The Agile Scaleup

Ideal Team Player; 70% Annual Growth; ScaleUpX; May 2 Cut-off Hotel Rate

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

In his signature storytelling style, Lencioni brings to life the three foundational virtues of a real team player. Let everyone in your organization read this book and watch your results soar.
	Verne Harnish, endorsement for The Ideal Team Player

7-Minutes of Learning Each Week -- this week's clip features David Marquet, author of Turn the Ship Around (one of my fave execution books), more below but first...

Hotel Room Cut-Off May 2 -- the last day to get the $155/night group rate for the ScaleUp Summit in Atlanta has been extended to Monday 2nd May. And more about our ScaleUpX presentations by fellow biz leaders below.

The Ideal Team Player (Blockbuster Released This Week) -- it will go down as one of the classic books of all time. Next to Jim Collins, Pat Lencioni, author of one of the top five biz books ever written (Five Dysfunctions of a Team), has his new book out this week titled The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate Three Essential Virtues. Everyone talks about what leaders have to do; but what about the rest of the team players? GPro and book club members will get a copy of the book next week. And we're excited we have Pat, one of the top two biz keynoters in the world, opening our fall Growth Summit in Dallas (Oct 25 - 26) to discuss his new book.

Humble, Hungry, and Smart -- Pat makes the case that team players need to be Humble, Hungry, and (People) Smart. It's your ability to attract, hire, train, and retain people with these three virtues that will supercharge your teams. In turn, trying to build high performing teams without players with these foundational attributes will make your job so much harder. For a bunch of free tools and to see Pat's model, here's a link. Then grab the book this next week and read it - then buy a box of books and have all your employees read it (then have your children read his easy-to-read parable) - these virtues can be cultivated - that's the great news.

Baseball? It's All About the Storytelling -- this NY Times piece on Sunday underscores the power of the storytelling. Titled "What Happens with Baseball Stats-Nerds Run a Pro Team?" Sam Miller with the Sonoma Stompers describes how you can't just have numbers (stats) - it's the story you tell with the stats that makes all the difference in the world. In the end, leaders need to be good storytellers (like Pat Lencioni) - making personal the numbers you're seeing the business. Take 2 minutes to read this insightful article. BTW, this is the point Jack Stack (Great Game of Business) has been making for decades - it's not the numbers but the stories behind the numbers that provides the teachable moment!

70% Annual Growth (Gazelles Case Study) -- my latest Huffington Post piece highlights Rockefeller Habits fan Nick Dancer (29), founder of Dancer Concrete Design. When he relaunched his concrete business, after taking a respite working at Target (!), he wanted a place that didn't just make money, but helped everyone involved with the business - employees, customers, suppliers, etc. Since instilling his Christian values in the organization, revenue has grown 70% each year for the past four-years. Thank you to Will Ditzler, his Gazelles coach, for bringing this story to life. Take 2 minutes to read through Nick's journey in creating a values-driven concrete business.

ScaleUpX -- in addition to our star line-up of keynotes at the ScaleUp Summit, we'll host a series of ScaleUpX 10-minute presentations by fellow superstar biz leaders - Alden Mills, Dan Hoffman, Dwight Cooper, Rabbi Stephen Baars, etc. - powerful tips sprinkled throughout the Summit. Out-learn the competition (the only real competitive advantage) -- don't miss two intense days of learning for scaleups - leaders are learners, as their first priority! See you in Atlanta May 24 - 25.

Scaling Up Club -- This week's featured clip comes from David Marquet's disruptive and inspiring seminar, How to Create Leadership at Every Level, but first...
If you only have 7 minutes this week, be sure to learn about a revolutionary leadership model that increases effectiveness and helps to achieve excellence! In this section, David focuses on the importance of giving control instead of taking it and pushing authority down to where the information is native. See slides 7 to 13 (10:10 - 17:24) to get started!

Only have one minute? See slide 5 to understand the shift from the traditional leadership model to an evolutionary one. To access both clips: Scaling Up Club Members go here, Non members can join here to enjoy!

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if your company would be a good candidate to work with an executive growth coach? Click here to watch Gazelles International President Keith Cupp describes the four most important attributes of successful clients.

And if you're interested in becoming a world-class certified Gazelles International coach, please contact Jean Carpenter at [email protected] / (360) 798.9471.

TECHNOLOGY:

Align Software puts everyone on the Same Page - Literally! See, in real time every person in your organization and how they are progressing on their priorities - alongside how they Align to the Company Priorities! Scale Up your Rockefeller Habits implementation with www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer and on your phone.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.

Campbell Dies; Jack LIVE; 60+ the Rage; LiveAdmins Save

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

I want to come in there with a quantitative (sales) process and say, 'Let me tell you what our stuff does and let me tell you based on our work what this can do for you in terms of your productivity.'
	Bill Campbell "The Coach"

Legendary CEO Coach Bill Campbell (75) Dies -- coach to Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Jeff Bezos and other top tech leaders, Bill passed away earlier this week after a long battle with cancer. Here is the absolute best summary of what Bill taught leaders I could find - a dozen lessons from Bill Campbell - worth 4 minutes to read and re-read - and study this weekend.

Legendary Sales Coach Jack Daly (62) -- still alive and well after 15 Ironman Competitions and 60+ marathons, and having led over 10,000 sales people using a quantitative sales process like Bill Campbell emphasized, we're hosting a webinar with Jack next Tuesday 1pm ET - more details below, but next...

60+ Year Olds Driving Economy -- at the beginning of this century, Goldman Sachs had everyone focusing on the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) as the next big growth opportunity (half right!). A couple weeks ago, McKinsey, in a major report, said it's not about regions anymore - it's about demographics. And that 60% of the GDP growth in the US and Western Europe will be driven by those over 60 (33% for the world). Notes the report:

Richard Dobbs, a McKinsey Global Institute director, said: "The glamorization of youth by marketers and advertising buyers is a vestige of the past. The real power globally lies with the 60-plus age group who will contribute more than one-third of global consumption growth. In comparison, European millennials will contribute less than 2 percent. The data make clear that companies need to design products and services for older people if they want to be well placed for tomorrow's growth."

Hopefully McKinsey is more accurate than Goldman in their data/predictions. Being even half-right, this is still a huge wealthy segment - lots of opportunity many of you (Nurse Next Door) are already capitalizing on.

Three Demographics Driving Growth -- it's foolish to ignore demographic trends - and easier to go with the winds of the world. The McKinsey report further notes "People living in cities will generate 91 percent of global consumption in the next 15 years" but, again, it will be certain demographics within those cities that will be the drivers given the increasing inequality gap. Here's a link to the full McKinsey report that outlines the three demographics driving 75% of all growth in consumption. And what drives consumption tends to drive the B2B world as well.

Peter Drucker Fun Fact (106 if still alive) -- speaking of the older generation, I've been sharing with audiences, lately, the interesting fact that the original business guru Peter Drucker wrote 39 books. Yet only 1/3 of those books were written before his 65th birthday! He was twice as productive after his 65th than before, inspiring Jim Collins to declare, after his 50th, that his next 25-year goal is to have twice the impact through his research and writing than he did before his 50th. Research would support this.

Picasso Fun Fact (134 if still alive) -- and the same for Picasso, who hung out in my town of Barcelona. Of what the critics consider his top 10 paintings, six were painted after his 50th birthday; and four of those 10 when he was 51 (1932). We're creative in our 20s; but experience hones that creativity over the next 25 years leading to twice the innovative output later in life - if you can stay alive and keep practicing your art. Here's to the best years of our lives after 50!

Back to Sales -- Boost with LiveAdmins Chat Service -- The most recurring sales mistake is not having online customer support on your website - especially for your older customers. This leaves your prospective customers confused and wandering. It feels like having a storefront with no one there to greet and guide the walk-in customers. With LiveAdmins, which we've been using for over a decade, you can conveniently add around the clock chat service to your website in multiple languages. The chat operators will proactively greet online visitors and generate leads for you. 

Jack Daly Sales Webinar Tuesday, April 26, 1pm ET (no charge) -- in addition to the accolades above, Jack is a recognized entrepreneur & CEO who has built 6 companies into national firms, sold 2 to Wall Street, is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner, and has been listed #10 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies. So while other sales experts may market themselves as the most sought-after, Jack Daly's proof is in the indisputable numbers he's achieved over the years.

In this 1-hour session Jack will teach you how to "Quit Selling" and break down his proven Sales Management Checklist. Click here to register for the live event!

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if your company would be a good candidate to work with an executive growth coach? Click here to watch Gazelles International President Keith Cupp describes the four most important attributes of successful clients.

And if you're interested in becoming a world-class certified Gazelles International coach, please contact Jean Carpenter at [email protected] / (360) 798.9471.

TECHNOLOGY:

Align Software puts everyone on the Same Page - Literally! See, in real time every person in your organization and how they are progressing on their priorities - alongside how they Align to the Company Priorities! Scale Up your Rockefeller Habits implementation with www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer and on your phone.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.

Exit Summit Harvard (complimentary); CEO Retreat for 8; General McChrystal event

"...out-learning the competition"

INVITATIONS:

Private CEO Gathering for 8 -- more below, but first...

Harvard Summit on Exit Strategies -- are you planning to sell your company in the next 36 months for $25 million to $500 million or more? Maximize your exit by applying to attend (no charge) this 2-day symposium hosted at Harvard Aug 23 - 24. I'll be one of the speakers discussing the strategies PE firms and larger companies use to "rob" owners of their firms. It's a first class faculty aimed at helping you make the most of this big (and final) decision - and how to handle the challenges you face after exiting.

Strategic vs. Financial Buyers -- sponsoring the "Strategies for Maximizing Your Exit" Summit at Harvard is STS Capital Partners. Rob Follows and his team focus on finding strategic buyers (100+ for each deal) vs. financial buyers. This means you escape a simple formulaic (multiple of earnings) valuation of the company and find the right fit that will multiply both the acquirers value and yours. STS Capital Partners is often able to get 20% to 100% more for the firm than what the owners even think is possible using this strategy.

Problem with Large Investment Banks  -- the last 34 years I've heard horror story after horror story of how owners were convinced to use one of the big firms to sell their company because of their global reach, size, etc. In reality, these firms know they are only going to do one deal with you; but they have the opportunity to do many deals with the large firms they hope to sell you to. So, whose side do you really think they are on!! Wink, wink - behind your back they are bragging to the acquirer how they were able to help them save tens of millions in acquiring your firm. Often the seller finds out, after the deal, that the acquirer was prepared to pay the tens of millions more! Plus, the big firm just wants to get the deal done quickly.

But Don't You Want a Quick Deal?  -- those acquiring you count on you suffering battle fatigue. Most owners reach a point where they just want to get the deal done. Now, I've seen a few totally unreasonable owners that have outsized ideas of what their company is worth. But most tend to undervalue their company - and after 15 - 50 years (family business), this isn't the time to leave millions on the table because you're tired. It's time to pump up the vision (and yourself) and learn how to maximize this final decision - and survive the process. Knowledge is power. Take two days in August and come learn from those that have sold their companies (good and bad) and how they handled the process.

John Ratliff is One of Them  -- John scaled his call center business through a series of 24 acquisitions (all debt financing!); increased its earnings from an industry average 4% to over 21% (using Rockefeller Habits); and drove down employee turnover from 115% to 18% (creating an amazing culture). And when he sold the business, he received 14 times EBITDA, thanks to STS Capital Partners. A serial entrepreneur and investor, John is now an advisor and Managing Director with investment bank STS Capital Partners. He'll be one of the owners sharing stories since he's been on both sides of the table. Apply now - 80 owners will be chosen to attend as guests ($2500 value) at this Exit Summit at Harvard August 23 - 24.

Private CEO Gathering  -- The Retreat in Marathon Key - John and his team are also hosting a fantastic gathering for growth company entrepreneurs at The Retreat in Marathon Key, Florida on May 10-13, 2016. This event is for people who love to discuss big ideas and spend social time in a luxurious setting with other CEOs. Content and discussions will focus on:

1. Employee engagement strategies
2. How to design and implement world class business systems and processes; and
3. Preparing to sell your company

Those that have participated before offer their testimonials on the sign-up page, enthusiastic about the actionable ideas and new connections they've made to help them scale their businesses. The cost for the event is $6,500 per person. This will be an intimate gathering and there are only 8 spots available. Rooms will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please contact Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or [email protected]

General McChrystal  -- join the author of Team of Teams, which I named one of the top five biz books of 2015 (plus Brad Pitt is starring as the General in an upcoming movie); plus a half-dozen other leading biz authors at our upcoming ScaleUp Summit and User Conference May 24 - 26, Atlanta. We don't repeat speakers (unless they write a new book), so don't miss an entire body of knowledge - while "reading" the equivalent of a dozen books in 48 hours. Noted partner Charlie Munger when asked the secret to Warren Buffett's success:

His (Warren's) first priority would be reservation of much time for quiet reading and thinking, particularly that which might advance his determined learning, no matter how old he became.

Leaders are readers/learners. And work fills the time you make available, so coming to the Summit will be a nice forcing function to get your work done! See you in Atlanta.

Zuckerberg’s Full Speech; PPR Top 35 in the World; Hiring 7,000 using Topgrading

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES: (Special Edition)

Full Zuckerberg Speech on YouTube -- sorry I didn't have it yesterday and wanted you to have Mark's 10-year vision speech to watch over the weekend. Here's the link - I would start at 5:50 where he first mentions his 10-year goal - and 11:50 (for 3 minutes) is an important announcement for businesses as they are making it more seamless for users to communicate directly with us without businesses having to create separate apps. Thanks to JR Williams with Brand You, Inc. for getting me the link.

PPR Named Top 35 Great Workplaces in the World -- yes, the world, as named by Gallup yesterday. Noted Dwight Cooper, CEO, in an email to me:

On the first day I met you at MIT you said something like: "Pick something that you can be the best in the world at and build a business around it." That began our quest to be the best workplace in the world.

Dwight and his team will once again be in Atlanta at the ScaleUp Summit May 24 - 25 - and I'll have him on stage to share some insights into their huge global win. Congratulations to the entire team at PPR for this well-deserved recognition.

Hire 7,000 Per Year -- one key to their success? They are a power user of the Topgrading methodology to hire 7,000 people per year. 40 PPR leaders have been trained on Topgrading through our online course. Notes Terri Cohen, Vice President of General Employment Experiences:

Topgrading is that deeper dive, it really helps us learn about the behaviors of the candidate, asking those questions to learn about their other jobs, how they handled those situations and how they talk about their successes and their failures.

Here's a 3-minute video that highlights their case study. To sign up for this quarter's online Topgrading Master Class (enrollment ends on April 28), email the Growth Institute team at [email protected] to request the program's syllabus.

Have a Great Weekend.

Zuckerberg's BHAG; Case's Vision; Delaying College; Seth Godin's key tip

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
	African Proverb

7-Minute Exec Ed -- the Scaling Up Club's featured clip this week is from Seth Godin's unusual and fascinating seminar Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. Links below, but first...

Why Your Teen Should Skip College for Now -- see details below, but second...

Remarkable Book -- wow, Steve Case, co-founder of AOL, authored a very important and well-written book. Released last week, I read The Third Wave: An Entrepreneurs' Vision for the Future over the weekend, as promised, and it has to be the best book I've read so far in 2016. Key learnings:

1. The third wave - the Internet of Everything - is something all of us, in every industry, must embrace - and he details why and how.
    
2. This wave is more like the first wave - vs. the second wave where lone entrepreneurs could dominate. Why? Because...
    
3. The next wave will transform entire industries like transportation and healthcare. This requires partnering with major players including governments.

Case quotes the above African Proverb in the book.

3 P's -- notes Case, when he discusses with entrepreneurs the keys to success in the third wave "I tell them that it comes down to the three P's: partnership, policy, and perseverance." Partnership - I mentioned above; Policy, because you're going to be touching significant industries, most of which impact constituencies and governments (think Zuckerberg's meetings with Chinese officials); and perseverance, because all of this is tough, really tough.

Chapter 12 -- if you want a quick summary, go to the last chapter where Case shares his "Key Takeaways" in two pages. Grab this book and absorb it as soon as you can (and have your teenage children read it). For Gazelles, we're taking an entire day to start identifying key partnerships and outlining the technology roadmap we must pursue in delivering executive education, coaching, and cloud-based support in helping you scaleup (thank you Raghoo Potinii for spearheading this).

Zuckerberg's 10-Year Plan -- speaking of third waves, on Tuesday Facebook's founder/CEO announced his next BHAG -- "give everyone the power to share anything with anyone" (he literally means all 7+ billion people). Notes this USA Today report, it's supported by three pillars:

• Artificial intelligence, which will help Facebook better sift through and understand all the photos, videos and updates people post to Facebook;
   
• Connectivity, the goal of making Facebook and the internet available everywhere and to everyone through lasers and drones;
   
• Virtual and augmented reality, which Zuckerberg says one day will bring friends together even if they are on other sides of the planet through a pair of "normal-looking" glasses that can overlay digital elements on the physical world and become "the most social platform."

It was a politically charged and powerful speech, worth the 2 minutes to read USA Today's summary (I couldn't find a transcript of the speech).

Skip College (for now) -- and this NY Times piece looks at the critical importance of students taking a "gap year" after high school. Notes the piece: 

A recent Middlebury study showed that students who take a year off before arriving outperform their peers in their academic and extracurricular engagement on campus. And the American Gap Association reports that students who take a year before college are 75 percent more likely to be "happy" or "extremely satisfied" with their careers post-college.

Our oldest son took a gap year (working various jobs for friends around the globe) and entirely changed his mind on where he wanted to go to school and his major. That saved what would have been a wasted year of college and tuition in our case - and he's super happy and motivated just as the article describes. More importantly, Julie and I weren't involved at all in his college decision-making and didn't even know he had applied - yea, no costly and time consuming college campus visits. My parents didn't escort me around - so I didn't want to do it either (mean dad!).

7-Minute Scaling Up Club -- Advertising and marketing that is built off other people's work is doomed to fail, and the only way to stand out is to be remarkable - In just 7-minutes (11:24-17:30), understand how crucial it is to be beyond average and remarkable! In this section, Seth Godin focuses on the initial stage - how to change something in your business to start being a little better than average.

If you only have one-minute, check out from 19:14 to 20:25 to see one specific example of how to make an impression and have a remarkable business. To access both clips: Scaling Up Club Members go here, Non members can join here to enjoy!

TECHNOLOGY:

Align Software puts everyone on the Same Page - Literally! See, in real time every person in your organization and how they are progressing on their priorities - alongside how they Align to the Company Priorities! Scale Up your Rockefeller Habits implementation with www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer and on your phone.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if your company would be a good candidate to work with an executive growth coach? Click here to watch Gazelles International President Keith Cupp describes the four most important attributes of successful clients.

And if you're interested in becoming a world-class certified Gazelles International coach, please contact Jean Carpenter at [email protected] / (360) 798.9471.