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When’s the last time your organization had an infusion of fresh, inspiring, downright awesome ideas?
Are you in touch with what your people are thinking? Is your senior management team exploring and sharing new perspectives?
In a world that’s always changing, these are crucial questions. To adapt to this shifting landscape, business owners require a healthy dose of fresh and innovative thinking. Luckily for us, there’s plenty of fresh thinking out there; it’s right outside your office door!
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Photo Courtesy of www.istockphoto.comHow many times a day do you find yourself answering questions?
Whether it’s responding to a customer request, clarifying the organization’s strategy, or addressing employee questions during a meeting, the typical business owner spends most of their time on the “A” side of Q&A.
Now let’s flip the script. How many times a day do you ask questions?
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You’ve just arrived home from the office. You got there early, ate lunch at your desk, worked late, and are now utterly drained after a hectic and busy day. Still, there’s no sense of satisfaction from a job well done; instead, you feel as if you’re running on a treadmill. You’re tackling the daily challenges – endless emails, fire-drills, and new issues – but can’t seem to find the time you need to move your business forward.
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Fact: Your business is sitting on a powder keg of philanthropy. With the right ignition source, it can unleash a wave of giving that benefits both your community and your business.
Of course, it’s not always easy to ignite that altruistic powder keg. As a business owner, you might struggle to find the necessary resources to start a giving program. And the most traditional route – simply signing over a check to a charitable organization – isn’t always the best way to help the community (or your company).
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You’ve seen championship football teams (think Packers) – tightly knit squads where each player is constantly doing their part to win the game. When they drop a pass or miss a tackle, they dust themselves off, take responsibility for their screw-up, and learn from the mistake. Finger-pointing is always directed at themselves: “my bad,” or “it’s on me.” And their biggest fear? It’s not losing. It’s letting the other guys down.
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Photo Courtesy of www.savagechickens.com by Doug Savage
So you want to talk about accountability? Well, I’ve got a story for you...
Picture this. I’d just come out of an important meeting with eight key employees. Up for discussion was nothing less than a go/no-go decision on the biggest contract we’d ever been offered. This was a big deal; I was counting on the input and feedback of my people to help me make the right decision.
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At colleges and universities across the country, classrooms are filling back up as students return from summer break. The start of another school year is a heady time on campus. Freshmen test the collegiate waters and try to determine if they’re on the right academic track, while upper classmen start to weigh their post-graduation career options. For many students, these are among the first “adult” decisions that will shape their future.
As a business owner, you make important decisions every day. While some are weightier than others, each choice ultimately impacts your organization. Let’s look at some simple, yet powerful guidelines that can help you improve your decision-making process:
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Courtesy of Reuters
It’s being touted as the “Pentagon Papers” for a digital age. In a move that revealed crucial details about the war in Afghanistan, a website called WikiLeaks has released over 91,000 reports covering the past six years of hostilities. This is a welcome development for war critics, advocates of a robust free press, and those who want open and accurate information about how our government is handling the war. On the other hand, Americans who are more concerned about national security view the document dump as a potential threat to our armed forces.
The ensuing debate over civil liberties and national security is just one example of our search for balance in everyday life. It applies to us collectively as a nation, and also at the individual level. One of the most important questions – especially for anyone who runs their own business – is, “How can I strike the right balance between my personal life and my work?”
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It’s hard to imagine an uglier scenario for a major petroleum company. As the massive oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico expands with each passing hour, BP is struggling to find a solution to an ecological disaster of its own making. With clean-up costs mounting and liability suits looming, the company will undoubtedly pay a huge price for the mistake. Equally harmful is the damage that BP has suffered to its reputation. In recent years, the company has gone to great lengths to paint itself as a "green" company. As their website puts it, BP "…produces energy that is affordable, secure, and doesn’t damage the environment."
Something went wrong. In this case, at least, BP’s professed message, values, and desired behavior weren’t reflected in the organization’s everyday practices. But while the initial damage has been done, the company now has an opportunity to live up to their values in leading the recovery and clean-up effort.
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22 years ago – the last time the Winter Olympics was held in Canada – the U.S finished with only six medals. That mark was bested in just one day during the Vancouver Games. By the time the torch was extinguished, Americans had netted 37 medals, including 9 of the shiny gold variety.
What was behind this impressive turnaround? Well, the U.S. Olympic committee is obviously doing something right; their leadership was instrumental in recovering from the 1988 disaster, planning for future success and uniting the different sports around a common goal. Innovative, cutting-edge training technologies also made a difference. And it doesn’t hurt that many of the newer events, such as snowboarding, were invented and perfected right here in the States.
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Crack open the February 8th issue of Forbes – or visit the magazine online – and you’ll find an article about Clay Mathile, Aileron’s founder. The piece describes the underlying goals Clay had in mind when he created the working foundation in 1996 and opened the Aileron campus 12 years later.
In his autobiography, Dream No Little Dreams, Clay traces his journey from uncertain business owner to dedicated philanthropist. Upon acquiring Iams in the early 80’s, he was faced with the challenge of owning a business that, according to him, he wasn’t sure he had the proper know-how to run it. It was only after embracing principles of professional management that he brought clarity, control, and discipline to his business – and after defining the organization's vision and mission and focusing on the needs of its target customers, Iams began to realize its full potential.
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Whether you're enduring the crowds at malls or pointing and clicking your way to holiday cheer online, gift-giving (and buying) season is in full swing. Amid the annual hustle and bustle, we think it's a great time to reflect on someone who's made a tremendous, invaluable impact on business owners. That man is Peter Drucker – and his gift to the business world never stops giving.
Management thinkers including Stephen Covey, Jim Collins, and Ken Blanchard recently headlined a series of events celebrating Drucker's 100th birthday. The festivities served as a timely reminder that his insights and advice remain powerful and relevant in today's marketplace.
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Breast Cancer Awareness Spreads to the NFL and Nascar
Photo courtesy of Kim Roberson/insiderracingnews.com
Over the past few weeks you might’ve noticed an unusual amount of pink. It’s everywhere you look – from the shoes of NFL players to Nascar events to drink cups at 7-11. Thanks to a highly successful campaign by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the message of Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been spread to football stadiums, race tracks, and retail outlets around the country. The leader of the foundation, Nancy G. Brinker, recently won the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her determination and passion in spreading the word about the disease’s prevention, treatment, and cure. Brinker has grown the organization by leaps and bounds over the years, thanks in large part to her communication skills. By successfully conveying the Foundation’s purpose, goals, and direction, she’s convinced millions of enthusiastic volunteers to rally and support the cause.
Effective communication is part and parcel of being a great leader. From Winston Churchill and his rousing radio speeches to football deity Vince Lombardi to "The Great Communicator" Ronald Reagan, history is rife with examples of successful leaders who had excellent communication skills.
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Celebrating 233 Years of Revolutionary Thinking
Each Fourth of July brings us copious amounts of grilled meat and colorful airborne explosions. But amid all the festivities, it’s easy to overlook the full meaning of Independence Day. With their long-term vision and willingness to cast aside the status quo, an incredible group of revolutionary, out-of-the-box thinkers set the tone for a nation unlike any other – a place where individuals could flourish, prosper, and pursue their own vision of happiness.
233 years later, Jefferson, Adams, Washington, Franklin, and other Founding Fathers continue to serve as role models for anyone aspiring to be a great leader. But what exactly makes a leader effective?
One way to get a grip on effective leadership is to learn by (negative) example. The Harvard Business Review recently poured over feedback data from 31 Fortune 500 executives who were fired over a three-year period. They also studied feedback from over 1000 business leaders who were considered to be ineffective. From this data set, ten common traits emerged. Each failed leader in the study had at least one of these characteristics. Most had more than one.
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Anyone Stressed in Augusta?
It's the ultimate pressure-cooker scenario for any pro golfer: facing off against Tiger Woods in a major tournament. Such is the fate of the 95 other players at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. As the legendary linksman begins his comeback from major knee surgery, his nervous competitors already know that the road to the top just got a lot steeper.
Even if you're not teeing off against Tiger, stress is a fact of life – especially if you're running a business in a tough economy. Studies have shown that people feel more stressed during recessions. No big surprise there. But for business owners, there's another layer of stressors to contend with: worries about downsizing, the challenges of navigating an uncertain marketplace, and a sense of failure that can accompany an organization's downturn – to name a few.
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