Tag: Leadership

Outsource Your Decision Making!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you have heard of the term “outsourcing” or some variation thereof (e.g. near sourcing, co-sourcing, off-shoring, etc.).  Fundamentally, they all mean the same thing – basically, it’s “viewed as involving the contracting out of a business function – commonly one performed in house – to an external provider”.

Outsourcing, when used correctly, can yield tremendous benefits – some financial and sometimes more importantly, some intangible benefits, such as peace of mind.

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Six Steps to Screening Your Next (ad)Venture!

So you are finally ready to take that leap of faith and make the surest best you can – on yourself, by starting your own new venture!  Congratulations, because for many, this is a huge step and making the decision itself, often, is the biggest hurdle to overcome!  It takes courage, determination, and most importantly, reconditioning your vocabulary and altering your definition of success.

So, with all the ideas that you have, or are presented to you, what process will you go through to filter what you believe is the right next (ad)venture for you?

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Definition of Success

For those of you who know me, my definition has been shared on numerous occasions.  Granted, it is not the “traditional” definition that many people are used to but, after hearing it and processing what it means, its concept is widely applicable to many facets of your life.

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Top 5 Questions for New CEOs

Which market are you going to go after?

Who are the four people you are going to get to help you?

Re-Innovating Your Business!

Innovation, whether most people think about it or not, is a key component to business.  It can not only lay the (new) foundation for which your business will be built upon, it can also re-energize your existing business and take it to new levels!

Apple, as an example, which traditionally was a hardware/software company, re-innovated the entire music industry around the launch of its new product – the iPOD.  Not only did the iPOD become a cultural phenomenon, it became the foundation for innovation within the company towards other products like the iPhone, iPad, and more.  At $356/share for Apple stock – it’s clear that innovation is a key ingredient to the company’s success.

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Which Plane Should I Catch?

Okay, I confess – this post technically has nothing to do with air travel, but the concept of hopping on a plane, does serve as an important symbol for communication.

So let’s get started – referencing the airplane images provided in this post, I’d like for you to answer the following questions.  And, for the record, they are not trick questions.

First, how high do you think the commercial airliner is flying?  Answer = Very high.

Second, how high do you think the combat plane is flying?  Answer = Not high at all.  In fact, it’s very low near the ground.

Let these images resonate with you for a bit because in a moment, I’m going to illustrate to you one of the most common communication mistakes people make… specifically at the office, where the impact of the mistake, could prove detrimental.

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The “Infamous” Corporate Ladder!

“It’s good to be the King!”

Working hard and reaching the top is something that many strive for… and why not?  It’s recognition for your hard work… it’s validation that you have the right stuff to make things happen – and the perks… the perks could be wonderful!  Now, granted, there are a lot of challenges on your way to the top and, even more, once you arrive.  But today, we’re going to talk about a few simple scenarios about how you may actually get there!

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Board of Directors – Top 12!

It’s no secret that I believe having a board (of directors / advisers), formal or not, is critical to a company’s success.  As in life and in business, perspective is key when making important decisions and having someone who has your (or your company’s) best interest in mind, is a valuable resource.

As I was reading yesterday, I came across some great information about questions that a board must ask to really gauge the state of a company.  If you are a CEO who has a board and they are not asking these questions, maybe you need to augment your board (or, find new members all together).  If you are currently a board member and not asking these questions, you need to start.

Regardless on which side of the table you sit, these are critical questions that require considerable thought.  Granted – some questions may not apply to all businesses but, if nothing else, maybe asking some of these questions today will position the company on a successful track thereby allowing you to ask the remaining question later?

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How to E-mail Busy People…

It’s no secret that today’s world is highly interconnected and more interdependent than ever before.  And, in order to succeed in this world, obtaining the right guidance is more important than ever before.  The challenge, however, is that many times, the people you seek guidance from are not directly connected to you – so, how do you ask for help?  In many cases, we do what we feel most comfortable with – e-mail.  It provides us the ability to reach out while still remaining in our comfort zone.

The challenge with e-mail, as with many initial communication methods, is that there is an art behind getting what you want without burdening the other person.  All too often, we’re a mixed bag of information and rarely communicate all that we want to on the first attempt.  In fact, many times we find ourselves reflecting back on the conversation either regretting something we said, or worse, didn’t say.

I came across a great post by Jason Freedman who outlined some tips on how to e-mail busy people… below are the key points.  Valuable stuff.

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Hosting Effective Meetings…

“Let’s have a meeting about that meeting… need to clarify some stuff.  Yeah?”

Ever heard that one before?  If you’re like me, then the answer’s probably yes.  Today, meetings seem to be the abundant theme and while there’s a lot going on, it’s important to remember that meetings are only valuable when they are effective.  So, how do you execute a successful meeting?  Well, for me – it has everything to do with golf.

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