At some time in the past you likely pondered where you would be in 2010. Are you there?
I can guarantee that anyone who is there got there with formal goals, strategies and hard work. Seat-of-the-pants success is a myth. With a plan we get to where we want to be; without a plan we get [...]
This is the fourth and last post in my series on values. Understanding values and their impact on our lives is particularly important to me.
Like many people, I fell into my career. All my plans and dreams were pushed aside in favour of a paycheque and a company car.
My seduction by a good job wasn’t [...]
Identifying Core Values
Most strategic planning processes use the writing of the statement of core values as the process by which they are identified. Big mistake. Write the statement only after you’ve identified your true values. If you are focused on writing the statement you will be influenced by how your values sound to others and [...]
“At this moment, America’s highest economic need is higher ethical standards — standards enforced by strict laws and upheld by responsible business leaders.” George W. Bush, July 9, 2002
When was the last time you saw a corporate statement of values without the word excellence in it? Companies big and small claim a devotion to excellence [...]
“If you think of vision and mission as an organization’s head and heart, the values it holds are its soul.” V.R. Buzzotta
Part One in a Series
I started out writing an article on the importance of uncovering our true core values when developing a strategic plan. As I began explaining why values are important I got [...]
“You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” Alvin Toffler
The essence of strategic planning is taking the big picture and boiling it all the way down to what needs to be done today. If we don’t have a big picture [...]
(Originally posted July 28, 2009)
I recently signed up for Twitter. I intended to check it out, confirm that it was nothing more than a time dump and close my account.
A few weeks later I stand corrected. Based on media coverage I expected to find inane “tweets” (messages) proclaiming trivial personal news like what someone had [...]
(Originally posted June 26, 2009)
Understanding why existing customers buy your products or services is a great start to figuring out how to approach new customers. What is their number one reason for dealing with you? Trust? Product quality? Customer service excellence? What comes second and what comes third? Knowing what it is that excites and [...]
(Originally posted June 26, 2009)
Growing your business starts with a vision of what you want to be in 5, 10, even 20 years. With a clear vision, you can set a direction (plan) to take you there. With a vision and a plan you can move into action. Action is everything. A vision exists only [...]
(Originally posted June 24, 2009)
This is a story that offers an example of a poor tactic for soliciting new business.
As a business manager I would frequently receive appointment requests from potential new vendors. A sales person for a potential vendor called me to offer a foreign currency exchange service. I’ll call him Joe. We did [...]
