The Agile Scaleup

Oracle Wins; Billy Bean Wins; PPR wins; Ruby, Infusionsoft, Hagerty, Atlassian win

"...keeping you great" 

HEADLINES:

America's Cup -- it's ALWAYS a "who" question - plus technology as an accelerator. In a gutsy move prior to race 6, the Oracle team replaced their tactician with the most successful sailor in Olympic history, British star Ben Ainslie. Combined with a team that appeared to move up the learning curve more rapidly over the 19 days, they made adjustments to the Oracle boat which gave Ainslie a technology (speed) advantage in what is being called the greatest sports come-back in history. Great people, strategy, execution - and lots of cash - always a winning formula!

Data Wins Division Title -- Billy Bean's baseball team, the Oakland A's of Moneyball fame, just clinched their division title. And as The Atlantic article points out, this year they truly are a team of no-stars, half the payroll, but better data used to pick the best overlooked players in the league. Take 3 minutes to read why the original 2002 team wasn't the miracle team Michael Lewis made it out to be in his book, but how this latest team is. Data both pushed the Oracle team up the learning curve and shaped a division champ in baseball.

PPR #1 Best Place to Work -- Fortune released their 50 Best Small and Medium-Size Companies to Work For list and Gazelles200 (now GazellesPro) founding member Professional Placement Resources (PPR) has taken the #1 spot for the US. In the top 25 the past ten years, this is their first time as #1.

Some of their best practices:

• PPR involves all of its employees in quarterly and annual strategic planning processes engaging the employees to work on the business rather than just in the business. The result is the implementation of hundreds of employee's ideas every year.
• PPR, a private company, regularly shares their financial statements with all employees.
• An annual Employee Appreciation month highlighted by PPR's version of the Amazing Race.
• An organizational commitment to gratefulness, including a peer to peer recognition program and Thank You Thursdays where all employees write 2 handwritten notes to peers, clients, vendors, friends or family.
• A commitment to supporting a healthy lifestyle with a gym, personal trainer, yoga instructor and free fruit.
• An organizational commitment to the community with paid time to volunteer and collaborative fundraising events that raise tens of thousands of dollars each year for local charities.
• Work life balance initiatives, highlighted by Unlimited Paid Time Off.

Notes CEO Dwight Cooper, "Our culture at PPR is built around mutual trust and empowerment in our employees. Our commitment to upholding these values, encouraging our employees to feel comfortable sharing their opinions and creating a fun place to work creates the foundation for our 'best company' work culture." Here's a link to the full list.

Further Congrats -- also kudos to #3 on the list, the firm that answers Gazelles' phones, Portland-based Ruby Receptionists; #13 Hagerty, perennial Summit attendee which is a hidden champion providing insurance for antique cars; #17 InfusionSoft which supplies us our CRM system and just raised $54 from Goldman Sachs; and #19 Atlassian which has been mentioned many times in these insights. Have your head of HR click through the list to pick up "people" ideas for your company.

Best Workers -- notes Fortune, in an article about Dolf van den Brink's rise from management recruit to CEO of Heineken USA in 11 years, "These days, ambitious Gen-Xers and Millennials tend to bounce from company to company in their race to the top." Instead, it's helpful if employees return the favor of creating a great work environment by sticking around. For executives in growth firms, this is an insightful article about how to help your company grow as an employee and further your own career. What I found particularly interesting, when Brink was sent to the Congo to turnaround Heineken's fortune in that region, he relied on five cultural pillars he devised. Then when he became US CEO, he used four similar cultural pillars (values): "Be brave," "Decide and do," "Hunt as a pack," and "Take it personally." The article is worth 3 minutes to scan for ideas.

Ben Kerkhof, Compare Group -- this Dutch-based entrepreneur was one of 140 that attended my Rockefeller Habits workshop in Amsterdam last week. In this Google Hangout recorded on a travelling orange school bus (neat set-up), Kerkhof and myself discuss the hardest skill for an entrepreneur; his latest theme called Dragon's Den; and his BHAG. And I discuss how Facebook and Amazon have accomplished in 10 years what it's taken other companies 100 years. Its 19 minutes so best to listen as you answer email.

COACHING:

Need help implementing the Rockefeller Habits?

Top 40 under 40; Power of Hyper-specialization; favorite sales tip; Oisin Brown's book; Oct 10 Topgrading

"...keeping you great"

HEADLINES:

Top 40 Under 40 -- Fortune released their latest Top 40 under 40 people rocking the business world. Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, tops the list, one of three women to make the top 10. FYI, Yahoo!'s stock is up 86% since her arrival. Zuckerberg came in at #3. Here's a link to the list.

Hyperspecialization -- Quoting Tim Williams from his LinkedIn article, "what's the top reason marketers search for a new advertising agency? If you guessed 'creative differences,' 'cost' or 'poor service,' you'd be citing some of the reasons that do in fact show up on top 10 lists. But the key driver today in agency searches is the desire marketers have to work with 'best-in-class specialists.'" Williams, a consultant to marketing agencies, has jumped on the hyperspecialization bandwagon, a term popularized by a recent HBR article by the same name. Case in point -- CJ Advertising which only works with personal injury law firms. As competition increases globally you are better off to focus your expertise on as narrow a niche as you can and then follow that niche around the globe rather than try to be everything to everybody locally.

Five Ideas for Driving 4th Quarter Sales -- "the lazy days of summer are over and everyone is back serious about business," notes Caryn Kopp whose firm generates sales leads for companies. She suggests 5 strategies for driving revenue in her blog post. One of my favorite "out of the box" ideas:

1. Showcase your clients. Remember, your clients and prospects are people who are working toward personal goals within their companies. If they want to be promoted, the last four months of the year are critical for reminding management of the game changing initiatives they started. Be a hero by helping decision makers "toot their horns" internally for initiatives you worked on together.

I also like her idea of getting larger companies to use unspent 4th quarter budget to fund a 1st quarter pilot/initiative. Take 2 minutes to read through her five ideas. I find Caryn's info to be very practical and effective.

100 Sales Tips -- if Caryn's five sales tips aren't enough, grab a copy of Oisin Browne's book called The Binman's Guide to Selling: Top 100 selling techniques, words, strategies, tips, scripts & inspirations. Oisin drives sales and marketing for Galway-based The City Bin Co. owned by YPOer Gene Browne. During the past two tumultuous years in Ireland, the company has doubled its revenue, testament to Browne's techniques. As I note in my enthusiastic endorsement of his book:

"Words matter!! And Browne's book provides the precise language and approaches to ramp-up your sales effectiveness - one bite-sized piece at a time. Commit 60 seconds per day to read one tip and apply it and experience the positive impact it has on your sales."

Sales Coach -- Brown's book is the perfect resource for sales coaches (new name for sales manager per last insight). With roughly 100 days left this year, grab one of the tips each day and email it to the sales or rep team. Each tip is a short paragraph or two, so very easy to send and read.

Topgrading Master Practitioner Certification -- Hiring is back and the new online Topgrading Class is proving popular as the war for talent continues to heat up. A New Topgrading Class Launches Oct/10. For details including:

a.     Two case studies (Healthcare and Services)

b.    Review the full outline of the class including learning objectives for each of the six sessions

c.     Experience the class discussions

Visit: http://growthinstitute.com/topgrading/.

Online class includes one-to-one coaching; 9 hours of online learning; and peer group sessions via webinars - the next hybrid model of education that saves travel time and money. Price is $1997/leader. More information here: or contact Juan Gonzalez at [email protected] or call him at 1 800 975 5108 x.2.

COACHING:

Need help implementing the Rockefeller Habits?

Zuckerberg's Challenge; No Managers, Just Coaches; 5 Tips Driving Revenue; 1pm ET Webinar with Hostage Negotiator

We just finished our second retreat with David Chavez (Gazelles coach). I have to say that David is awesome. He says it's all us and not him, but that's a load of crap. Very few people could get this group to focus for 10 minutes, let alone two-plus days.
	Preston Law, Chief Consultant Atlas Development Corporation

Zuckerberg's Bizarre Self-Improvement Goal -- each year Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, sets some interesting challenge for himself - learn Mandarin, wear a tie for a year (show he's serious about business), or only eat meat from animals he's killed! "This year, my challenge is to meet a new person outside of Facebook every day," he said Wednesday at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. According to Zuckerberg's own rules, he needs to have a face-to-face conversation with the person, not just shake hands or chat online according to Heather Kelly in this CNN/Money piece. Take 2 minutes to read why Zuckerberg pursues these challenges, how he chose this latest challenge (I've been saying that entrepreneurs have challenges with people!), and what he's learned in the process. Then pick a challenge for yourself and see if you can stay focused on achieving it.

Finding it Difficult to Get Through to Someone? Zuckerberg isn't the only one. Dr. Mark Goulston, #1 international bestselling author of six books, a former FBI hostage negotiation trainer, contributor to HBR and Business Insider and a UCLA professor of psychiatry for more than twenty five years, is hosting a free one-hour webinar entitled How to get through to anyone TODAY (Friday) at 1pm ET hosted by Citrix which already has more than 6000 registrants - sorry about the late notice. One of our keynote speakers at the Fortune Growth Summit 2013, Goulston notes, "If you like TED talks, you will love this presentation."

5 Ways to Boost Revenue -- my latest Venture column in Fortune is out. The most important tip is shared online - refocus the sales manager (though you have to be a subscriber to the magazine to read the rest of the column). Specifically, he or she needs to spend at least 50% of their week on coaching. And to reinforce this primary job of the sales manager, retitle them Sales Coach - I'm serious!

Coach vs. Manage -- ...in fact, let's start a worldwide movement to get rid of the word manage/manager and universally replace it with the word coach. This is what every frontline to senior leader should be doing 50% of their time anyway; the other 50% is gathering ideas from talking with customers, garnering best practices, executive education, or being a player/coach themselves. Consider it - Customer Service Coach instead of Customer Service Manager, etc.

Key to Peak Performance -- and to continue this theme, my recent Growth Guy syndicated column focuses on the power of having a coach. Kevin Sheridan, CEO of 80-employee Rutgers Permanent Painting in Vauxhall, N.J., is having his most profitable year in four years having pivoted the company with steady pushing by his coach, Mark Green. Jeff Berstein, CEO of IMAGEFirst, used his coach Patrick Thean to help him cascade daily huddles throughout the company and implement better hiring practices like Topgrading which has increased its percentage of "A" players from 52% to 70%. Notes Berstein, "We weren't going to be able to do this on our own. It's much more effective when you bring in an outside person to keep you focused." Take 4 minutes to read how Sheridan and Berstein are working with their coaches to drive performance (and pay for the fees many times over).

Hiring is Back -- seems the once hot BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) are experiencing downturns while the western countries are seeing an uptick. This means hiring is back and the new online Topgrading Class is proving popular as the war for talent continues to heat up. A new Topgrading Master Practitioner Class Launches Oct/10. For details including:

a.     Two case studies (Healthcare and Services)

b.    Review the full outline of the class including learning objectives for each of the six sessions

c.     Experience the class discussions

Visit: http://growthinstitute.com/topgrading/. Online class includes one-to-one coaching; 9 hours of online learning; and peer group sessions via webinars - the next hybrid model of education that saves travel time and money. Price is $1997/leader. For more information contact Juan Gonzalez at [email protected] or call him at 1 800 975 5108 x.2.

COACHING:

Need help implementing the Rockefeller Habits?

Marissa Mayer Unauthorized; 100 Fastest Growing Firms; Nassim Taleb's Advice; "Undercover Boss" at Summit

"...keeping you great" 

HEADLINES: (Shanah Tovah!)

100 Fastest-Growing Companies -- Fortune's annual list is out and Dublin-based Jazz Pharmaceuticals, maker of the world's only narcolepsy drug, tops the list - 100% market share is a great thing. Coming in at #10 was another "drug" company Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Here's a link to the full list with perennial favorites Apple, Rackspace, lululemon, and Under Armour still growing like "gazelles." The surprise on the list, for me, was #65 Winnebago Industries, maker of recreational vehicles (RVs). Proves its best to have shifting demographics - the aging population -- providing wind at your back (OK, I did pause to check out some of the new models, but my wife talked me down off the ledge as did my dear friend Sam Goodner!)

More Trends -- ...and check out "40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World." My favorite is Map 29 which shows the shifting economic center-of-gravity of the world from 1 A.D. to a projected 2025 - what goes around comes around. Then check out Map 28 which shows coffee consumption per capita around the globe - which explains why Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is the #10 fastest growing company on the planet. Thanks to mentor and former owner of Venture Magazine, Arthur Lipper, for sharing this fascinating link - one I shared with my children as well.

Nassim Taleb's 5 Ways to Have a Great Day -- author of The Black Swan and Antifragile (both must read books) shares 5 quick suggestions for having a great day. #4 "Invite someone who doesn't have many friends for coffee." Picking up a pattern here? And I definitely agree with his fifth way - take 15 seconds, read, and smile.

Marissa Mayer CEO of Yahoo! -- grab a cup of coffee and take every bit of 15 minutes (perfect break between two 90-minute work sessions) to read this extensive excerpt from the unauthorized biography of Marissa Mayer, the 38 year old CEO of Yahoo! One of my favorite stories about a lesson Mayer learned from her piano teacher's daughter Laura:

Mayer begins: "Laura tried out for the volleyball team her junior year at high school. At the end of the tryouts, she was given a hard choice: bench on varsity, or start on JV. "Most people, when they're faced with this choice, would choose to play - and they'll pick JV. Laura did the opposite. She chose varsity, and she benched the whole season. "But then an amazing thing happened. Senior year she tried out and she made varsity as a starter, and all the JV starters from the previous year benched their whole senior year. "I remember asking her: 'How did you know to choose varsity?' "And she said, 'I just knew that if I got to practice with the better players every day, I would become a much better player, even if I didn't get to play in any of the games.'"

This was one of the reasons she took the job at Google when it was just a start-up vs. join McKinsey or one of the other 11 companies that offered her a job straight out of Stanford. It's a well written excerpt with lots of savvy insights from one of the youngest CEOs of a Fortune 500 company.

"Undercover Boss" -- speaking of women CEOs, we're excited that Dina Dwyer-Owens, Chairwoman and CEO of The Dwyer Group (world's largest franchising company of service trades) and Rockefeller Habits practitioner will be the other celebrity CEO keynote, opposite Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, at the Growth Summit in Vegas. Many also know her from her participation on the hit TV series "Undercover Boss." Just a few months ago she was invited back for the "Undercover Boss: Epic Bosses" special. I'm looking forward to her insights from going undercover and running a global business.

COACHING:

Need help implementing the Rockefeller Habits?