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The traditional wisdom is that businesses are best run with unemotional logic and analysis. And there indeed is a place for that, but it misses the elements that engage customers, partners and employees.
There’s a place for passion, purpose and story. To have your soul shine forth.
About five years ago, Simon Sinek introduced us to a concept he called “Start With Why.” Check out his TED Talk if you haven’t seen it.
Read the rest of this entry »We have this tendency to make things too complex in business. I spent many years of my career doing just that – trying to cover all the cases and contingencies.
But at its core, business is very simple. You sell something that people value, and they give you money because you’re solving a problem or serving a need. And you do it efficiently enough so the business can continue.
But “the devil is in the details”, right? Absolutely.
Read the rest of this entry »I’m involved with several organizations for which this is the beginning of the new year. Not on the traditional calendar, but in the way we think and plan and organize.
January 1st is just an arbitrary date, right?
So now might be a good time – as good as any – to make some decisions.
People who run charities or other volunteer organizations have a big advantage over those of us in the for-profit sector: They know they have to tap peoples’ energy in a different way.
Because, of course, they can’t pay those volunteers. Well, maybe with a bit of beer and pizza, but that’s about it.
Over the course of my life, I’ve volunteered my time and energy in many places. And I’ve led teams of volunteers myself. Am I crazy?
Read the rest of this entry »I heard the recent report of a Nepali team reaching the summit of K2, the world’s second highest peak, during winter. A magnificent achievement of incredible difficulty!
But, of course, the lurking question is: Why bother?
“Because it’s there”
— George Mallory, 1924, on summiting Everest
Not everything can be measured in quantifiable terms.
Read the rest of this entry »You might think that today’s message is about reflecting on the year’s goals, and progress made. With what this year has thrown at us, I doubt that ANY of us are on progress with what we were thinking at the beginning of the year.
Either way ahead or way behind, perhaps out of business entirely.
In my case, I experienced a massive “pivot” this year, delivering a lot of services producing amazing Zoom events for clients. It’s been fun, but certainly not my business plan.
Read the rest of this entry »What can my company contribute to society?
That’s a remarkably powerful question, and so much different than the typical way of thinking about business. The usual attitude is “extractive” – in other words, how can I get more than an equal share. More customers, more money, more market.
That’s a zero-sum mindset. And there’s a different way of thinking.
Read the rest of this entry »Is your organization headed somewhere specifically? Somewhere important?
I recently heard David Burkus talk about the concept of being on a “crusade”. It’s similar to how I’ve used the concept of “mission,” but the word has more emotional impact.
David talked about three kinds of crusades:
Read the rest of this entry »Last week I contrasted the jobs in a large company to the more collaborative engagement in a startup business. It’s not necessary to be a startup, of course, it’s just easier because that’s where new ideas can take off and flourish.
I had a chance recently to talk with a lady in another country who works for a company which connects global contract workers with part-time roles in larger companies. If you’ve used a remote Virtual Assistant, that’s what I’m talking about.
Sure, that lets you outsource tasks to get cheaper labor. We’ve been doing that for decades. But in this case, there’s a larger driving purpose behind it.
Read the rest of this entry »
I had the opportunity recently to have a great conversation with Chris Ippolito on his podcast. Chris is interviewing a wide variety of coaches, spreading the word about the amazing positive impact that this profession is having in the world!
The Values-Based Business 
