Build a great company on a powerful foundation!
LAST WEEK I talked about marketing to your customers, versus actually delivering what you promise.
It turns out that this is even more critical for your employee base.
If you screw up with a customer, you can convince yourself that there’s plenty more where they came from.
COMPANIES SPEND AN INCREDIBLE amount on their marketing image. But how often do you really see a brand message that well represents what that business actually delivers?
We’re really much more interested in how they behave than how they advertise.
I had a wonderful discussion this week with a group of Christian businesspeople, and we had a chance to explore this topic.
JOHN MORRIS HAS AN AMAZING STORY.
After a devastating snowboarding accident in 2005, John went through all kinds of turmoil. He’ll be incapacitated for the rest of his life.
But that propels him into making an amazing contribution to the disabled community. Read the rest of this entry »
WHAT YOU’RE DOING IS WEIRD.
OK, so you’re in an ordinary industry. Delivering a product that’s great but not exactly … weird.
What I mean is that your values-based business is highly unusual and you’re getting all kinds of “advice” that you should be more ordinary. Color inside the lines. Even become a non-profit, if you’re trying to make the world a better place.
THIS WEEKEND IS the celebration of Independence Day in the US. A patriotic, celebratory, but thoughtful time.
When I was a kid, I got the impression that our country was created in the late 18th century and has been running on automatic ever since.
Boy, was I wrong!
“IF YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO, you’ll never work a day in your life.” This quote has been attributed to a variety of people, so I’m not going to pick just one.
It has a strong foundation of truth in it. I do indeed love my work, and it’s totally changed my outlook on my career, indeed, the rest of my life.
But I don’t love it all the time.
And I don’t love every part of it. There’s grunge work and boring parts and annoyances.
Source: Alexandre Normand
Amazing things are happening in 2015. And not just here locally, but across the industry in this country and others.
It’s a good thing, because I believe that the natural order of things goes through cycles. And the past 5 years have been more of a down-cycle than up.
THIS WEEK I had the opportunity to attend a presentation hosted by the just-now-forming Conscious Capitalism Colorado Chapter. The speaker was Martin Bjergegaard, co-author of the new book Winning Without Losing.
What a great and inspiring hour! I immediately bought the book.
Martin’s message is the same as how he’s built his businesses: By focusing on quality of life, quality of leadership, and leveraging his considerable passion.
WE’RE ALL SEEKING APPROVAL.
I’m convinced that deep down inside, and as social beings we want recognition from those we most care about.
Somewhere in there, we want Mommy to be proud of that artwork on the refrigerator. We want to get a gold star sticker for accomplishment.
Source jean hambourg, no modifications
THIS WEEK I’VE BEEN PONDERING the concept of delivering outrageous value for my clients. This isn’t unique to coaches, of course – it’s something which can make any business stand out from the crowd.
For instance, I was speaking with the owner of an engineering product/services company. That’s a bit dear to my heart, actually, since I started my career that way.
This company has great products, of course – highly technical, as you’d expect. But that doesn’t really say much about the nature of the company. Read the rest of this entry »
The Values-Based Business 