Monday Morning Mojo

If you are in the USA, you know this is Thanksgiving week with the holiday this Thursday. Thanksgiving is a time for appreciating our blessings and all that is right in the world. The American holiday got its start when the Plymouth pilgrims arrived with the first feast organized in 1621. It was three days

I am a member of the Summit Global Network. We are 22 boutique consulting firms on 7 continents who share resources, insights, and consulting expertise in the line of duty. We recently surveyed 84 CEOs around the world on Leading Growth. As many of you know, I also work a good deal with CEOs of

If you know what you want, make these three your modus operandi and you will quickly see the fruits of your labor: 1. Persistence – no matter what obstacles you encounter, keep your eye on the target. Use every setback to your advantage. Waste nothing including challenges, hurdles, and impediments. Every difficulty is a learning

As I write this in my home in Washington DC, Frankenstorm is closing in. The harsh rains and powerful winds are coming. Weather forecasters are telling us the projected storm surge from Hurricane Sandy is a “worst case scenario.” We have bought batteries, stocked up on food and water, cleared all the small items from

You may have heard the news about Malala Yousufzai, a 15 yr old Pakistani girl outspoken about girls’ education and atrocities committed by the Taliban. 2 weeks ago she was shot in the head and neck on a school bus with two of her schoolmates. Amazingly all three survived the attack. A fundraising account has

Expanding your customer base depends on five factors: 1.    Current customer satisfaction 2.    Desire for your offering 3.    Your reputation as a provider 4.    A value proposition you can deliver 5.    Effective outreach Any one of these factors can significantly limit or enhance the development of new customers. Together they create synergies that enhance each

Everyone loves to win. I have had the good fortune to work with 60+ exceptional companies in the last ten years, including 30 where I worked hand-in-hand with the CEO or executive director. Here are some of my key takeaways from the best initiatives I have been associated with: Successful leaders know who to create

A client of mine discovered how difficult it can be to cut through the mindset that prevents inflection points. Yet, as you will see, turning a potential negative into a positive inflection point can be done. I had been hired to work with a large oil and gas operation in the Americas to determine the

Five days ago I set up a facebook site, facebook.com/GettingInnovationRight. I spent a nominal amount (just about $50 so far) to advertise my page to people 18 and older in the US, UK, India, Brazil, China, and UAE. I limited my appearance to those people who have already expressed an interest in #business, #leadership, #strategy,

Competitive differentiation is a form of innovation that is all about getting a bigger buy from your customers. It works by separating yourself from your competition in ways that cause customers to choose you. It is a little more nuanced than it sounds. Here is an example to illustrate. If you are a hardware store