BLOGS
Do You Have a Vivid Vision?
As we enter 2018 and all the promise a fresh year brings, it’s the perfect time for leaders to develop their company’s Vivid Vision.
What’s a Vivid Vision? Cameron Herold, the former COO of 1-800-Got-Junk who increased revenues from $2 million to $105 million in 6 years, describes it in his book Double Double. It’s painting a picture of what your business will look, feel and act like three years down the road. It’s not about how you will get there with defined goals and metrics — we’ll save that for the strategic planning sessions with your leadership team. It’s imagining where you want your company to be in three years. To communicate this picture, you’ll need to envision success and provide ample details, using expressive language.
Break Down Your Silos for True Alignment
I hear a recurring issue from CEOs. They’re frustrated with the silos that have formed in their organizations and don’t know how to break them down. Everyone is so focused on his or her own priorities, and therefore, there’s no alignment.
Four Steps To Creating a Culture of Accountability
One of the biggest — and most common — pitfalls in business is a lack of accountability. You can have a rock-solid strategic plan with clear areas of responsibility and measurable metrics, but if you don’t hold each other accountable, you won’t reach your goals.
If that sounds like your team, you’re not alone. I uncover accountability issues in many of the teams I work with, including some who are otherwise highly functional. The good news: It’s a relatively easy fix if you’re not afraid to say “the buck stops here”, “you can’t blame others” or “it’s your issue.”
Building Your High-Performance Team
What’s the greatest differentiator when it comes to achieving your company’s ambitious growth goals? There’s no question: It’s a tightly aligned, high-performing leadership team. You can have the most eloquent vision statement and a well thought-out strategic plan to back it up, but if you don’t have a strong team to execute, you won’t reach your goals.
Steve Jobs said, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” I couldn’t agree more.
Who’s ready to hit the ground running in 2018?
Are you going to reach your 2017 growth targets? Were you and your team focused on all the right actions this year to meet your goals? Did you stick to your plan? Was it really a plan or just a long to-do list?
The 4th Quarter of 2017 is fast approaching. What does success look like in 2018? 20% annual growth, 10% increase in margins, 2 times cash flow, double the number of “A” player employees, record number of customer acquisitions and retention and additional new markets and products/services? What can you do now to set yourself up to achieve those goals in 2018.
Are You Playing to Win — Or Playing Not to Lose?
In the 2014 Winter Olympics there were high expectations that Team USA snowboarder Shaun White would win his third consecutive gold medal. But he ended up fourth, missing the medal podium completely.
Start Your "Stop Doing" List Now
I’ve never met a CEO who said, “I just don’t know what to do with all the spare time I have.”
As business leaders, we invariably have far too much on our plates for any mere human to actually tackle. We typically take more and more on instead of delegating, or we fail to ensure a task provides real value and is worth our time.