2011 and beyond: planning that works!

Time and again, I hear from clients and business owners, “planning is not possible in this environment’, “well, we did a SWOT’, “We set our objectives–we use Rockerfeller Habits”, “we haven’t met plan so we stopped doing one’”, “we don’t know how to do a plan, really”, “we did our budget”. Need I go on? …

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Who is your worst enemy?

The answer may surprise you. When I worked at Hallmark, we loved to trump American Greetings. I imagine they felt that same way about Hallmark. So, you might be surprised to learn that, as leaders, our worst enemy is not our biggest competitor, but rather ourselves. Huh? In any aspect of our lives, we become …

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Your results are predictable.

Most organizations strive to be the best they can be, delivering the highest results for their stakeholders. Statistics show that most under achieve against goals. Companies either under realize the forecasted potential documented in their strategic plan (most achieve only 2/3 of the potential inherent in their strategy) or they don’t realize the intended return …

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What is your biggest fear?

When I ask this question of clients, I usually get one of two answers: “my largest competitor” OR “the economy”. WRONG. So, what should be the biggest fear? What you don’t know! Why? Most big shifts, the kind that put companies out of business or are transformative for an industry, are usually in blind spots. …

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The most important “P”

Do you remember when you were taught the four “P”‘s of product, place, price and promotion? They were at the heart of successful business marketing plans. Today, there is a “P” that trumps that them all—people. If you read this blog regularly, you are aware that we interview one high profile CEO each month to …

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The first five minutes.

It really boils down to the first five minutes. How do you handle the first five minutes of an important opportunity? To do it well, you have to be practiced, almost intuitive, and true to your values and training to react the way you intend in that first five minutes. Why is the first five …

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A microcosm of the economy

So, what do you believe? Is the economy coming back? Most economists say yes, but slowly. Most businesses say maybe–some are seeing more positive signs than others. Most people say not yet. However, the challenge may be that the “recovered” economy doesn’t look much like the robust economy of yesterday. Some businesses will never recover. …

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Perception vs. Reality….which matters most?

The answer: it depends. Here’s why. Reality: the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they appear or may be thought to be. Perception: What is perceived is the result of past experience, and interpretation of sensory information. Most of us accept our most closely held beliefs, our thoughts about things, as …

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Can today’s business model for sports survive?

I am a huge sports fan. My husband is a golf pro, my oldest son played college and professional golf, my youngest son is playing Division 1 baseball and playing summer ball in the Cape Cod league. ESPN is our tv channel of choice. But the other day, I was thinking about sports, not as …

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