Influence innovation for powerful outcomes
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com/©Mike_Kiev I facilitate a number of executive forums and I find that the question I am presented with most often is, “Shawn, what is innovation,” and more importantly, “how will it help me in my business?” Innovation is such a broad topic, I wanted to break this into a two part series. […]
READ MORECustomer value denotes profitable growth
The most successful businesses focus less on revenue, costs and profit, and more consideration of what their customers value. Companies like Apple, Zappos and Amazon continue to dominate their market as a result of their sole ability to predict and capitalize upon new products and services that add value to their customers lives. In this […]
READ MOREEffective Leadership: 5 things to stop doing
I interact weekly with the business owners and executives and if there is one thing that I’ve gleaned from these interactions is that despite the company size, industry, market, geographic location, or history, there are similarities between the challenges these individuals face. The most common challenges include: Competing priorities Balancing time between family and work […]
READ MORE3 ways to create customer evangelists
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com/maxkabakov During a recent trip out of town I stayed at a Holiday Inn near my client’s facility. Upon arrival, I quickly noted that the young lady working behind the counter was not Janet. You see, I’d grown accustomed to Janet’s friendly demeanor, her upbeat personality, and her ability to always surprise […]
READ MOREStrategy to Outcomes: Achieve your vision
I’ve found throughout the years that behind every successful business there exists a very clear vision; a powerful strategy; and intense, multifaceted and meaningful actions that support achieving the vision. This approach is not discriminative of business size, region or sector. This formula to success simply requires clarity around the future; frequent consideration of how […]
READ MOREHow to make your mark as a leader
In my first role in the corporate world, I worked for Magna International. I was in my very early 20’s at that time, and there was a senior manager that I grew to admire. Before I departed Magna and moved on in my career he sat down with me and gave me some advice about […]
READ MORECapitalize on your Competitive Advantage
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com/whitehoune If you consider what differentiates you from your closest competitors, chances are you will find very little of significance. You might argue that your methodology, brand strength or your technology is distinct, however the reality is that your customers, specifically prospective customers, likely don’t recognize or value these unique attributes of […]
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