Remember when Bambi was born and Thumper was jumping around yelling, “It’s happened! It’s happened! The new prince is born!”? Well, that pretty much describes the way I’ve been feeling the last few days and I’m really excited to share my news. No fawn, unfortunately, more like a dawn! My newest book, The Clarity Papers, has arrived! Furthermore, the Kindle version will be available for free tomorrow, January 24th, through Friday this week. I’ll post a reminder tomorrow morning with the link so you don’t forget. What’s The Clarity Papers about?
Turtlenecks are making a comeback. It took their comeback to make me realize they had pretty much disappeared! Not counting the ones I continued to wear, of course. I just don’t notice these things. It’s good that my business doesn’t depend on my attention to high fashion! But it is a huge problem when you are oblivious to factors that matter to your success. I encountered several retailers this holiday season who fit that description. They don’t seem to have noticed that:
As online shopping has taken over, so have the porch pirates. The losses and inconvenience are adding up. Amazon wants to rectify the situation by gaining access to your home instead of leaving packages on your porch. Nice try, Amazon. But why would I pay you big bucks to let you into my house when no one is home, especially when some of your drivers have proven to be among the pirates?
There are five population areas around the world where people live longer than the average US citizen by almost 25 years. They don’t just live long, they live well, remaining vibrant and healthy as they age. They are called Blue Zones and researchers study them to find commonalities.
It was a sleigh ride I won’t soon forget. From the North Pole to the heart of New York City, it was beautiful and exciting. We swooped into the city, darting between buildings, swinging left and then right, sweeping past landmarks, before alighting in front of the Radio City Music Hall and rushing into the Christmas Spectacular right behind Santa! We watched with joy as Santa proved he could be at the North Pole, on the street corner, and in every shopping mall all at once. Dancing Santas appeared on the balconies, filled the stage, waltzed down the aisles, and marched across the walls and ceilings. The magic and beauty were dazzling. Six thousand visitors left with visions of sugar plums dancing across their smiling faces.
For the average person, the act of planning involves creating a list of action items. If you’ve been around the block a few times, you are wise enough to want names and dates connected to each of those action items. With a good solid list in hand, you probably feel ready to plunge ahead. What if I told you that creating that list of action items isn’t the first step of planning, but the third? If you started that way, you skipped two important steps. And what if I told you that plunging ahead once you’ve completed that plan means you’ve skipped the fourth step as well?
Just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come. You need to give customers clear reasons to part with their money and to do so with you. The clearer you are about what constitutes your competitive advantage, the easier it is to focus your efforts and investments, market your products, and convince your customers. Don’t fall into the trap of believing all anyone cares about is money. Here are 10 perfectly good reasons why your products and services could be chosen over those of other companies.
A good strategic framework provides focus by limiting the number of directions the organization runs. You’d be foolish to try to extend all your products while simultaneously expanding all your markets while also ramping up capacity or shifting your business model to include new types of production, sourcing, sales, delivery, and partnerships. This isn’t just an issue of capacity. It is also an issue of risk, learning, complexity, and credibility.
I have a new addiction. It started in August. It’s called pickleball. Have you heard of it? It’s the fastest growing sport in the country. And for good reason!
The biggest problem with the way organizations think about strategy is they confuse strategy with plans. They aren’t the same thing. Strategic planning is an oxymoron. It is also the reason why strategic planning often misses the mark and why I always work extra closely with prospective clients to clarify expectations before I even agree to work with them. Let’s start with a definition