I’m writing this in the studio, and my legs are lovely and smooth.
Well, they’re not really.
They are itchy, and covered in cuts, and you'll ready why in a minute. Plus also a tip on how to avoid the same thing happening to you and your customer—but first a plea.
Make it easy for your customers to love you.
Read MoreI was admonished via email yesterday for not having posted in blog in recent times.
My repost was simple. I quoted David Ogilvy's office memo to Ogilvy and Mather employees. Recently, doing has eclipsed writing.
Read MoreIf your house lights dimmed unexpectedly this morning, or if your car stalled without apparent reason, don’t worry. It was a one off.
The Universe endured a sudden negative energy spike as a force of nature transferred from one dimension to another.
Colonel Donald Pudney has left the earthly parade ground for the last time.
Read MoreWool-suited, french-cuffed and tied (at that time), executives can sit cooly for hours in 40C heat but don’t ever extinguish the projector. Nothing brings on a perspiratory flash-flood faster than the prospect of delivering a slide-less presentation.
An executive should be able to communicate her or his strategy in 10 mins or less. They should be able to do so engagingly and with clarity.
Any Executive who cannot do this surrenders their right to admonish sub-ordinates who are similarly fuzzy in their communication of the strategy.
Can’t past the test? Fortunately a remedy is at hand.
Read MoreIf you're in the Greater Toronto Area on Tuesday 6th December join Rosalina and me at an (almost) free workshop on the strategic aspects of digital marketing.
Done properly, digital marketing can give you very loyal, high quality customers. Loyal, high-quality customers lead to loyal, high-quality gross margins.
But digital marketing abounds with sink holes and pit-falls.
This workshop focuses on getting profits and avoiding perils. It will introduce digital marketing to strategic decision-makers, not tacticians.
Read MoreHere’s the take away for Executives.
Despite your best endeavours, you may have 'defeat devices' installed in your organisation. To ensure this is not the case, you have to engage the source data.
What does this mean?
It’s official. Tim Cook has stepped out of Steve Jobs’ shadow.
Under his watch (no pun intended), the stock price has doubled, market capitalisation has gone from ~ $300bn to $660bn, and contribution of revenues from subscription services has boomed.
Cook filled a big pair of shoes—and now he’s using them to walk to a destination far from Apple’s roots.
But at what price?
Apple is about to lose it's key competitive advantage: making us creators and communicators
Read MoreThe Riot Point Research scientists have been incredibly inventive in recent months. We have been trialling and refining a number of new products, and we are now ready to launch the first batch.
Read MoreAll leaders know the distribution of talented high performers is not Gaussian but fractal. For every one Yehudi Menuhin violin virtuoso there are many, many string scratchers.
So how can you spot potential?
I use two heuristics
The Ancients knew a thing or two about Strategy.
The early Greeks viewed life as a voyage in which you would head in a general direction. Constantly navigating between Cosmos and Chaos—Order and Disorder with the realisation that winds from both sides could provide useful momentum. But sailing too close to the craggy shoreline of either extreme would lead to destruction.
Contrast this with the modern, titanic, corporate warriors. Insulated out of necessity (internal meetings, financial reviews, presentations to analysts, fear of bad customer feedback), they delegate strategy to staff who, with finger-crossed confidence, report that every future has been anticipated, every contingency planned. This well engineered business will withstand any iceberg. Nothing left to chance.
Or so they believe. It usually ends in tears—or an unfriendly take-over.
So what can we learn?
Read MoreI was reminded this weekend that opportunities are not like London buses.
You can’t deliberately miss one, confident that another is soon to follow.
When Opportunity knocks, you need to ask yourself one question:
"Does this Opportunity open more doors than it closes?"
Read MoreYou have to lead to succeed.
In an increasingly complex world no individual can solve every problem. In response we form teams, organisations, and even nations. Each of these needs successful, not perfect, leaders.
And here is the challenge.
How can we become successful leaders when humans have no manual?
Answer.
Executives tell me, in their more candid moments, that they doubt the value of the ‘employee engagement survey.’
They find it time-consuming and stressful, and most have all but given up on trying to calculate any return-on-investment. No wonder then such surveys have the reputation of being “all pain and no profit.”
So why bother? The answer lies in why we form organisations.
Read More-25'C flashing on the car dashboard always heralds is a fresh start to the day, but the cool temperature didn’t deter the hardy souls I saw jogging as I drove out for my morning coffee.
Yet, if the comments of dial-in listeners on the morning news show where representative of city, a visitor would take Torontonians as feeble-minded as well as feeble-bodied.
Enough. This is winter. This is Canada.
You see, when it comes down to it, we can deal with these parky conditions in one of three ways:
Winston Churchill was buried 50 years ago today and throughout the week, revisionist journalists have gleefully (and no doubt remuneratively) been picking over his bones in the UK press.
Churchill was out of sync with the social changes in Britain in almost each of the decades he lived. So how does someone with that track record end up as being the only commoner in the 20th Century to have a State Funeral in St Paul’s?
Because he was successful, not perfect
Read More“How can I get customer insight that is actionable?” Don't rely on that thick, industry-sponsored report for easy answers.
Most market and customer research are too turgid, too long and too expensive. Very few give easily accessible actionable output. I use a method which addresses some of the limitations
The philosophy here is to drive continuous input to fuel continuous improvement —and to do with customer involvement. This means you can have innovation but at lower risk and lower cost.
Read MoreThis interview is a cracker. It powerful, uplifting and heartening—especially if you are a woman in the workplace.
While those of us who work in business occasionally complain about challenging market conditions or a lack of resources, these are nothing compared to the difficulties and restrictions endured by some not-for-profits.
A poor decision in commerce might result to a disgruntled customer, a poor decision in a not-for-profit could destroy the life of a child, with similar consequences to the employees involved.
Those of us in business have much to learn from those in such circumstances.
Cari DeSantis has brought about innovation change in some of the toughest jobs,and shares lessons learnt in this episode.
Finally, she has an uplifting message of young women entering work today.
I hope you enjoy the programme.
Read MoreAre you hop-skipping delightfully from one good idea to another but never getting things done? Or are you perfecting the present, making a great sailing ship while the rest of the world moves to steam?
I have seen businesses that are so innovative, nothing ever gets completed. They flounder as they flail excitedly from one awesome idea to another. They may not run out ideas, but do they do run out of cash.
Conversely, I have worked with highly adaptive organisations who grow, painstakingly, by tweaking past successes. They make few mistakes, but one day they end up with perfect sailing ship, while the rest of the world has moved to steam.
The Holy Grail is, of course, Delivered Innovation. This requires the best of both approaches but each extreme often sees the worst of each other thus making mutual collaboration difficult.
Read MoreWhat can life under fire teach you about setting priorities and leading others?
Quite a lot it seems. It has helped Colonel Donald lead a successful and stimulating life.
Some may have a successful career in the military, others in the public sector or many more in a business career. There are a rare few, such as our guest Colonel Donald Pudney, who have excelled in all three.
He has lived in war zones for extended periods, been head of a civil service, and a director of several prominent organisations. He has valuable lessons to share.
Read More
