Friday 29 April 2016

The power of a particular paradox

I've always been fascinated by paradox. Both/and is one of life's great truths.

Embrace a particular paradox - the paradox of profits, and you'll unleash human energy and creativity in your business as this short paper from John Mackey and Raj Sisodia beautifully articulates.

I've been helping business owners and leaders to focus on reasons for 25 years. I know beyond any doubt that when we focus on reasons, results take care of themselves.

Be remarkable.
Ian


Wednesday 27 April 2016

When there's no conflict between humans and machines

A few years ago I spoke at the same conference as Gerd in Munich Germany. I've taken a keen interest in his work ever since.

There's many more great insights from Gerd here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 25 April 2016

Your most important customer isn't paying you

The famous Japanese Industrialist Kaoru Ishikawa once remarked:

The customer is whoever gets your work next.

If you want more people to buy your product/s and/or service/s inspire your employees to deliver greater value to each other.

Employees feeling valued is a prerequisite. 

When people feel valued they live the agreed behaviours of your values. Delivering value to other employees that they demand, desire, and feel that they deserve is a consequence, assuming that your processes mean it's simple for people to deliver value to each other.

Modern leadership and management are paramount. Leadership is the art of ensuring people feel valued. Management is the practice of ensuring it's simple for people to deliver value.

Valued, Values, and Value result in customers/clients receiving value beyond price which means they will buy from you again and again.

What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Price is what you pay for; value is what you get - Warren Buffet






Friday 22 April 2016

The Three Tenets of Modern Business

The most successful leaders standout by applying the appreciation principle in their own best way and sustaining shared-view in the seven areas of significance.

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated - William James

The Seven Areas of Significance

1. Where we are now (reality) (what is) (non biased appreciation of the remarkable, the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly)

2. Where we’re going (possibility) (what can be) (Idealistic yet pragmatic articulation of our Dreams|Goals|Ambitions)

3. Why we’re going there (purpose) (our reason for being in business, how we’re creating more leaders, and fulfilling #1. role of leadership i.e. unleashing and enhancing people’s gifts)

4. How we’ll get there (strategy) (ability to describe our strategy in a single sentence, and everyone’s buy-in to it)

5. Who will do what and when (execution) (roles, plans, communication and conversations, 70:20:10 framework adaption, quality of coaching and mentoring, meaningful meetings)

6. How we’ll know we’re on track (milestones, lead measures, processes) (how well we determine and use the metrics that really matter to us)

7. How we’ll behave along the way (culture and values) (buy-in to the behaviours of our values, and the quality of our appreciation and accountability conversations)

There's a simple diagnostic here that you can download and complete with your team to determine where you are now and where you need to move to.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 20 April 2016

Introspection and Integration are more valuable than innovation

Innovation is the result of successfully implementing an idea. 

And such success has much to do with the journey undertaken prior - information became insight which became inspiration and imagination, and then ideas emerged. 

Identification of which idea would be given the investment to fly was a crucial step.

Of course everything is for nought without successful implementation.

For many innovation, the result of implementation, is seen as the end game.

In order to sustain the momentum brought about by the innovation two further steps are essential - introspection and integration.

Introspection is reflections on milestones and success metrics. And, it's reaching shared-view about what’s worth celebrating and what can be better.

Integration means integrating learning from the innovation into whatever else is working well for you and agreeing on the next one thing that will sustain momentum. 

This full process (as pictured below) is a never-ending journey. 

Which parts of this process could you improve? 

Your answer and taking decisive action will see you stand out from the crowd.

Be remarkable.
Ian



Monday 18 April 2016

The crucial culture creator is behaviour

This is the final in a series of seven suggestions for working on yourself and on your business in order to more fully appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people. Links to the six previous posts are below.

The Simple, Under-appreciated Power of Appreciation

An ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is the rocket that enables lift-off from what is to what can be

Your Life Only Has One Purpose. Your Only Quest Is To Live It.

Could you describe your strategy in a sentence other people have bought into?

Execution is the only way to tell that you have the right strategy.

Moving on from the myth that 'what gets measured gets done'

When you’re doing something that you’ve done many times before, and this time you feel as if you’re experiencing something completely new, it’s called vuja de.

I believe vuja de is a key to co-creating and enhancing a culture in your workplace that means people feel valued, are living values, and delivering value to others that they demand, desire, and feel that they deserve.

People feeling valued, living values, and delivering value are keys to success in the new world of work. I believe these are an outcome of applying the appreciation principle in your own best way.

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.
William James

The more fully you appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people, the more leaders and corresponding accountability you'll have in your business, the better your business results will be, and at less personal cost.

Read more here where you can also download a handbook, a diagnostic, and a checklist, that will help you to sustain shared-view in the seven areas of significance explored in these seven posts, and where the most successful leaders stand out.

Be remarkable
Ian

Friday 15 April 2016

Stop, Think, Create


I'd recommend downloading this ebook by Warren Berger by subscribing to his newsletter here.

It contains excellent insights for being more creative and innovative.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 13 April 2016

A billion is a BIG number than needs to stop being bandied about by Governments

We're in election mode in Australia even though the date is not yet official.

And every day the Government and the Opposition have billion dollar and bigger announcements and so I had a chuckle and then a tear when I received below in one of those mass on forwarded emails where the original source is unknown or unacknowledged.

A.
A billion seconds ago it was 1959. 

B.
A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. 

C.
A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. 

D.
A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet. 

E. 
A billion Dollars ago was only 13 hours and 12 minutes, at the
rate our government is spending it. 

Stamp Duty 
Tobacco Tax 
Corporate Income Tax 
Income Tax
Council Tax
Unemployment Tax 
Fishing Licence Tax 
Petrol/Diesel Tax 
Inheritance Tax 
(tax on top of tax) 
Alcohol Tax 
G.S.T. 
Property Tax 
Service charge taxes 
Social Security Tax 
Vehicle Licence / Registration Tax 
Vehicle Sales Tax 
Workers Compensation Tax
Carbon Dioxide Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 60 years ago and our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world.

The above is a good reminder that there's trouble for many when any Government has to raise taxes to support living beyond our means.

What about you and your business?

Are you making big statements to win support for ideas that in reality will drain your cash flow and push you to the place of living beyond your means? or

Are you measured, considered, and careful in your pursuit of possibility yet with a firm grasp of reality?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 11 April 2016

Moving on from the myth that 'what gets measured gets done'

This is the sixth in a series of seven suggestions for working on yourself and on your business in order to more fully appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people. Links to the five previous posts are below.

The Simple, Under-appreciated Power of Appreciation

An ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is the rocket that enables lift-off from what is to what can be

Your Life Only Has One Purpose. Your Only Quest Is To Live It.

Could you describe your strategy in a sentence other people have bought into?

Execution is the only way to tell that you have the right strategy.

You've no doubt heard the adage 'what gets measured gets done'.

Not quite in my experience. Today if the measurements or metrics aren't meaningful for people what's needed won't get done.

In today's Monday Morning Momentum video and the update to the handbook on 'the seven areas of significance where the most successful leaders stand out' I explore ways to make measurement meaningful and therefore getting done what really matters. Everything is here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 8 April 2016

Where's your business at with 5 BIG ideas?


The above diagram comes from this excellent article by Matt Church, Founder of Thought Leaders Global.

If you're embracing the right of the diagram it's likely your business is fit for future.

If you're in the middle or on the left it's likely your business is in deep trouble now or it will be very soon.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 6 April 2016

'Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't'


I strongly recommend this book for it's practicality.

Do every exercise and take action and you couldn't help but grow your business.

Here's my Amazon review.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 4 April 2016

Execution is the only way to tell that you have the right strategy

This is the fifth in a series of seven suggestions for working on yourself and on your business in order to more fully appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people. Links to the four previous posts are below.

The Simple, Under-appreciated Power of Appreciation

An ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is the rocket that enables lift-off from what is to what can be

Your Life Only Has One Purpose. Your Only Quest Is To Live It.

Could you describe your strategy in a sentence other people have bought into?

Execution is the only way to tell that you have the right strategy

There are 5 keys to executing strategy:
1) Role clarity
2) Every employee having their unique piece of your execution map
3) Candid and convivial communication and conversations using 1) and 2) as focusing tools
4) Adapting the 70:20:10 learning and development framework in alignment with above
5) Asking great questions - clever answers often hinder execution, whereas wise questions accelerate the process.

You'll find short videos and exercises to do with all of the above in the handbook you can download here.

Be remarkable.
Ian