"...keeping you great"
HEADLINES:
Two must-read articles listed below, but first...
Staying Positive, New Ideas -- this is the reason for the new weekly teleconference call -- a chance for you to hear some good news for a change, learn new ideas from your peers, and get a 30 minute "pump" session each week to keep you positive and action-oriented -- dial in each Tuesday. Banish Fear!
Closes 2x More Business Q1 -- Mike Praeger, CEO of 70+ employee software firm Avidxchange, is already on target to close 2x more business this Q1 compared to 2008 Q1. His current discipline and business rhythm (Quarterly planning, weekly meetings, daily huddles) has freed him to focus on client retention. And by getting closer to his customers, his team has learned and implemented many things that have led to his current success.
Join Mike Praeger on our next complimentary Teleconference Call, Tuesday, Feb 24, 11:58am -- 12:30pm -- here's a link to register -- learn what Mike's team has learned and implemented -- best practices and "juice" from a peer.
56 Consecutive Months of Growth -- also maintaining close contact with customers, Jim Skinner, CEO of McDonalds since 2004, is credited with guiding this mammoth firm through good times and bad. One key -- Skinner has eaten at McDonald's every day while working his way up from hamburger-flipper to CEO. Note the authors of this must-read Forbes Feb 4th article "...the real story behind the resurgence of the chain has to do with something simpler: empathy, the ability to see how the world looks through the eyes of others." BTW, the stock has gone from $13 to over $60. Are you eating your own dog food each day?
Acquisitions on the Rise -- many of our clients tell me they are active in acquiring companies during this down period -- and for very little cash. Here's a link to a summary of a key 2001 Harvard Business Review article, "Not All M&As Are Alike --- and That Matters." In the article Joseph Bower identifies five types of mergers and acquisitions: overcapacity, geographic roll-ups, product or market extensions, M&A as research and development, and industry convergence. This is a great time to review this article and see if you should be making acquisitions.
Third Successful Company -- one of our longest standing clients, Raymond King, CEO of AboutUs.org, now in the top 1000 of all websites in the world, sent me a note this week "This is my third company using the (Rockefeller) habits and we're doing the best job of it by far. I think it's for two reasons, this team is more aligned around core values and they're wiki folks who think collaboratively by nature. Folks external to the company (like my new VC and their advisors) consistently compliment us on our operational disciplines -- and I smile to you every time." Ray and his team have participated in our workshops several times -- the most disciplined win -- see our list of Rockefeller Habits workshops below.
Thank you to Timothy Keenan for this week's call -- here's a link to listen to a tape recording of the call where he discusses fear. And his idea of using your state's Quality Award program as a way to get free consulting was insightful plus the importance of applying for awards in general. When asked about his budget for training, he spends 43% of his benefit costs on employee education -- a better metric than percent of revenue. And his top 30 gathered to watch both the Pat Lencioni and Seth Godin LIVE webcasts -- here's a link to sign-up for the archived programs and join Tim's team as they tune-in for the March 17 LIVE webcast with Guy Parsons on LEAN.
More Conversations with Customers -- I know I'm learning a great deal and its helping Gazelles -- engage with your own customers (another theme of Tim Keenan's as well).