One of the best approaches to spreading a viral change campaign is to court key influencers. But recent research also confirms that the influenced may be as critical as the influencers. A recent study found that trying to track down key influencers – people who have extremely large social networks – can in some ways limit a campaign and its viral potential. Change agents instead Read More »
In addition to such victims of “industry dissonance” as the late Enron founder Kenneth Lay and CEO Jeffrey Skilling, there seems to be a movement, perhaps due to the dramatic economic shifts occurring at the start of the century, in which the status-loving, jet-setting, deal-making celebrities of the 1990s are being replaced by awareness-sensitive leaders who are more performance oriented and less egocentric. Some clear Read More »
Are You Overdue for An Assumption Inventory? It’s been said that in today’s chaotic markets, the only sustainable competitive advantage may be the ability to learn faster than your competitors. I disagree. The ability for leaders and managers to learn quickly is certainly a critical advantage. Especially in industries where new technologies and/or rapidly changing customer expectations can disrupt the status quo overnight. But the Read More »
The latest figures show the unemployment rate in the US is near 10%…that’s one in ten people out of work! And, the future isn’t looking particularly bright. Recent reports estimate the lack of work will continue through 2011, at least. You can’t sit around and wait for big business or the government to turn the economy around, so it’s pretty much up to you to Read More »
One of the simplest, most valuable skills a brainstorm facilitator can develop is the ability to “read the direction” in which their group’s thoughts are flowing. Just like the ebbing and flowing tides of an ocean or river, collaborative thinking flows in one of two distinct directions: 1) it can diverge outward, in a broad, multidirectional, expansive exploration of ideas; or 2) it can converge Read More »
School teaches that there is one right answer. As students we are supposed to figure out that answer. It’s the one that matches what it says in the answer key at the back of the book or for the test. But business and life isn’t like that. There isn’t just one right answer for most of the problems and situations we encounter. In business and Read More »
There are a number of components we must keep in mind when it comes building and nurturing our strategic relationships. The following seven areas will help you build these key relationships: • Relationships are assets. In any business setting, relationships are assets. As such, they can be created, managed, nurtured, measured, and even discontinued, intentionally and consciously. • It’s all about who cares. Business cannot Read More »
