Monday Morning Mojo

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

Whether your company is international with key relationships in several countries, a global enterprise with worldwide reach, or a local organization interested in doing business beyond your borders, there are a number of countries that deserve your attention. When people talk about international expansion, they are quick to distinguish countries as developed, transitioning, or developing.

An inflection point is a dramatic and decisive shift in your relationship with the market for better or worse. It can be positive, increasing your success, or negative, as you fall out of favor. Because it springs from your relationship to the market, this change comes about one of three ways: (1) you move in

In my upcoming book, Getting Innovation Right, I detail seven activities that give an edge to leaders who want to succeed in the market (who doesn’t?!). One of them is gathering business intelligence, a service I have provided to executive clients since 2000. A good friend of mine, Ken Garrison, is the former CEO of