This morning I had a list of four sizable items to accomplish. I knew it was an ambitious plan, but I tackled the day with confidence. I was determined to be a single-minded machine of efficiency, slaying tasks with unparalleled gusto. I started early, but it didn’t matter. As I write, it’s mid-afternoon and not […]
The journalist W. James “Jim” Antle III was pressed up against a deadline on a story. He had been working with the material long enough that he doubted he could look at it with fresh eyes any longer. So he sent what he had up the editorial chain with a note. The note said that […]
Legendary jazz composer Duke Ellington once said, “I don’t need time. I need a deadline.” If that was true for Sir Duke, it is also true for you. When you have set deadlines, you are more likely to stay on task, make the most of your time, and achieve success in every facet of your […]
Nobody likes deadlines, but they’re vital for keeping projects, new products, and major deliverables on track. Too often, major initiatives get bogged down by the weight of daily work, email, and meetings. Over the years, we’ve honed our ability to deliver big results on a tight timeline. In this episode, we’ll share three foolproof actions […]
Will this idea that you are considering lead to a product that sells? This is the hardest question you and your colleagues will ask yourselves every day. There isn’t always an easy answer. Certainly you can easily dismiss the most outlandish product concepts, say a restaurant chain selling freshly-prepared pizza that people then take and […]
New products are the lifeblood of a company. But product creation can be overwhelming for many business owners. Based on years of experience launching successful products, we share the five-step formula that will take you from drawing board to marketplace in no time.
I wouldn’t have wanted to be in Nintendo’s board meeting when they looked at the number of consoles Sony and Microsoft sold compared to the number of Nintendo Gamecubes sold. Sony alone sold over seven times more PlayStation 2s than Nintendo sold Gamecubes. The Xbox was a brand spanking new console and sold a few […]
It might seem strange that an iconic concert venue is offering a sneak peek at musicians rehearsing for upcoming shows. “As a valued corporate supporter of Carnegie Hall, your organization’s employees have the unique opportunity to observe the artistic process of a world-class orchestra as it prepares for a Carnegie Hall concert,” notes the famed […]
If you want to achieve your quarterly sales quotas, slash expenses, or reach some other important benchmark, it’s import to remember your why—why you started your company, why you spent long days and longer nights helping it grow, and why achieving greater impact is critical. But unlike personal goals that are often chased in isolation, […]
“Tell me about a time you worked with a team.” It is a common interview question, one many of us have heard before. If you’re like me, a flood of past teams comes cascading into your brain, some good and others not so good. There is the team where you had to the do all […]
As leaders, we know that real growth happens only when people go beyond simply putting in time and bring their best energy to work. The problem is that team members sometimes see their job as nothing but a paycheck. In this episode, we’ll show you how to get the best effort from your people by […]
Historically, the office wasn’t a place Americans strove to participate in endeavors larger than themselves. Go to the office to earn a living, the thinking went. Leave horizon-broadening for church and volunteer activities – or maybe a gardening club if you’re into that sort of thing. It need not be that way. With the right […]
