Browse Strategic Planning

Reputation Capital is a measure of how effective you are in promoting and delivering value. As the delivery of that value is recognized, you start to accumulate Reputation Capital. The two fundamental pillars of Reputation Capital are competency and trust. The following provides some insight into how you can build upon both of these attributes. Competency

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As a new divisional leader, how do you quickly uncover and leverage knowledge, experience, and specific expertise across the different parts of your organization in an effort to not only retain your best customers, but also to expand your mind share and wallet share within each of your most profitable client companies?

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Watching 26-year-old Dustin Johnson recently blow his three-round lead at the 110th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Califo ia reminded me of others we’ve seen squander away amazing opportunities.

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Something that is often undervalued, undermined, and certainly underdeveloped in any organization is the post-sale part of the revenue generation engine. Many struggle to automatically throw a customer, which they have worked so hard to acquire, over the wall to a customer service department.

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Many technical professionals are often horrible at selling themselves. Many accountants, atto eys, consultants, and engineers don’t think of themselves as salespeople – and they don’t want to! Although their academic and educational foundation and their professional development includes valuable assets to their business, it seldom includes the notion of strategic relationships and business development best practices.

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What business are you in? What business should you be in? Although simple in their inquisitive nature, it is amazing just how complex these two questions can be. What business you are in should answer, from a historical perspective, where you have been most successful, where you have produced the most professional products and services, and where your team’s core competencies and expertise lie. Beyond those internal factors, the business you are in considers what the market has paid for and the value you have brought to the table.

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What is your impression of networking? To many, it’s an insincere trade of favors or, at best, an elegant way of using people to get what you want. I actually asked this question of a group of PhD students at a Top 5 engineering school and one student near the front asked, “You mean, with other people?”

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When you consider that many of us spend more time with our co-workers than with our own family members, there is certainly a need to recognize those relationships, what they mean to us, and how to find joy in them on a daily basis. They do their best (most of the time) to interact with us so that our job is made easier. It’s easy to take them for granted and to give in to workplace competition that can influence our filters and take away from the spontaneity that comes from the joy of the moment.

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Optimism in the workplace involves not only expecting positive outcomes but also explaining them in a manner logical with such outcomes. Leading others with optimism means dealing with the chaos of uncertainty by formulating a successful expectation regardless of the uncertainty. Life is full of uncertainty and that’s as true of the workplace as it is of any aspect of life. Optimistic leaders have a strong perceived sense of self-efficacy; they believe in their teams as well.

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When I was just starting out in my career some years ago, after an all-day training program for professional speakers, I approached the main presenter to give her some feedback and advice on her speaking style – constructive criticism that I thought would help her for her next presentation. I waited for a few others to end their after-talk chatting and then approached her. But instead of waiting for the perfect moment after a connection had been established, I started right in with my feedback.

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In talking with several companies lately, the conversation has centered on the need for a social media policy. Whether you work for a progressive organization or a conservative, risk-adverse one, it seems that everyone has an opinion on the best approach. Here are some prevailing camps:

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In dealing with our business relationships, how do we react when things don’t go as we expected? For example, if Paul had applied for a promotion and then found out that he didn’t get it, his negative reaction would probably be anger at his boss, sadness at the disappointment, and anxiety about his career arc.

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You can learn a lot by trying to read someone’s face or body language. It is clear that women can do it better when they are motivated. Women seem to gaze at others more than men do, enabling them to read faces better. But they seem to do so only when motivated. When married men and women are both instructed to pay explicit attention to facial behavior, the difference between the sexes begins to vanish. Ultimately, motivation plays a key role in this skill, almost overriding the differences in males and females.

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When you establish business relationships, do you recognize the power of influence? An example of how we influence or persuade others and negotiate with one another can be found in financial transactions. At the Center for the Study of the Brain, Mind, and Behavior at Princeton University, Dr. Jonathan Cohen and his colleagues study game theory – more specifically, ultimate games. In one research case, two players are involved, one giving the other an ultimatum.

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Is there a probable gender bias in relationship building? It’s often said that women are better listeners than men. Are men who are comfortable with the Awareness Factor also more comfortable with their “feminine” side, such as intuition and emotional sensitivity? Are women effective in business more in touch with their “masculine” side, such as logic and objectivity?

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What’s so special about the privilege of staying at home and telecommuting? Truth is there may be a problem there. There is a deep, pervasive need to connect with others on a daily basis. Working at home may be convenient in terms of comfort and flexibility, but it doesn’t do much for feeling connected with others in the flesh. There’s something about the structure of traveling to a place where there are others to share a workspace, and interact on a social basis, that is highly meaningful. That awareness in itself gives you a leg up on making your work more meaningful and enjoyable.

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Social intelligence, with its focus on the research of neuroscience and human interaction, is primarily focused on social awareness through listening and empathy, as well as success in social relationships, including influencing others through appropriate self-presentation. Social intelligence has proven a human characteristic that is distinct from general intelligence, though there is certainly a degree of overlap between the two.

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Overall, there seems to be a shift in the corporate mind-set-from status-oriented, hard-driven, personality-cult, top-down leadership to more relationship-oriented, collaborative, communication-based types.

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In addition to such victims of “industry dissonance” as the late Enron founder Kenneth Lay and CEO Jeffrey Skilling, there seems to be a movement, possibly due to the dramatic economic shifts occurring at the start of the century, in which the status-loving, jet-setting, deal-making celebrities of the 1990s are being replaced by awareness-sensitive leaders who are more performance oriented and less egocentric.

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The courage that JFK displayed in facing down the Cuban missile crisis, that Churchill showed in fostering Britons’ courage to show a stiff upper lip in the face of Nazi bombing, that any leader musters when he or she reaches out for the right decision and the rest of the organization subsequently breathes a sigh of relief – this action is brought about by the courage to recognize the prevailing sense of what truly is, beyond ego-bound attempts to confuse the issue.

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Within each organization is a core group that is primarily responsible for the success of that organization. That core group might be a working team, an executive committee, or a board of directors. Or it could be an unofficial grouping of people from all three categories, usually consisting of no more than a dozen individuals. In this case, the application of ConnectAbility can be modified to take into account the dynamics of this core group.

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Do you ever wonder what you really have to offer the workplace? What knowledge, talents, and skills do you possess that may possibly benefit others? You see, others will recognize whatever is placed before them in an inviting proposition. It’s usually not that others fail to recognize what you have to offer, it’s-you guessed it-yourself! Awareness starts at home, with the best measure of what special contribution you make essentially because of your unique person.

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Laughter and smiles are often signs of relaxed comfort, quite the opposite of hierarchal power imposed on the organizational structure, where scowls are more common than smiles. In such status-based organizations, power is assigned according to rank, and there is little wiggle room for the free expression of inner resources on the part of “lower-ranking” subordinates. Here status reigns supreme, not open awareness.

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There are a number of components we must keep in mind when it comes building and nurturing our strategic relationships. The following seven areas will help you build these key relationships: • Relationships are assets. In any business setting, relationships are assets. As such, they can be created, managed, nurtured, measured, and even discontinued, intentionally and consciously.

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Business is made up of interpersonal communication, whether in person, by phone, over the Internet, or via whatever new electronic instrument that outperforms yesterday’s darling device. The most revealing communication, because it reveals so much more in terms of nonverbal information, takes place in person.

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Success and fulfillment come from finding the “flow” of your work, having a best friend in the office, and connecting with others. If you’re the boss, being in touch with your staff members’ conce s, authentically felt, will make your team more successful. Otherwise, success means finding the resources available for support. Ultimately, it means basic understanding of and conce for others. In other words, show me the people, not the money.

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Success and fulfillment arrive from finding the “flow” of your work, having a best friend in the office, and in developing strong partnerships with your colleagues and customers. Allow yourself to feel secure enough in your own power as an individual to share it with others who contribute in a meaningful fashion. As a result, you’ll significantly enhance your power through the respect others gain for you after witnessing such inner confidence.

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As Dr. Richard Boyatzis, psychology professor at Case Western Reserve University, and his colleagues have pointed out, leadership in the workplace is ultimately a matter of personal skills that have to do with self-awareness-realizing the difference between your ideal self and your real self, and then bridging the gap through step-by-step learning.

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Relationships without a desired outcome can come across as meaningless and superficial. A relationship with no Desired Outcome is not a relationship at all. It is merely a momentary, superficial exchange between or among people. Add a Desired Outcome, such as a business agreement or even a mutual desire for friendship, and suddenly the expectations of and requirements for both parties reach a much higher level.

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Given all the models for effective approaches to successful business communication to date, what in fact holds water? In other words, what's the foundation of the concepts that really work-over time and over the countless challenges of communicating effectively with associates, prospects, customers, and so forth? Clearly, many models do have substantial benefit. Otherwise, they wouldn't have lasted as long as they have. But, many have wondered, what is the common theme running through these successful approaches?

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ConnectAbility is an understanding of the relationship among desired outcomes, roles and expectations, and personal differences while communicating with awareness of the ultimate effect on the listener. It is much more than mere "people skills" and paying attention.

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When people say that networking doesn’t work, they usually cite as confirmation the fact that they have invested in others in the past without any return from the other side. When I inquire specifically, How did you arm them with the appropriate context to introduce or recommend you? The answer is often a blank stare.

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In our experience, the following key factors profoundly influence the results of many venture capital investments: - Selection and on-boarding of high quality, high-performance-minded entrepreneurs - Attracting and retaining the right professional managers at the right time in the emerging growth company’s life cycle - Quality, speed, and convenience of high value interactions If you agree, then LinkedIn may be a solid approach to each of these attributes. Here’s how:

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One of the best approaches to spreading a viral change campaign is to court key influencers. But recent research also conforms that the influenced may be as critical as the influencers. A recent study found that trying to track down key influencers – people who have extremely large social networks – can in some ways limit a campaign and its viral potential. Change agents instead need to realize that the majority of their audience, not just the well-connected few, is eager and willing to pass along well-designed and relevant messages.

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Over the years, I’ve been blessed with a great lifestyle from and around the technology field. From ComputerLand in the 1980s to Silicon Graphics in the 1990s and SaaS (Software as a Service) applications since 2000, I’ve seen the remarkable development of a whole host of information technology advances. They were all introduced with the intent and idea of helping us share not just information, but insights, and as a way to collaborate around global best practices and optimize the manner in which we get things done.

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Each time you turn around there is yet another technology that grabs everyone’s attention. It is simply too soon to measure the quantifiable impact of many Web 2.0 technologies in the market today. But sifting through all of it there are some very real treasures that can improve business. Client executives are documenting, however, enhanced customer service response rates, frequency, and quality of information and knowledge flow between internal teams, and a more positive supervision of the company’s reputation by the product marketing and brand management teams.

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Why do you think most New Year resolutions don’t stick? In one of my keynotes, someone suggested that it is because you are drunk when you make them. Beyond that theory, would you agree that they often include no responsibility, practical expectations, or organized plan? It has been said, “Teach and everyone will learn. Manage and no one will learn.” One hundred days is simply too short a timeframe to correct any mistakes. As such, it is critical to start with three to five realistic goals with high impact potentials rather than try to hit an immediate home run.

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Some of my favorite networking functions are early morning breakfast briefings. I am an early bird and most attendees have yet to face the minutia of the day, so they are likely to attend for the two critical factors: content and community.

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As highlighted by Larry Bossidy in his book Execution, when people, processes, and tools converge with a mindset to execute, you realize Return on Impact. Those who can without fail deliver performance, implementation, and results – despite macro- or microeconomic conditions, setbacks, roadblocks, and challenges – develop a reputation and quantifiable return on any investment made for their ability to perform.

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Typically, our view of leadership development encompasses the escalation of current high performers into an environment where they can develop a broader set of competencies and capabilities. In many organizations, the senior leaders aim to manage the perception of the issues, form coalitions, and use relationships to influence change in the organization. Without “relationships and influence,” they are without arrows in their managerial quiver.

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Several years ago, one of our professional service clients decided that it needed an organizational overhaul. Management of best practices and competent and successful cooperation across service lines were dreary at best. Critical team members who needed to be at the edge of the business engaging current and prospective customers were anything but engaged.

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Here is an outline for an annualized strategic relationship plan for partners of a professional services firm. Such a plan should be reviewed monthly for success of execution milestones and quarterly for strategic viability. You should also identify an accountable peer and proactively correspond with them about your progress. Develop a personal board of advisors to serve as a sort of air traffic control for some of the more challenging strategic relationship discussions. Part 1: Looking Back – A Historical Perspective

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A component that is critical to driving everything from process optimization to altering the mindset of the people whom the change will surely affect is the team of employees chartered to help the organization navigate through this often challenging journey. These change agents are leaders in their organizations, free of hierarchical bondage, and are often able to move across a multitude of departments, business units, and divisions in search of simpler processes.

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At some point, three percent organic growth, although perhaps respectable in your industry, will become less than attractive for the organization. As such, the senior leaders or the board may recommend a more aggressive, inorganic growth strategy that encompasses a strong spring of deal flow, pre-acquisition, due diligence, and post-acquisition integration, typically driven by the project management office.

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There is only so much time in the day. That is why it is critical that you take the time to prioritize which relationships you will invest in. The following is one method you can use to prioritize your relationships. Twice a year, print out your entire contact database (from your Outlook, Act, Palm, Blackberry, and so forth). Go through each individual contact and ask yourself the following questions: - When did I last speak to or see him? - Is she still at the same company, location, and function?

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Pivotal Contacts are thought leaders among their peers. They have developed deep subject matter expertise, have proven themselves in situations requiring a balanced approach between strategic vision and tactical execution, or simply have access to influential relationships. They are commonly referred to as movers and shakers in a given role, company, vertical industry, or city. They are all rising stars and key influencers, and often lead the most critical projects within any company.

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A multitude of surveys done in the late 1960s showed that 70 percent of U.S. residents felt that corporations could generally be trusted to act responsibly. Even after the economic boom of the past two decades, this figure has fallen to around 45 percent. Particularly, because of times of crisis for the business community and the demise of candor and trust, improvement in accepted practices and relationships among auditors, analysts, executives, and a multitude of stakeholders becomes difficult to visualize.

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Leadership is one of the biggest challenges managers face. How to be an effective leader, that effectively motivates staff to get their jobs done and with the quality of an owner. One way to look at leadership is situational. In this model we tailor our behavior as leaders to the employee. For ...

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Generating new leads is a focus of most business owners. But do you ever stop to evaluate where your leads are coming from and how your lead generation methods are working? It is important to have systems in place to track new leads and evaluate each lead strategy. There are a couple of ways that you can do this. 1. Website – If you have a website then it should be one of your lead generation strategies. You want to have your subscription form on your site for your newsletter or email list. If you don’t, you will not be able to keep in touch with folks that visit your site.

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Having a web presence is an essential component of business. People expect to be able to check you out via your website. It becomes your online resume and credential builder. There are many options for websites available today. You can easily build your own or you can contract with a web designer to build one for you. It depends totally you’re your style and goals. I have done both and ended up managing my own sites. I find it easier in many ways because I can do the updates and corrections when I need them and I don’t have to wait for others.

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You are ready to start your cold calls, your anxiety goes up, you can feel it throughout your body, and yet you have decided YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT! Let’s define what exactly a cold call is. A cold call is you, personally, calling or visiting a person that you do not know at all or you know only slightly. The primary purpose of the call is that you are selling something either personally or for your business. Cold calls can be made to people that you know, prospects or people that you have met. Your prior knowledge of the person only breaks the ice for a mere moment.

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The Inte et has become a vital component of any business marketing plan. Even if you are a local based business and feel that your business is solely on word of mouth, a website and overall web presence is needed. People (clients and prospects) use the Inte et to vet their service and product providers. They will go to the Inte et to learn more about you and your business. You therefore want to create a site that will give you credibility and demonstrate your expertise in your field of practice. On the web you will see different types of websites.

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The Inte et has become a vital component of any business marketing plan. Even if you are a locally based business and is solely word of mouth: a website and overall web presence is needed. People (your clients and prospects) use the Inte et to vet their service and product providers. They will go to the Inte et to learn more about you and your business. Demonstrate your expertise with a site that will give you credibility. There are different types of websites depending upon your goals.

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There are many ways that entrepreneurs and small business owners can generate new leads for their business. But it is vital, that it be a consistent and constant activity. You need that type of flow of new leads coming to you. If you decide that you have enough business and stop your lead generating activities you run the risk of going out of business, should your current clients leave. It is also vital to know where your leads did come from so that you can track which lead generating activities are working for you and which ones are not.

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No matter what your business is you should be building a list of contacts and prospects. Entrepreneurs and small business owners need to be as diligent at this as Inte et Marketers are. What Inte et Marketers have demonstrated time and again is that a list of prospects and contacts CAN build great business success. A list in essence is a business’ “bread and butter”. The list is what become your valued customers and clients. Whether you are a “brick and mortar” business or an online business, you need to building a list.

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You know that Search Engine Optimization is one of the essential things you have to do if you want a website that works for you and your company. Part of the process for entrepreneurs is to use the right keywords to attract your target market to you website. It’s not only keywords but also phrases that can bring you even more traffic. Websites are generally should include your top keywords in the content, headlines to assist with your search engine optimization. You do need to register your website with the search engines. This can be accomplished in a short amount of time.

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Are you working in your power? Creating a powerful work place that is focused and intent on success is one of the biggest challenges business owners face. What is a powerful workplace? Powerful workplaces are focused, strategic, and intentional. Owners and staff are action oriented in ways ...

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Business is all about relationships. They are at the heart of marketing as well. Strategically using relationship marketing is about building strong, long term relationships with your current clients and companies. By having this type of focus you are increasing your business but not solely by seeking new clients or customers. Relationship marketing improves your existing relationships. You assess the needs of individual customers and meet those needs, in fact –over-deliver.

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Strategic planning and strategic leadership styles vary just as the employees and owners of companies involved in the planning process differ. Visit local bookstores or check on line to see hundreds of books claiming to have the secrets to a successful business and easy strategic planning. ...

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Strategic planning only helps organizations when they are kept active and implemented. The strategic plan defines the business direction. That direction is based on the future, the vision of the company. Before an effective strategic plan can be developed a clear and compelling vision is ...

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A clear and compelling vision that inspires, drawing you into the future… like a magnet Why do we need a vision for our organization?

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Having an inte et presence is essential in this business environment. As a business owner, you must have a web presence. But when you are developing that web presence you have many decisions to make. Here are some of the things you need to consider: • What is the goal of my website: Is it to make money?; Is it to create an online brochure?; Do I want it to be interactive? • How much control do I want of my site? Do I want to pay someone to update the site regularly? Do I have regular content to update? Do I have the resources to update my site?

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Your email box is inundated and yet you wonder if email marketing can work for you. Email marketing remains an effective means of staying in touch with your clients and prospects. And at the same time you have to be smart about it. Email marketing requires some tools. First you need to use a smart auto-responder program. These are typically third party subscription programs that give you the ability to send emails to people via their service. The reason for using a third party program is that they help you to keep the doors open or your email delivered to various ISPs.

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Business success is built on a strong foundation and help up by four strong pillars. Just like any good structure, each of these is built strong and each is essential to the overall structure. The four pillars of business success include:rn--Pillar #1: Vision, Strategy & Implementation --Pillar #2: Marketing --Pillar #3: Operations --Pillar #4: Products and Services: Creating Multiple Streams of Income All on a FOUNDATION of Life Balance/ Life Health Let’s take a moment to look at each of these a bit more closely.

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Remember when families and couples survived on one income. Back in the 50’s and 60’s it was typical for there to be only one income. Today many are struggling with two incomes. Inflation and severe economic factors are challenging families to just survive, not even thrive. If this trend ...

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The video released by ESPN displaying the behavior of the Rutgers University basketball coach demonstrate a total failure of the University Athletic Director and University Leadership to protect students from bullying on the part of staff. Bullying goes beyond student to student interactions. When students are bullied by teachers, coaches or leaders, action must be clear and strong. The University leadership failed in several aspects.

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The Bully in the Manager's Office Bullies don't just exist on the playground. They also sit in the manager's chair or the CEO's office. Bully leadership is sharp, authoritative, angry, and feels uncomfortable to those in contact with it. Bully leaders believe that they are rallying the troops, getting everyone on board. But that is not what happens. The bully leader barks out orders, threatens consequences and uses strong, harsh statements to motivate people to do what the leader wants.

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Success is a personal jou ey. It looks different for each person. It is more than money, professional titles, or higher education degrees. Planning a life of success is about mapping out the aspects of your life. It is a holistic approach to success that includes mind, body and spirit. (even ...

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Web 2.0 is the buzz on the Inte et, not some new software for your computer. But some are still mystified as to what Web 2.0 really is – as was I for quite some time. Now, I find it a fascinating exploration and jou ey to meeting and connecting with new people every day. If you are ...

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