a lack of sales is a sign that something is amiss.  The lack of sales is a symptom.  The inability of an ...

Continue Reading →
19
DEC
0

Categories: Blog, Innovate, Leadership, Management, Management Action Items, Problem solving

Tags: , , , ,

Tools

Posted by:

Tools

Tools

The typical business consultant sells business tools.  Like a hardware store sells hammers, business consultants sell business tools.

The challenge is that all too often, the consultant’s hammer is often heralded as the “cure all” for all business ailments.

Most people have the common sense to know that a hammer will not saw wood, drill holes, or router a decorative edge on a piece of wood.  It is used for driving nails.

But when it comes to business, neither the business malady nor ...

Continue Reading →
19
AUG
0

Categories: Blog, Business Consulting, Business Development, Business Growth, Business Process, Business Startups, Management, Problem solving

Tags: , , , , , ,

Excellence As An Ideal

Posted by:

Excellence As An Ideal

Excellence As An Ideal

Something’s amiss.  Sometime, in a galaxy far, far away, something changed.

As far back as I can remember, we were equipped for excellence.  The pursuit of perfection.  Excellence as an ideal.  I seemingly and simultaneously straddle two generations: The Baby Boomers and Generation X.  It depends upon who you ask.  It depends upon what chart you look up.

I was born in the summer of 1965 – my birthday often falling on the last day of the school year.

Things ...

Continue Reading →
27
MAY
0

Categories: Blog, Leadership, Management

Tags: , , , , ,

Talking About Your Competition!

Posted by:

Talking About Your Competition!

Talking About Your Competition!

When you mention your competition, you advertise for them.  The more you message your competition, the more “top of mind” they become.

So, pardon the direct advisory, but stop talking about your competition!

Why Do You Do It?

It kind of makes sense when you think about it.  Business owners, organizations, etc. tend to talk about their competition in an attempt to differentiate themselves.  At face value, this makes sense.  The trouble is, they don’t do it from a position ...

Continue Reading →
1
JAN
0

Categories: Blog, Business Consulting, Business Development, Business Growth, Innovate, Marketing

Tags: , , , ,

Problem Solving in Business

Posted by:

Problem Solving in Business

Problem Solving in Business

One of my first real jobs was serving as a product merchandiser for Knudsen Dairies here in Southern California.  This would be a summer job after graduating from high school before starting my freshman year as a business student at Cal State University, Fullerton.

And, since my duties would involve daily driving to any number of grocery stores, I would need a reliable vehicle to get from place to place.  And, since my high school whip was a ...

Continue Reading →
17
DEC
1

Categories: Blog, Business Consulting, Business Process Consulting, Problem solving

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Page 2 of 3 123