Posted by:
There’s a lot to be said for creative ideas that push the needle forward, even incrementally. But where do you go when you need a truly breakthrough idea? The kind of idea that will revolutionize your business—maybe even your entire industry—and cause your competition to wonder if they’d be better off just closing up shop? If that’s the kind of breakthrough you’re looking for—you need a wacky neighbor.
Posted by:
In his wonderful book, A Whack on the Side of the Head (still one of the seminal books about creativity), Roger Von Oech talks about the concept of looking for the Second Right Answer. The idea is that most people (and you can substitute “people” with “leaders,” “teams,” and even “organizations”), when looking for a solution to a problem or challenge, stop after coming up with a solution. A solution. One, single solution. But just because it’s the first solution ...
Continue Reading →Posted by:
When it comes to customer service, one size definitely does not fit all! And yet many companies treat their customers as if they were all cut from the same cloth. Sure this makes things easier, cheaper, and more efficient. But it sure doesn’t create loyal customers!
A long time ago, shortly after the dinosaurs died off, I had a ...
Continue Reading →Posted by:
You’ve got a great vision for your team, and you’re genuinely excited about it. Great! Good for you! But now, how can you get your team as excited about it as you are?
When I was producing my TV show Almost Live!, I was fortunate that my team was nearly always fully engaged in the outcome (or at least ...
Continue Reading →
As a business speaker who helps extraordinary leaders produce extraordinary results, I’m often asked, “How can I get my team excited about the outcome? How can I get my team to ‘buy-in‘? How can I get my team engaged?” Believe me, as a leader who’s led a team to extraordinary results, I’ve asked those same questions.
I’m embarrassed to ...
Continue Reading →Posted by:
I hear it all the time: “How can I get my team to all focus on a single goal? How can I get them pointing in the same direction? Honestly, some days ‘herding cats’ seems easier than leading my team!” I get it.
As I found out while leading my incredibly creative team at Almost Live! (the sketch ...
Continue Reading →Posted by:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (now, for example): good ideas are everywhere. The problem is that most of us don’t know how to look for them. We don’t see them, because many times good ideas come disguised as something else. Sometimes we have to work a little to see the application to our own lives and ...
Posted by:
What does award-winning performance mean to you?
I mean specifically.
In your business, in your work, what does award-winning performance look like, sound like, feel like? How do you recognize it in yourself?
It’s been said that what gets measured gets done. Others have said that what gets measured gets managed.
I disagree with both of those statements.
The truth is this: What gets measured gets measured. Nothing more, nothing less.
What gets measured gets measured.
What happens next is entirely up to you.
Measuring is just a ...
Continue Reading →Posted by:
It’s relatively easy to be a leader when everything’s going well. But what about those times when things go wrong? What do you do then? It turns out the answer is not easy…but it is simple.
Posted by:
If your team isn’t performing at the level you’d like them to, maybe you need to look at where you’ve set your own bar.
Continue Reading →