How do we start creating a culture of accountability around all initiatives?
The most important issue for any planning and execution system for the digital executive is accountability. Without accountability, not much …
Category Archives: People
Now is the time for members of the C-Suite to get active, develop your “social voice” and begin connecting
There is a fast growing perception that your nonprofit’s CEO and C-suite leaders will be active on social media. The media …
A central question to answer as a digital executive is “Is my company ready to be disrupted?”
A central question to answer as a digital executive is “Is my company ready to be disrupted?” Critical to this …
How can the five why’s help find the root cause?
Eric Ries, entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Business School, explains how to find the human causes of technical problems. He suggest using …
Are we working too much?
Are we working too much? What happened to the 40 hour work week? Do you dream for TGIT — Thank …
5 questions to ask to break the “too busy” cycle holding you back from moving to the next level.
We all are busy. The whirlwind never stops some days. And then the emergency strikes. Yee gads. It may take …
CIOs as “Chief Influence Officer”
As leaders, we all have a significant role in influencing the strategy and direction of the business. Culture change doesn’t …
“If a business has to be told that it needs more focus, accountability and decisiveness, there is a bigger problem at hand.” ~Brad Garlinghouse
We all need to focus. We know we are spread too thin. We need to courage to face this important …
Most customer systems are designed to focus on the needs of the company and not the customer
Most customer systems are designed to focus on the needs of the company and not the customer. Successful organizations see …
11 tips to help you get the raise you deserve
If you want to set yourself up for financial prosperity, knowing how to properly and professionally ask for a raise …
Are you trying to build hero products?
I am a big fan of the work that Constellation Research does. We have lots of lists that writers develop …
Do we have the best people we can get who love customers?
The move to create a digital business that is obsessed with customers requires talent. We all need the best people …
Do engaged employees, who work with customers, know what kind of things that need to be done to improve the customer experience?
Engaged employees create a culture where customers are highly engaged. Study after study demonstrates it. Engaged employees, who work with …
How is dumbsizing born? The challenge of low unemployment!
Robert Cacace is founder of RobertC Consulting. They provide strategic direction to companies struggling with the intricacies of merging business …
How do leaders help people understand complex situations by describing things in simple terms?
Bruce Temkin at Customer Experience Matters has done a masterful survey on what distinguishes purposeful leaders. Purposeful leadership is key to …
How do we go about creating and empowering a mobile workforce?
Mike Capone is CIO SVP at Qlik. He serves as General Manager of an International HR/Payroll Outsourcing Business Previous – …
The digital business and anywhere workers — recognizing the value of sourcing quality workers from anywhere
Part of becoming a digital business is a willingness to encourage employees to be more digital. One aspect of that …
What about some fresh eyes looking at things?
Things in every company, to some extent, get on auto pilot. There isn’t anything wrong with that. It just happens. …
“Paychecks can’t buy passion.” ~Brad Federman
It makes a difference if you love your career, your work, your job and your customers. Passion is characteristic of …
“75% of senior executives believe their organization has a culture of innovation, but only 37% of employees feel the same.” ~Brian Solis
Is there is a disconnect in what members of the C-Suite believe and what employees believe? Is it a question …
Digital business change and the customer experience
You are going to have a lot of digital change initiatives and projects going as you accelerate the pace of …
The journey to a digital business and the scary issue of change
You are becoming a digital business. You are on a journey. One thing is clear. It is very clear. Many …
What is the role of the CEO when it comes to building a digital business and the change required to get there?
What is the role of the CEO when it comes to building a digital business and the change required to …
The “We’ve tried that before” conundrum
I know I’ve said it. I know I am not the only one. I am embarrassed by it. We’ve tried …
“It’s essential that we differentiate between things that remind us of fear and those that are actually risky.” ~Seth Godin
Great insight from Seth Godin. Source: Do-ability | Seth’s Blog When we were in fifth grade, our options were severely limited. …
“Throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.” ~Dale Carnegie
Being happy at work is important. We know the value of employee engagement. Do we have a mission employees can …
Are you Born to Build?
Jim Clifton, CEO of the polling firm Gallup, laments the resources the U.S. devotes to identifying and training elite football …
Intel is under investigation for age discrimination
The disclosure that Intel is under investigation for age discrimination highlights what many see as an unspoken truism of the tech industry: …
“When your timeline is an hour or a day, it’s easy to get in the tactical groove.” ~Seth Godin
This is spot on. Goals drive strategy. Strategy drives tactics. Scrums (daily execution) must be connected otherwise they are useless.
The coming conflict between millennials and boomers
This is a very curious trend with disturbing implications. As a boomer, I’ve had a sense about this issue but …
What does a digital business and its evolution look like for you?
Thinking and planning through the evolution of your digital business requires some holistic and strategic thinking. It is a core …
What is LaaS (Leadership as a Service) all about?
The chaos and intrusion caused by traditional consulting firms often makes things worse long before they get better. More importantly, …
“Everything is both simpler than we can imagine, and more complicated that we can conceive.” ~Goethe
Simplicity it the key. We live in a complex world but to be able to translate that complex simply is …
The elephant in the room is making a mess
There is an elephant in the room. It has been there for a while and everyone knows it. It doesn’t …
“…you have to want to be engaged. If the desire isn’t there, no person or book can plant it within you.” –Tim Clark
Many years ago (published in 1970)) I read a book “You Really Oughta Wanna” by by Robert F. Mager and Peter Pipe. In short, …
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” ~Steve Jobs
Getting our people strategy right is a huge challenge. All leaders know it and struggle. If only we were better …
“Some companies don’t have an engagement problem, they have a hiring problem.” –Bob Kelleher
I am a big fan of measuring and improving employee engagement. I have been for decades now. I see what …
Does the customer experience matter? Does it correlate to loyalty?
Once again, Temkin Group is publishing a new infographic that is very helpful. Some tidbits: The customer experience does relate …
“Engaged employees are in the game for the sake of the game; they believe in the cause of the organization.” –Paul Marciano, Ph.D.
Do you believe employee engagement is important? Does it play a role in the top or bottom lines? Employee engagement …
Am I more powerful than I think?
And so … Seth’s wisdom is always helpful. “You are more powerful than you think It’s bigger than you Leaders …
Employees will provide an amazing customer experience. What should I focus on today?
When it comes to the customer experience, it is important to think through very carefully what will employees actually do. …
“Shun the non-believers and sell to people who want to go on a journey with you.” ~Seth Godin
Will everyone but what I am selling? There is a huge percentage of the market place that doesn’t buy what …
Employees are more engaged when you ask for their feedback and act upon what they say.
There are a couple of things that really create un-engaged employees. The first one isn’t that difficult to do. That …
Brian Solis on Innovation and Perspective
Brian Solis takes a break from his X book tour to share his thoughts on innovation and why we need …
Is your Sales Process Still Out of Step with the Buyer’s Journey?
With this wealth of online information at their disposal, buyers have the opportunity to research vendors and solutions long before …
“You’ll attract the employees you need if you can explain why your mission is compelling.” ~Peter Thiel
Why? That is the big question to answer and then shout it at the top of our lungs to everyone. …
“You manage things; you lead people.” ~Rear Admiral Grace Hopper
Transformation is all about the people. The people who lead and the people who have to implement the change. As …
What is really important around here?
Senior management gets behind lots of things. There are plenty of culture change initiatives. Some of them are real. A …
We fired all the troublemakers six months ago … around the time this company generated its last original idea.
Can I tolerate dissent of opinion? Who generates the most innovative ideas? Do I have enough people like that at …
“Highly engaged employees make the customer experience. Disengaged employees break it.” ~Timothy R. Clark
Do I believe that highly engaged employees make a difference in the customer experience? There is plenty of evidence and …
Digital Business