The Agile Scaleup

Crazy Busy; FState; Second Death of Jobs; What Successful People Do; May Workshops

"...out-learning the competition" 

HEADLINES:

Apple Profits Fall - First Time in a Decade -- I'm in London with the EO chapter (reminiscing about the early days and Steve Jobs) and this BBC headline starkly reminded me of Jobs passing. I still think Apple needs to buy FourSquare so they "acquire" Dennis Crowley. Apple needs another Steve Jobs and Dennis is the best guy for the job.

Crazy Busy -- (me too, so short insight today) this is the title of Dr. Ned Hallowell's book, subtitled Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life. He's an MD who taught at Harvard Medical School for 20 years who wrote the famous Harvard Business Review article entitled "Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform." To save you time, he helped us produce a 42 minute online presentation perfect for one of your monthly management meetings or to view on your own. You'll learn:

• The six habits you can start using today to multiply your productivity dramatically.
• How to identify your sweet spot - the work where you excel and advance your mission best - so you can minimize unproductive uses of your time.
• The art of prioritizing and setting boundaries at work.
• Ways to break from time-draining smart phone dependency and electronic addiction.
• Strategies for avoiding common time drains, from over commitment to people who suck away your time and energy like leeches.

F-State -- Even if you have a full plate at work, you don't have to live in what Dr. Hallowell calls the "F State:" Frantic, frenzied, frenetic, fearful, forgetful, frustrated and furious. Instead, he explains how to get to the "C Stage" where you will perform at your best. This is a state where you are creative, careful, concentrated, curious and courteous. Setting up your life so that you live in the C Stage will allow you to get a lot more done in less time, and live a more satisfying, healthier life (where his MD training kicks in). It's a matter of managing your life and not letting life manage you - techniques that align with the Rockefeller Habits. Take a look at his presentation - always money back guarantee.

Accountability Partner -- one of the keys to sticking to your priorities, which I've highlighted in previous insights, is to get an accountability partner. Take 3 minutes to scan this latest Fortune article written by Laura Vanderkam, a regular contributor to Fortune.com and the author of What the Most Successful People Do At Work, out April 23. Priced at just $2.99 (Kindle), this is the third mini ebook, following her bestselling mini-ebook What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, where she outlines how to take advantage of our often ignored morning hours to achieve our dreams; and the sequel, What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend, where she revealed why the key to a better week is a better weekend. All very quick reads.

May Workshops -- Rockefeller Habits workshops coming up in Oak Brook, IL; Baton Rouge, LA; Philadelphia, PA; Austin, TX; Santa Fe, NM; Portland, OR; Toronto, ONT; and Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Sydney, Australia.

Facebook's Priority; Tool for Doubling Execution; Edgy Interview; London, Amsterdam, Barcelona

"...keeping you great" 

HEADLINES:

Facebook's #1 Priority -- "become a mobile company" - the best remain great because they know how to articulate and focus their entire organization for 18 to 24 months on the chokepoint in an industry or their company. Notes Fortune in their latest cover story "What Zuckerberg did know was clear: Facebook's first priority needed to be figuring out a wireless strategy. He was maniacal about it. In December 2011 he reorganized the company to embed mobile engineers in all product teams. In June 2012 he began Facebook's annual all-hands meeting by explaining that the company's most pressing priority was to become a mobile company. He told Facebook's army of coders and salespeople and recruiters and designers that they could help by trading in their iPhones for Android devices." Take 4 minutes to read how Zuckerberg is executing on this priority - lots of important lessons/ideas. Then decide what hill your company needs to climb next - and maniacally take it!!

Execute 2X Faster -- and when it comes to execution, Jim Collins' notes that technology is a key accelerator. The challenge for CEOs is having a tool to help them drive accountability throughout the organization, their #1 job. Take 2 minutes to hear Steve Tamasi, CEO of Boston Centerless, share how he was able to speed up his company and get his objectives done in half the time. Key lessons:

• Slow down to figure out the right metrics with "SMART" Criteria - Know what success looks like
• Review metrics and priorities weekly
• Use a system like Rhythm to help "A" players be accountable and get priorities done 2X faster.

Hiring Sales People -- they need to be courageous, competitive and hungry, according to my favorite blogger, Ben Horowitz of Andreessen Horowitz (best "VC" in the world right now). And the process for hiring sales people is significantly different than hiring engineers, he notes. Take 3 minutes to read through his blog post, especially the edgy interview snippet he shares. Then find a local Objective Management Group (OMG) partner to help you screen sales candidates for the attributes that separate the winners from the whiners -- the only two types of sales people on the planet - followed by a 4 hour Topgrading interview of the final two or three candidates to choose the winner.

Contagious -- Chip and Dan Heath's book "Decisive" continues to top the book charts - thus no surprise that one of their protégés, Jonah Berger, has one of the hottest best-sellers himself. Choosing to also own (dominate) a word - he used his own algorithmic prowess to pick "Contagious" as the title of his first book. Released last month, I apologize for being slow to discover this book which claims to show which half of Malcolm Gladwell's ideas in Tipping Point are wrong. And surprisingly, Gladwell is supportive, given the academic prominence of Berger. This is a serious book on how things become viral. If you want a 7 minute overview of Berger and his ideas (yes, it's a fairly lengthy piece), scan this Fast Company article.

Why My Child Will Be Your Child's Boss -- first, you have to love the title. But are we seriously failing to develop the leadership skills of our children? Take three minutes to read why you should give your 3 year old a saw and stop walking your 4 year old into school - practices pushed in Switzerland where they also have "forest" teachers.

London Next Thursday -- EO London is hosting me to lead an open enrollment one-day Rockefeller Habits workshop.

European Summits -- Amsterdam 22nd May; Barcelona 23rd May - all the keynoters are serial entrepreneurs and authors -- John Mullins (Getting to Plan B); Margaret Heffernan (Willful Blindness); and John Warrillow (Built to Sell). For more info.

Live 1000 years; 20th Anniversary of Classic Book; 292,000% Return; 22 Seats Left

"...out-learning the competition" 

HEADLINES:

Giovanni Livera on the agenda for the Leadership Summit -- what a fantastic choice. I have seen hundreds of speakers over the last 15 years and Giovanni is one of the absolute best. I still think about some of the things he said today when it comes to living life and making the most of things. Also one of the most entertaining talks I have ever seen. Great Job!
	John Ratliff, Founder Appletree Answers and Gazelles200 member

Free Audiobook -- insight readers are able to get a free audiobook of Jack Stack's updated edition of the famous Great Game of Business - one of the top 10 classic biz books of all time - more below, but first...

Jack Stack's Great Game of Business - 20th Anniversary Edition
Two decades and eleven languages after its original release, Jack Stack's Great Game of Business 20th Anniversary Edition is being released with 30% new, additional material. The bonus material is an amazing 20 year update by Stack and a full-blown implementation guide with complete online resource library to help you imbed his time-tested practices in your business. I'm excited that Jack is also keynoting the upcoming Leadership Summit in Orlando May 9 - 10 with Dan Pink. He's truly one of the legends of business, having been invited by most of the US Presidents and leaders around the world to advise them on business.

292,000% Increase
Jack has proven that The Great Game of Business (GGOB) is the only sensible way to run a company - getting employees to think and act like owners by teaching people how business works, holding them accountable and providing them a stake in the outcome. Case in point: The practice of GGOB has helped drive his SRC Holdings stock price from $.10/ share in 1983 to $292/share today...a 292,000% increase in value.

Critical Number for the World's Biggest Mini-Game
20 years ago, Jack was one of the first speakers I ever hosted at the inaugural "Birthing of Giants" executive program we held on the campus of MIT. I've been a huge fan ever since and embedded his idea of the "critical number" into our One-Page Strategic Plan template. As such, it's only fitting, in order to help spread Stack's revolutionary ideas to an entirely new generation of business leaders, a critical number for this book has been established -- to collect enough per-orders to hit the bestseller lists.

Exclusive: Free Audiobook for Insights Readers
To help Jack achieve this, Insights readers that preorder his book by May 10 (a must for your corporate library or send to a friend to help their business) will receive the new audiobook, in Jack's own voice, months before the book's release in July. This limited offer is only $25 ($40 value) and includes the audiobook (delivers in May to early adopters) and the book (delivers in July). Click here to order now and be sure to use the coupon code "Gazelles20".

Live a Thousand Years; Have the Time of Your Life
Closing out the Leadership Summit Friday afternoon is Giovanni Livera, author of Live a Thousand Years. As John Ratliff, one of the most rabid learners among the regular CEOs that attend our Summits, noted above, Giovanni has a powerful and entertaining message. And we'll have copies of his book as gifts to each of the companies attending the Summit.

22 Seats Left -- Two Important Days -- The Leadership Summit is just over three weeks away. Take two days to re-charge your batteries and garner ideas from the authors of a dozen books - a mini-Think Week. Join over 500 CEOs and executives of the top growth firms from around the globe.

Dealing with Enemies; Sensitive Topic; Meeting Rules; Barcelona Visit

"...keeping you great" 

HEADLINES:

Transform Enemies into Allies -- what started as a power struggle between a disgruntled founder and the new CEO at a well-known company has been resolved (for now) - and the lessons learned are applicable to any similarly tense situation. Take 3 minutes to read this Fortune article on how Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly won over a warring founder Richard Schulze. His 3 techniques are applicable if you have any souring relationship critical to the business (read the article for the precise details):

• Show humility (I love what Joly did to show this)
• Tap your relationships to defuse the tension i.e. find a friend in common to help
• A little bit of give and take

A similar situation erupted between Apple and China last week - and a simple apology turned the situation around to where the Chinese media and leaders lambasting Apple are now singing its praises. Fortune did a short piece on Tim Cook's apology - worth taking 1 minute to read.

If That Doesn't Work - Pray! -- Kevin Daum, serial entrepreneur, and author (he's keynoted our Summits), has one of my favorite columns on Inc.com. His latest column focuses on harnessing the power of prayer in business no matter what your religious beliefs. Four quick hints:

• Be Thankful
• Be Humble
• Be Hopeful
• Be Open

It's as much about ritual and routine and "focusing your soul" as Kevin notes. Take 2 minutes to read through Kevin's heartfelt thoughts and his own 10 minute ritual derived from his Jewish faith.

Arriving On-Time -- I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it - an offsite meeting of senior leaders from around Europe (mainly France) arriving and returning from breaks and lunch precisely on-time! How is this possible in a culture known for being habitually late? Jack Harrington, head of a billion dollar JV between Thales and Raytheon (and perpetual fan of the Rockefeller Habits which he's continued to implement in all his assignments at Raytheon) has three rules he's consistently reinforced in all meetings:

• Be On Time -- 5€ per minute if you are late at the start of a session or returning from a break
• Be Respectful -- 5€ per rude or condescending remark i.e. "that was a stupid idea"
• Be Attentive -- No cell phones, BlackBerrys, e-mail, etc. -- 5€ if phone rings or seen using BlackBerry or e-mail

And all money collected goes to a charity of choice by the team of 60 plus leaders. Enforcing these simple rules reminded me of Pat Lencioni's admonition that holding people accountable starts with the little stuff. And if you let discipline slip here, it will slip everywhere. And none of the senior leaders seemed to resent the rules; instead, they seem to have a genuine care and respect for Jack.

Coming To Barcelona This Summit? -- one of the families using our 5-bedrooom flat had a change of plans. July 16 - 30 available.

300% ROI; 3% Solution; Games Buyers Play; Dr. Laurie Bassi

"...keeping you great" 

HEADLINES:

The biggest single predictor of a company's ability to beat its direct competitors in its industry AND the overall stock market was the amount the company spends on training its people.
	Dr. Laurie Bassi, author Good Company

Games Buyers Play -- the latest "Growth Guy" column highlights pitfalls in selling a business - and the tricks buyers use to drive down the price. I actually met a couple professors who teach acquirers how to do this to unsuspecting entrepreneurs. Seller beware!

3%, Use it or Lose It -- Patrick McGovern, the famed Chairman and Founder of International Data Group (IDG), was the first celebrity CEO to keynote the executive program I launched and held at MIT called "The Birthing of Giants." Today, one of the Forbes 400 wealthiest entrepreneurs who recently gave $350 million to MIT for brain research, he impressed me with his three simple rules for growing each division of his company. Scattered all over the planet launching tech publications in a fast charging industry, each leader had to hit three targets, three of every five quarters:

1. Grow twice the rate of the local market - his way to set revenue targets in each country
2. Take 10% net to the bottom line - and spending on growth wasn't an excuse for low profit
3. Spend 3% of payroll on training - use it or lose it

McGovern explained that the only investment critical to growth was employee and management development, yet he knew that under the time pressure of having to grow the business and cost pressures of having to net 10%, the first thing leaders will do in the short run is cut out the time and cost of training. As CEO, like Jack Welch, McGovern knew this was the one issue he had to stand firm about and mandate. The job of the CEO is to make the best decisions today that have a long term positive impact on the business tomorrow.

300% ROI -- and through some of the most exhaustive research ever supported, training and development was found to out-return any other investment a business owner could make - more than any R&D, hard, or capital investment. In fact, companies that made this investment achieved:

24% higher profit margin 218% higher income per employee 86% higher company value 21% increase in productivity 300% reduction in employee turnover a return per dollar invested of $6.72

Here's a link to a white paper Bud Arquilla, CEO of the Gazelles200 initiative, wrote to detail the findings - an investment Jack Welch calculated to provide an infinite return.

Drives Me Nuts -- therefore, if there is one thing that pains me the most, it's when a CEO lets their team steamroll them, complaining about having neither the time nor willingness to budget for training and development.

Dr. Laurie Bassi -- whom I quoted above, is author of Good Company: Business Success in the Worthiness Era; was director of research at Saba Software; director of two US government commissions; and a tenured professor of economics and public policy at Georgetown University. She is also the chair of the board at Bassi Investments - an investment firm that invests in companies with superior human capital management capabilities - consistently outperforming the S&P 500. Previously, she served as vice president for research at ASTD (American Society of Training and Development) where she led a groundbreaking and exhaustive multi-year research initiative that brought hard numbers to the "soft" world of training and development. Book club members are receiving her book and she's keynoting the upcoming Leadership Summit in Orlando May 9 - 10. Make the investment.