StrategyDriven

StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.

Special Edition 16a - An Interview with Scott Davis, author of The Shift, part 1 of 2 examines the bottom line benefits of the Chief Marketing Officer serving as an organization’s corporate growth leader. During part one of our discussion, Scott Davis, author of The Shift: The Transformation of Today’s Marketers into Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders shares his insights with us regarding…

• treatment of the organization’s brand as an asset
• role and benefits of the corporate growth leader
• attributes needed to assume the role of growth leader
• why the Chief Marketing Officer is uniquely position to serve as an organization’s growth leader

Additional Information

In addition to the incredible insights Scott shares in The Shift and this special edition podcast are the additional resources accessible from his book’s website and his organization’s website, www.Prophet.com. Scott’s book, The Shift, can be purchased by clicking here.

Complimenting The Shift, are Scotts’s books on the brand asset management including:

• Brand Asset Management: Driving Profitable Growth Through Your Brands
• Building the Brand-Driven Business: Operationalize Your Brand to Drive Profitable Growth

Final Request…

The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider voting for us on Podcast Alley by clicking here. Casting your vote for the StrategyDriven Podcast improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast !

Scott Davis, author of The Shift, is a senior partner at Prophet, a global marketing consultancy. Scott was an adjunct professor at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and has guest lectured at many top MBA programs including Harvard, New York University, Columbia, and the University of Chicago. He has worked with top executives at GE, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Best Buy, Sara Lee, and Boeing. Scott is frequently quoted by leading business publications including The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, USA Today, and Business Week. To read Scotts’s full biography, click here.

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Some of life’s greatest lessons come through failure… and greatness is often born in the rising from the ashes.

Everyone experiences personal and professional disappointments and setbacks. Those taking the time to critically and objectively examine and learn from their mistakes, applying those learnings to future endeavors, will inevitably be more successful. This truth is embodied by those from all walks of life who in their respective fields have achieved great success.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

Albert Einstein
Awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics
Named Time’s Man of the Century in 1999
and
Best known for his conception of the theories of special and general relativity

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

Wayne Gretzky
National Hockey League Hall of Famer and winner of:

four Stanley Cup Championships

nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player

ten Art Ross Trophies for most points in a season

five Lady Byng Trophies for sportsmanship and performance

five Lester B. Pearson Awards and

and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP

Michael Jordan
National Basketball Association Hall of Famer, winner of:

• 6 NBA Championships
• Rookie of the Year
• 5 NBA MVP Awards
• 6 NBA Finals MVP Awards
• 10 All-NBA First Team
• 9 NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Defensive Player of the Year
• 14 NBA All-Star Awards
• 3 NBA All-Star MVP Awards
• 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
• 10 scoring titles — an NBA record and seven consecutive matching Wilt Chamberlain
• Retired with the NBA’s highest scoring average of 30.1ppg

and

• whose NBA website biography reads: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.“

StrategyDriven would like to extend a special thank you to Kelly Sonora, who introduced us to Online College’s (www.OnlineCollege.org) article 100 Incredibly Inspiring Videos for Leaders from which we found the above Michael Jordan video by Nike.

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The ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important than ever in today’s competitive world.

From the time we’re little kids, we’re taught to solve problems by trial and error. That’s fine if the problem is as simple as a burned out light bulb. When the problem is a muddle of business, technical and political problems, we need something that helps us untangle the mess. Unless you’re Harry Potter, treating a mess like a burned out light bulb is as effective as wishing for magic.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to magic. Many key concepts in problem solving seem obvious but are often overlooked, causing delays and frustration in getting important problems solved. Here are some tips and reminders that will help you solve messy problems quickly and easily.

** Define the problem first.
Explain what the problem is—what went wrong, what are the symptoms, what is the impact on your business. Write it down. Everyone who reads it should understand what the problem is and why it’s important. Caution: describe the problem, not what you will do to fix it.

** Use your time for problems that are truly important.
Just because a problem is there doesn’t mean you have to solve it. If you ask, “what will happen if I don’t solve this problem?” and the answer is, “not much,” then turn your attention to something more important.

** Test your assumptions about everything.
Check the facts first. Be sure that you and your team understand the problem the same way, and that you have data to confirm that the problem is important. Test the assumptions about proposed solutions to improve the chances your solution will actually solve the problem.

** Measure.
The key question to answer is, “How will you know when the problem is solved?” If you don’t measure, you won’t know for sure. Use measurements to learn and portray the truth—the real truth, not what you wish were true.

** Measure the right things.
A common measurement trap is to measure something because it’s “interesting.” If knowing a measurement won’t change anything (e.g., help you make a decision, verify an assumption or prove the problem is solved), then don’t waste your time measuring it.

Copyright 2007. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.

Article Source:
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://crisis-management.bestmanagementarticles.com

Jeanne Sawyer helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.

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A trait that is often overlooked by managers and executives is the loyalty (or the lack of loyalty) among their employees. While it is difficult to measure, it can have a great impact on your department and your company. As such, you should take steps to ensure the loyalty of your employees to you, the company and each other.

Impacts

The lack of loyalty can have devastating effects on any organization. The development of each employee is a considerable investment in time and money. In addition to salary and benefits, a company will invest in classroom and on-the-job training, networking opportunities, equipment and tools for each employee. Each employee also gains valuable experience while performing his/her duties. If an employee is lost, say to another company, so is the sum of the investments your company has made in that employee. In most cases, any replacement will need time to match the former employee’s level of production. Additionally, if the employee is lost to a competitor, the competitor may benefit form his/her extensive knowledge of your company.

By fostering loyalty in your employees you not only avoid the downfalls listed above, you gain a team member who is often willing to work a little harder and a little longer for you or for the company. Loyal employees don’t just work for a paycheck. They consider themselves a part of a team. They have an emotional interest in seeing their team, their company and their coworkers succeed. These employees are always the best performers, simply because they care about more than themselves.

Earning Loyalty

As mentioned, loyal employees don’t just work for a paycheck. Put another way, loyalty is earned, not bought. So how do you keep your best employees from jumping ship at the first sign of a larger paycheck? The best way is to provide an environment in which your employees will enjoy working. Work sponsored events and periodic employee appreciation activities will build moral and strengthen the bond between employee and company.

Recognition for good performance is critical in creating loyal employees. No one likes to feel as if his/her hard work is being overlooked. Acknowledging a job well done will encourage even more good work. Additionally, employees are more likely to stay in a position when they know their work is appreciated.

Being an ethical manager and company also fosters loyalty. Most people take pride in being part of a group with integrity and good will. It reinforces confidence that they will be treated fairly and strengthens the trust between employees, their coworkers and management.

Much more goes into building a corporate culture and identity that employees will be proud of, than can be said here. However, you should frequently ask yourself “why am I proud of my company?” or “what would make me proud?” Answering these questions will bring you a step closer to creating loyalty among your workforce.

Final Thoughts…

Because of the impact employee loyalty has on any business, it must always be on the mind of company leadership. By making an effort to build and maintain loyalty, you may very well save your most valuable resource - your employees.

Lucas D. Ives is a training consultant at Verizon Wireless and a StrategyDriven contributor. A dynamic facilitator, he excels at creating and delivering captivating training focused on the business professional. To read Lucas’s complete biography, click here.

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“The look in her eyes suggests a sense of urgency and of sadness.”

Jamie Cardenas
Lead Photographer
StrategyDriven

and

Lee’s Make History Winner for
American Girl

The StrategyDriven family congratulates our lead photographer, Jamie Cardenas, for being selected for the first edition of Lee’s Make History photo book publication. Of the 16,109 photo submissions from 90 countries, Jamie’s American Girl was one of only 101 images selected to receive this honor. In addition to being featured in the first edition of Make History, American Girl was placed on display in Milan, Italy and is now on tour throughout Europe.

To learn more about Lee’s Make History photo contest, click here.

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