The Agile Scaleup

Biz Person of the Year; Think Bigger; $1.4 Billion Score

"...keeping you great"

HEADLINES:  

Think Big -- it's always easier to do bigger deals than smaller ones - to add a few zeroes to your thinking. This is the time of the year to start reflecting on your future and set your personal and biz goals for 2015 and beyond - maybe this weekend! The two stories below, to read at your leisure over the next few days or weeks, will get you thinking big (and focused!).

...in the meantime -- grab the new One-Page Personal Plan (OPPP or O3P) and the instructions and complete one for you and your family over this weekend (takes about 20 minutes). You can download the O3P and excerpt from the new book for free at www.scalingup.com. My EO forum members completed one and we shared our personal goals for 2015 and beyond with each other (and I just coached a YPO forum to do the same) - a powerful way to learn about and support each other.

To Summarize (then the articles)...:

1. Fill out the One-Page Personal Plan - like the One-Page Strategic Plan for companies
2. Support with a 15 minute personal daily routine (more below) - like the daily huddle does for the business
3. Get a Peer Coach to support implementation of the plan and routine - like a coach does for the business

A peer coach is just that - a peer. Not a mentor, but a friend. Pick five behaviors/routines you're going to do more or less of each day based on your personal and biz one-page plans and then report progress each day in an email to your peer coach (takes me 20 seconds) - then try and meet once per week - Sebastian and I meet Fridays at 11:15am for an hour.

15 Minute Personal Daily Routine -- everyone can carve out 15 minutes. Based on my own reading and experimentation:

1. 5 Minute Meditation -- read ABC News anchor Dan Harris's book 10% Happier - five minutes of just focusing on your breathing works miracles
2. 5 Minute Tabata exercise -- download a Tabata app on your phone and watch this 2 minute video by Ari Meisel. You don't need more than 4 minutes of exercise.
3. 5 Minute Gratification -- use the time to reflect on what you're grateful for and respond to your peer coach

That's it - like the 15 minute daily huddle powers a company, this 15 minutes will power you.

The Most Ambitious CEO in the Universe -- Fortune's annual Biz Person of the Year list is out. Surprise - Mark Zuckerberg came in #13 just ahead of 30 year old Elizabeth Holmes. Topping the list is Larry Page, CEO of Google. Take 20 seconds to read the opening paragraph which shares the joke about Page making rounds at Google X - then take 4 more minutes to read the rest of the article - it will inspire you to think bigger. One interesting management routine - Page addresses the entire company weekly at what is called a TGIF meeting (now held on Thursdays instead of Fridays). The entire article is rich with ideas - read it and prepare for 2015.

Inside Elon Musk's $1.4 Billion Score -- and dropping from #1 in 2013 to #18 on the list of the top 50 biz leaders of the year is Elon Musk. Nevertheless, read how he "dazzled, seduced, squeezed, bluffed, manipulated, and prodded" his way to an epic state incentive to build a battery factory in Nevada. Influence and negotiations - two of the three most important executive skills we all must possess - and Musk pegs the scale on both capabilities. Take 6 minutes to read how Musk pitted 7 states against each other (one key - he called them ALL to the same secret meeting. Most of us fail to do this one simple thing) to win one of the largest concessions in history - lots of lessons for all of us aiming for the fences and seeking to do audacious things.

15 Minutes of Reading -- there you have it - a couple stories that will take you less than 15 minutes to read but will fuel you with ideas and techniques you can use for a lifetime if you'll study, not just read, these articles.

COACHING:

Need help implementing the Rockefeller Habits?

Best Buy's Strategy; Important Strategy Book; Kept Promise Indicators; Holiday Gifts

"...keeping you great"

HEADLINES:  

5 Keys to Scaling Up -- my latest Venture column in Fortune (Dec. 1 edition) is online highlighting 5 ways to build up your business:

1. Don't be myopic about marketing
2. Fight process paralysis
3. Love your accountants
4. Teach your people well
5. Invest in systems

Please take 2 minutes to read the one-paragraph details for each and choose one of the five to act on the remainder of the year. My choice for Gazelles is marketing.

Dental Brand Promises -- make three promises and then measure if you're keeping them (Kept Promise Indicators - KPI!) - then grab a Net Promoter Score (NPS) while you're at it. This dental practice has nailed it with this simple survey - see picture below:

Notice how specific and measurable each promise is - can you say the same for your three brand promises? And we learned from Steve Martin, co-author of The small Big, that three is the ideal number of "reasons to buy" - more influencing than 2 or 4 or 10 reasons! Thanks to Rockefeller Habits 2.0 fan Tony Gedge, owner of Marketing Pirates of Dentistry, for sharing this example.

Why Best Buy's Stock Doubled -- Best Buy's CEO Hubert Joly knows how to rev up companies, especially those in trouble. Take 3 minutes to learn three practical lessons from this ex-McKinsey consultant who has turned around 3 major companies. These are powerful ideas shared by Kaihan Krippendorff in his latest blog. First, can you state your strategy in a sentence? Best Buy's -- "The strategy is very simple. We believe that price-competitiveness is table stakes. The way we want to win is around the advice, convenience, service." This led to a low-price guarantee and then a maniacal focus on delivering on the three measurable brand promises - advice, convenience, and service. Again, take 3 minutes to read about the other practical lessons. BTW, Best Buy's stock price is soaring.

Must Read Strategy Book -- speaking of strategy, if you want to create products and services customers want, read Value Proposition Design, this is the latest book by Alexander Osterwalder. Though I was never a big fan of his Business Model Generation book and approach (too cumbersome); I'm a HUGE fan of his Value Proposition Canvas. It starts with a very important Clayton Christensen (Harvard Prof) question - "what is the job the customer needs done?" Then you build your value proposition from there.

IDEO vs. Quirky -- need something to listen to while doing email? Here's my latest short interview hosted by Paul Dunn, co-founder of B1G1, for his online Global Impact Summit. Skip the intro (start at 6:00) to pick up the important lessons from IDEO vs. Quirky - and more tips for scaling up your business. Then check out Paul's business which makes it easy to give to charities through his Buy 1, Give 1 technology - it automates the process.

Holiday/Thanksgiving Gifts -- looking for something to give to your customers as a gift? Give them a gift of growth (helps your business as well) - a gift-wrapped copy of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0). To purchase in bulk at a discount click here.

COACHING:

Need help implementing the Rockefeller Habits?

5 Best Books 2014; 8 Killer Tips; 1 Relationship Saver; #1 Amazon Biz Book

"...keeping you great"

HEADLINES:  

Thank You -- Amazon ranking results below, but first...

Top Five Biz Books 2014 -- my annual Venture column in Fortune magazine naming the top 5 business books for the year is online (Nov 17 issue). Take 1 minute to scan the list and read the one-paragraph write-ups.

The One Sheet That Will Save Your Relationships -- many successful business leaders find their personal relationships get sacrificed along the way, yet there is a tool that can help these relationships survive and thrive, tested with a group of execs the last 24 months. Here's my latest short article posted this week on LinkedIn - please take 1 minute to read.

8 Killer Tips -- a record number of standing ovations summed up the impact Fortune's Growth Summit speakers had on our record audience of 632 leaders of growth firms. Here are short interviews with each of eight keynotes, drawing out a few of their best and most practical ideas for scaling up your business (listen while doing email). Go to www.gazelles.com and scroll down to see the list of videos. Here are the key points covered in the interviews (great to review with your teams - view one at a weekly meeting for the next 8 weeks):

Salim Ismail, author of Exponential Organizations - answers why leaders tend to miss the key trends that disrupt our industries and businesses. Steve Martin, author of The small Big - the three keys to influencing people, and how to get a higher price! Liz Wiseman, author of Rookie Smarts - how to embrace a rookie mentality to get big things accomplished - and why many people are stuck. Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone - the single most important decision/activity senior teams must engage in to double the size of the business. Randy Komisar, author of The Monk and the Riddle - the three types of CEOs needed to grow a business and what is the new role of a manager in firms like Amazon, Facebook, Google, etc. Jack Daly, author of Hyper Sales Growth - what sales teams can learn from sports that dramatically ups their ability to drive revenue. Beverly Kaye, author of Love 'em or Lose 'em - the powerful input from conducting "stay" interviews with employees rather than "exit" interviews - and the questions you ask. John DiJulius, author of The Customer Service Revolution - first to highlight the need for every company to create a "day in the life of a customer" video for employees.

David Marquet Dec 10 Switzerland -- author of what I named the #1 biz book in 2012, Turn the Ship Around, David Marquet is in Europe speaking at Switzerland-based IMD university Dec 10 - part of their Global Leadership Series. For more details click here.

Flamenco Trio Shows -- the fantastic reviews are coming in for Juanito Pascual's new album. He and his trio are hosting several live shows - enjoy.

NEW YORK:Friday November 14, @ Subrosa (Two Shows: 7 & 9 pm; 63 Ganesvoort St.) Saturday November 15 @ Cornelia St. Cafe (6pm; 29 Cornelia St.) BALTIMORE:Sunday November 16 @ An Die Musik (4pm; 407 N Charles St.) BOSTON/CAMBRIDGE: Saturday November 22 @ Regattabar (Two Shows: 7:30 & 10pm; 1 Bennett Street Cambridge, MA) WASHINGTON DC: Monday November 24 @ BLUES ALLEY (Two shows: 8 & 10pm; 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW)

Extremely Grateful -- we did it together - Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0) reached #1 of all biz books on Amazon last week. And we managed to get to #4 of all books, edged out by three children's comic books (I know what I need to write next!). Thank you to all who pitched in and ordered a book - hope you find it helpful as you prepare for 2015.

Chicago, Memphis, Vancouver, Denver, Detroit, and San Diego -- and if you want to immerse your team in the new and updated one-page tools, these Rockefeller Habits 2.0 workshops finish out the year - dates and locations listed below or at this link.

COACHING:

Need help implementing the Rockefeller Habits?

Brain Scan; Deadly Combination; 5 Op Tips; Top Companies for Leadership Training

"...keeping you great"

HEADLINES:  

Do You Have a Healthy Brain? -- how would you know if you never looked at it? I did just this last week and the insights were powerful (I'm making changes already). Dr. Daniel Amen, the best known psychiatrist in the US, keynoted the Growth Summit last week and showed us pictures of some of the over 100,000 brain scans he's taken. FYI, he's the guy that is working closely with the NFL re: brain injuries - and has a protocol for repairing the damage. See his offer below, but first...

5 Ways to Tone Your Operations -- my latest Venture column in Fortune is online. Not enough attention is paid to process - and like hallway closets and garages, if you don't keep them cleaned out, then you have to get bigger ones (throw people at the problem). Here are the five ways to tone your operations:

1. Demand Pushback
2. Plug Tiny Leaks
3. Encourage Self-Service
4. Prevent Errors
5. Go Lean

Take 2 minutes to read the details behind each idea. Thanks to Jeff Frushtick, CEO, Leonard Automatics; Steve Hall, CEO, DriversSelect.com; Guy Levine, CEO, Return on Digital; and Guy Parsons, co-founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute for contributing specific ideas to this column.

Deadly Combination -- in this latest Entrepreneur magazine piece on Liz Wiseman's new book Rookie Smarts, it notes:

As business growth advisor Verne Harnish said in an interview for Rookie Smarts, "In their freshman venture, entrepreneurs know nothing, so they make mistakes and learn. When they win, they win big. Added Harnish: "This experience kills them the second time around. Confident that they know what needs to be done, they often misread markets and miss important signals." Experience plus hubris makes for a deadly combination.

Experience and hubris are the two biggest barriers to serial entrepreneur success.

Top 20 Companies for Leadership Development -- P&G, Microsoft, GE, Coca-Cola, and Unilever fill the top 5 positions on this annual list based on a survey of nearly 18,000 individuals at more than 2,200 companies from 125 countries. Notes the research:

Top companies take a holistic approach to leadership, employing strategic practices aimed at developing and motivating up and down the organization. The Hay Group report says that 73% of what it considers the Top 20 leadership companies make development opportunities available to every employee, compared with 47% of other companies.

To view the entire list, and read about the research, go to this link.

Brain Health -- what gets measured gets done. And what could be more important than the health of your brain (besides the body carrying it around). The Amen Clinics would like to extend the offer Dr. Amen gave on stage at the Growth Summit this year, to attendees and Weekly Insights readers (including family members - my wife Julie is also getting a brain scan). $600.00 off the Full Evaluation or Integrative Evaluation; $276.00 off the Executive Evaluation. For more information on what services each package includes or to schedule, please contact [email protected] or (949)236-8603. And if you would like to obtain the slides from Dr. Amen's presentation, text (949)220-0891.

COACHING:

Need help implementing the Rockefeller Habits?