Margaret Reynolds As you read this I will be riding a Spanish Andalusian through the hills of Catalonia. Riding brings great joy to my heart but I also have figured out it adds horsepower to my life. What do I mean by horsepower? It enables me to set and meet career and personal goals beyond what I …
“It doesn’t matter where you came from; it matters where you are going” Profound, isn’t it? Spoken by Condoleezza Rice recently at an event I was fortunate enough to attend, it is a statement of optimism—of future promise, of hope that the future can be even better than the past. It is also liberating as …
How can you be a better strategic thinker if you don’t know where to start? Trying to improve strategic capabilities of the organization can be a challenge if you are not a skilled strategist. In fact, a survey of executives conducted 2010-2015 (published in the Wall Street Journal 2/23/15) cited these significant challenges: Setting a …
When do companies start to care about Customer Service? When they have to. That may sound cynical but let’s face it; customer service is an expense and a challenge. Industries where it doesn’t play much of a role don’t want or need to grapple with its complexities. Banking used to be that way—it is such …
Lessons Learned from Big Brands Two strong brands, Under Armour and Twitter. They both want business growth. One is going about it the right way and one is heading for trouble. Do you know which is which? Here are a few clues: Business growth at Twitter is being measured by user-growth and by sales at …
What does exceptional customer service look like? Many businesses claim to have exceptional customer service but in reality, few do anything substantially different than their competitors. Being nice to customers isn’t enough. Saying please and thank you, while a good start, isn’t different enough to get noticed. One of my favorite companies, ADS Security, a …
Economic Forecasts, common this time of year, are usually boring to me; but a necessary evil as we try to plan for long term success. One of my favorite economists to listen to, because he is both entertaining and accurate, is Alan Beaulieu, President of ITR Economics. Recently I heard him speak at an ACG …
The new year is a time to embrace what is to come as well as learn from what has been. As we review 2014 in preparation for 2015, here are the top rated blogs from our community. If you missed them the first time or just want a refresher, please check them out and feel …
“If you’re not capable to maintain and refresh desire, why are you there?” That throw-down came from Jan Rok Achard, a circus consultant, when asked about Cirque du Soleil’s revised strategy. But it is a good question for all leaders to ask and answer about their business. Have we let the business get stale? Have we …
Bitcoin… If you ask “what is that?”, you aren’t alone. I didn’t know either until this week. But I should have. Bitcoin was launched in 2009 as an online currency that isn’t backed by a central bank or government. It is “created on computers; bought, sold and traded on exchanges; and stored in virtual wallets” …
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