Posts Tagged ‘guiding principles’
How to pick the worst clients
If a strategy is about knowing what not to do, then client profiles are about knowing who not to target. Much of this will happen as a process of exclusion as you build your Customer Profile. But that is not enough. There are certain traits you want to look out for, that make universally bad…
Read MoreYour employees don’t know what to do
Job titles are great for algorithms in job search sites; job roles are better for managing your business. Following my March article explaining this difference, I received some great feedback from people writing roles for their own business. The next step is to instruct your team. Does everybody know what they should be doing? It’s…
Read MoreWhy are you managing your business?
This blog talks about business management. Indeed my whole business is about the craft of business management. And if the business is the idea, management is what turns the idea into action. But what are you managing, exactly? How do you manage an “idea” into a “reality”? The best way to answer this question is…
Read MoreAre you making your brand work for you?
What’s in a brand? More specifically: what is a brand? The varied definitions you will find always describe how people know and recognize a company. Whether it is a logo, a slogan, or a design, the visual brand is a symbolic representation of your company. But humans are complex beings, and to every symbol, we…
Read MoreAnything worth doing is worth doing badly.
Is it worth doing? Then do it. In any way that you can. Nike figured this out long ago. Want to get into better shape, want to learn a new sport, want to start a new fitness habit? Just do it. Buy the shoes and do it. Because if it is worth doing, it is…
Read MoreWhy your employees want to know your mission statement
How do your employees know why they do the things that do? How do you know why your employees do the things that they do? Are you giving them a good direction about where you want their work to take the business? Employees join a company to use their skills in a valuable way. But…
Read MoreCompetitive Advantage: Know Thyself
This saying from ancient Greek, “know thyself”, is often used as a warning against boastfulness. That’s good advice when it comes to describing your competitive advantage. You don’t want a value proposition that merely says you are better than the competition. Indeed, you don’t want a value proposition that talks about your competition at all. …
Read MoreHow To Balance Strategy And Culture
This blog is first and foremost about business strategy. To create loyal customers, to nurture dedicated employees, to manage the business process, all comes down to a solid strategy. Within that strategy, some things are written in pen, and some things are written in pencil. Company culture is written in pen. And is written well…
Read MoreHow Rocky Balboa Handles A Crisis
In the first four Rocky movies, he fights three different opponents. While, admittedly, the narrative arcs of the movies follow similar lines, the training plans differ significantly from one movie to the next. In each film, he has different strengths and weaknesses. Most notably, a hit to the eye damages his peripheral vision for the…
Read MoreFrom Risk to Opportunity
Risk and opportunity must coexist in business every day. Focus only on risk, and your business will become stagnant. Ignore the risk for opportunity alone, and you will outpace your resources. Somewhere in between Kodak and Pets.com lies the successful business. Right now, COVID19 is doing its part to highlight the risks. Let’s also address…
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