Tis the season to shop! Are you a deal hunter or do you buy it regardless of cost? Do you read the reviews or ask your friends for recommendations? I’m fascinated by the psychology of sales and what it means for leading change. Consider these tactics that marketers have been...
To go forward, often we go back
I had a problem. I wanted to build a surround sound setup for movies. My front speakers were really good, but 20 years old, and I needed rear speakers of the same type. Aficionados will tell you that you can’t just mix speaker brands!Facebook Marketplace solved the problem. I found...
Why Your Employees Won’t Change
Gallup released the results of its latest “State of the Global Workplace” report, aggregating feedback from thousands of workers around the world. They found that 60% of employees are emotionally detached at work and 19% are just plain miserable. Gartner reports that 89% of salespeople say they are burned out. This could...
How Inflation Saps Change Capacity
Assessing the impact of change focuses on what people must do differently on the job to adapt. Seasoned practitioners look broadly at what else is competing for the attention of people within the company. Is it quarter end? Is one part of the organization restructuring? Is there a new technology being...
Do you throw good money after bad?
When I run strategy workshops I often open with a quote from Roger L. Martin: “True strategy is about placing bets and making hard choices.” Good strategy includes gambles because we cannot predict the future with absolute certainty. Sometimes we will get it wrong. We make the wrong decisions. Shopify’s CEO...
Change? You Go First
I’m sitting on a train in Toronto waiting for departure…and waiting..and waiting. Finally, a voice crackles through the speakers. “This train is out of service.” A few people grabbed their bags and suddenly everyone was following them off the train. Everyone except the person I had been sitting beside. I...
A Spooky Graveyard of Projects?
"Here lies Project WILL-E ... Rest in Peace never to rise again, please!""Project Eagle ... It never landed, or took off, really" Taphophiles are tombstone tourists. They visit cemeteries. Lots of them. An annual visit on Halloween doesn’t count.Sounds morose, doesn’t it? But they’re not there to hunt ghosts or...
The Right Meeting Attitude
Does your team look forward to your meetings? Do you typically end early or run overtime? Do they leave energized or exhausted?When I coach executives, I always begin by asking what motivates and demotivates them. One of the most common demotivators is crappy meetings. Of course, it’s not the meetings...
This Message Will Self-Destruct
You have thirty seconds to deliver your pitch. Are you ready? If I had to pick a single domain where I've shifted my perspective dramatically over the past ten years, it's the use of time. I can't count the number of projects where I needed to deliver an important message...
Your Services Are No Longer Required
Previously I encouraged you to get naked with your team. It’s only fair that I lead by example... “Jeff, we’ve chosen to terminate your contract. You're finished as of now.” Yes, it's even happened to me. As leaders, we are hired to make change happen in the best way we can,...
