The Agile Scaleup

#1 Book; Facebook's Purpose; Google's Five Hiring Attributes; Moog Music; Feb 28 Webinar

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"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

Michael Bungay Stanier distills the essentials of coaching to seven core questions. And if you master his simple yet profound technique, you'll get a twofer. You'll provide more effective support to your employees and co-workers. And you may find that you become the ultimate coach for yourself.
	Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive

Topgrading Case Study Webinar -- Feb 28, 2pm ET - Dr. Brad Smart will present his latest implementation case study on hiring - nothing instructs better than a real world example. More below, but first...

The Coaching Habit -- this is the title of the #1 book on coaching, the critical skill which has replaced managing. Michael Bungay Stanier has burst onto the biz guru scene with a sharp intellect and wit, detailing in a very practical way how we can effectively coach someone in 10 minutes using seven questions. Read the opening chapter titled "You Need a Coaching Habit" which highlights the 7 questions - then come hear Michael keynote the ScaleUp Summit May 23 - 24, San Antonio where he'll share how to put these questions into action.

Facebook's Purpose -- last Thursday Mark Zuckerberg outlined a more detailed vision for the world and how Facebook will play a role. Take 1 minute to read the first few hundred words of his 6000-word post. It's clear Facebook's Purpose revolves around the idea of creating a "global community" and he details five ways Facebook will support this and why. This HBR article does an excellent job of analyzing and summarizing Mark's thoughts. This kind of broader manifesto to explain your company's vision/purpose is nicely modelled by Mark.

Mindset More Important Than Talent -- Google and others have discovered that academic performance and testing don't predict lifelong success (accomplishing great things). This Margaret Heffernan BBC radio show titled "Is Talent Over-rated" takes a deep look at what does predict success. Having a growth mindset vs. fixed mindset; having grit; being open to feedback; being around the right people and places; and having a great coach do. And the most important attribute? A love of learning!

Five Attributes Google Found Predicts Success -- At 17:30 into Margaret's show she comes back to Google and highlights the five things used at Google to screen for the right people including courage and why this is critical! Toward the end Margaret notes the importance of using a very structured approach to interviewing which focuses more on behavioral alignment with values than particular skills - precisely what the Topgrading interview gives you. If you're a parent, leader, coach - or just interested in what it takes to be successful yourself, take 27 minutes (while doing email?) to listen to Margaret's show where she interviews many of the top thinkers in the field of success. Once again, it proves the importance of reading, watching, and listening to anything Margaret produces!! I do.

Moog Music Top Ten (Gazelles Case Study) -- Moog Music of synthesizer fame was just named one of the top ten most innovative companies 2017 in the music sector by Fast Company. Notes Nancy Eberhardt, their Gazelles Certified Coach, "they had a highly successful 2016 on all metrics in our first year of working with them." Congratulations to Moog and Nancy as Gazelles-coached clients continue to win industry awards.

Topgrading Hiring Process Webinar -- Why Implementation Will Save You Thousands in Just 6 Weeks. Join Dr. Brad Smart, creator of Topgrading, in a live discussion where he will highlight one of his latest implementation case studies. This event will be a live interview, where you are encouraged to participate and personally ask Brad questions around implementing Topgrading in your company. Join Dr. Brad Smart on this live webinar on February 28th at 2:00pm EST. This event has limited capacity, so reserve your seat soon.

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY:

Align Software knows before you do when someone needs to re-focus effort on the important. With Green, Yellow, Red pacing capabilities your team will know where they stand even before you do! Scale Up your Rockefeller Habits implementation with  www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer, tablet or phone. $5.00 per month gets you started.

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 working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Click here to watch Gazelles International President Keith Cupp describes the four most important attributes of successful clients. Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

And if you're interested in becoming a world-class certified Gazelles International coach, please go to gicoaches.com/becomeacoach for more information. If you determine that we're a fit and wish to join our premier organization, we invite you to contact our Dir. of Coach Engagement at [email protected] or 877.217.2253 ext.700

Benchmarks; Trust Neuroscience; Daily Huddle; Long Term Benefits; Mexico City March 2

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

Salim Ismail in Mexico City March 2 -- author of Exponential Organizations, Salim will present live. More info below, but first...

CEO Boot Camp -- spend 4 fun and deeply interactive days with Verne and John Ratliff in Marathon, FL March 7 - 10 - 2 seats left. For more info [email protected]

Productivity Benchmarks -- Fortune's Most Admired Companies list is out and Apple is again #1. Overall, Fortune 500 companies account for $12.5 trillion in revenues, $945 billion in profits, $17 trillion in market value and employ 26.8 million people worldwide. That works out to $466,418 revenue/employee and $35,261 profit/employee. In turn, the average revenue/employee for mid-market firms ($10 million to $1 billion) is $126,000/employee. Pricing and bad processes are the main reasons scaleups are less than a third as efficient in generating revenue than large companies.

Trust Drives Productivity -- not surprisingly, high-trust organizations outperform low-trust firms as reported in this HBR article. Specifically, people in high-trust companies report:

74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives, 40% less burnout.

There are 8 management practices that specifically drive trust, including frequent communication. Notes the article, in support of the daily huddle:

A 2015 study of 2.5 million manager-led teams in 195 countries found that workforce engagement improved when supervisors had some form of daily communication with direct reports.

One of the firms highlighted in the article is Barry-Wehmiller, whose CEO (and author of Everybody Matters) is keynoting our upcoming ScaleUp Summit May 23 - 24, San Antonio. Thanks for Steve Hall, founder of DriversSelect, for pointing me to this important article.

India's Biggest Robot Company Drives Productivity -- with the explosion of online commerce, automating warehouses is big business - and one of the leaders is India-based GreyOrange. This BBC News item details how two students have built this 650 employee company. Notes co-founder Samay Kohli:

A single person would pick about 100 to 120 items in one hour. With our Butler robot, he is able to pick 400 to 500 items every hour.

This is how you boost revenue/employee! Mr. Kohli goes on to note:

Ten years ago, every person did not have a computer, today every person has one computer. We look at robots in that sense: as everyone has one computer, in the future they will have one robot with them to help them do their work better.

Managing for the Long Term Drives Performance -- this McKinsey study which tracked 615 companies between 2001 and 2015 reports that firms which took a long term perspective grew revenues 47% faster and profit 36% faster vs. their peers.

Proven Completely Wrong About Productivity -- note's this Fortune article, Eric Schmidt, Executive Chair of Google, admits he was wrong about the impact of artificial intelligence and now believes that "AI-first" is real. A Google Brain team's focus on recognizing cats in YouTube videos changed Schmidt's mind about the potential for AI to approach human intelligence. What are you doing to explore AI applications in your industry to drive productivity?

For my friends in Mexico! -- The Scaling Up book continues to rank at the top of Amazon and is frequently purchased with Salim Ismail's Exponential Organizations. If you've had success with the Scaling Up methodology I recommend considering a related and unique opportunity with Salim. On March 2nd, our Growth Institute is hosting a summit in Mexico City featuring Salim and his revolutionary approach to business growth. Click here to learn more about the event. Seats are very limited so reserve your spot today.

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Click here to watch Gazelles International President Keith Cupp describes the four most important attributes of successful clients. Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

And if you're interested in becoming a world-class certified Gazelles International coach, please go to gicoaches.com/becomeacoach for more information. If you determine that we're a fit and wish to join our premier organization, we invite you to contact our Dir. of Coach Engagement at [email protected] or 877.217.2253 ext.700.

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.

Buffett's Top 10; Growth Paradox; Founder's Mentality; CEO Boot Camp

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

Growth creates complexity, and complexity is the silent killer of growth.
	Chris Zook, The Founder's Mentality

How to Grow Beyond $10 Million (Gazelles case study) -- Ryan Allis, CEO of Connect, has a series of articles on how to grow a business - and they are excellent. This one on strategy notes that there is a single question you must answer:

The one thing we’ll do better than any other company in the world is...

What is that for your company? A fan of the Rockefeller Habits and the One-Page Strategic Plan, Ryan lists 11 concise execution lessons for scaling beyond $10 million at the bottom of the article. It's worth 4 minutes to read the article (at least the opening paragraph - more complete definition of strategy) and 1 minute to check out the 11 tips. Very practical. Thanks to Gazelles coach Rich Manders for pointing me to Ryan's teachings.

The Paradox of Growth -- Chris Zook's opening quote above summarizes well this paradox of growth. A partner in Bain & Company, Zook's new book The Founder's Mentality notes that "only about one company in nine has sustained more than a minimum level of profitable growth during the past decade." And its internal factors vs. the market that 85% of executives blame for the shortfall in growth. Notes Zook:

You can't sustain profitable growth in a competitive market if you're a disaster internally, and you can't maintain a high-performance culture internally for long if you're failing in the marketplace.

There's the paradox. Zook's book, which GPro and book club members will receive, takes a look inside the company - and at the mentality that works best to excel. His previous four books looked at the external strategy game, including his groundbreaking book Profit from the Core which Michael Dell used to crush Compaq.

The Founder's Mentality -- so what is it? The good news is that the Rockefeller Habits covers what Zook suggests is needed to run great internally. And to drive this discipline he suggests adopting a founder's mentality which constitutes a key source of competitive advantage and consists of three main traits:

1. An insurgent's mission
2. An owner's mindset
3. Obsession with the front line

Zook is keynoting the ScaleUp Summit May 23 - 24 San Antonio and I'm asking him to share his best secrets for both internal and external strategy. If reading the book in advance, I would go right to p. 77 and read the first few pages of "Combatting Overload." Then read the Introduction - excellent overview.

Buffett's Best Advice -- Warren actually endorsed a book about himself titled Warren Buffett's Ground Rules by Jeremy Miller. This Fortune article (and 2-minute interview of Miller) highlights 10 of Buffet's best pieces of advice ever. It's worth taking a minute to scan down through the list. And you can go to :42 of the video for the three best pieces of advice for investing in stocks. I summarize as Team, Price, and Industry Knowledge.

You Can Read 200 Books per Year... in the time you spend on social media. Enough said. This QUARTZ article includes Buffett's advice on success, pointing to a stack of books:

Read 500 pages like this every day. That's how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will...

The rest of the article describes how Charles Chu took the challenge and figured out how to read more books - and the impact it had. Thanks to Gazelles coach Matt Kuttler for recommending.

10 Top Influence Experts -- this Huffington Post piece highlights the top 10 influence experts from 2016 along with their best sales tips - it's a great summary of 10 books that have impacted our understanding of persuasion - worth sharing with your sales and marketing team. And #1 is Dr. Robert Cialdini and his book Pre-suasion - we're excited he's keynoting our ScaleUp Summit.

CEO Boot Camp -- want some one-on-one time while spending 4 fun and deeply interactive days with Verne and 10 CEOs at The Marathon Retreat in the Florida Keys March 7 - 10. For more info [email protected]

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Click here to watch Gazelles International President Keith Cupp describes the four most important attributes of successful clients. Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

And if you're interested in becoming a world-class certified Gazelles International coach, please go to gicoaches.com/becomeacoach for more information. If you determine that we're a fit and wish to join our premier organization, we invite you to contact our Dir. of Coach Engagement at [email protected] or 877.217.2253 ext.700.

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.

10 Tech Trends; Zingerman’s Change; Legal Monkeys’ Appreciation Board; Raleigh May 1 - 4

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

ScaleUpU Launches in Raleigh -- are you a high potential growth firm in the Raleigh region? The state of North Carolina wants to know. Apply for this innovative program. More below, but first...

Because it's Easier/Faster -- more than half of all internet sales growth in the US in 2016 came from Amazon according to this Fortune article. And Amazon accounted for 43% of ALL online sales - incredible. Notes Slice principal analyst Ken Cassar:

Amazon maintains an obsessive focus on removing every pain point from the buying process. This is clearly exemplified with its Prime program, with free, reliably quick shipping.

The article goes on to note that Amazon is able to deliver packages in an average of 3.4 days vs. 5.6 days for everyone else. What are you doing to maintain an obsessive focus on removing every pain point in your customer buying and delivery experience? Bring this question to your weekly meeting - every week!

X-Prize Founder's Top 10 Tech Trends -- Peter Diamandis has published his Top 10 tech trends for 2016. Go to p.2 to scan down the list of ten then to p.20 to dig into the Artificial Intelligence details. Please start figuring out which apps/partners you need to add AI to your products/services. You won't need to make it happen this year, but you need to start.

Zingerman's Change Process Now in Writing -- Zingerman's, the $60 million "best deli in the world" co-founded by anarchist Ari Weinzweig, has the best change management process I've even seen - something Ari guided our audience through at last year's ScaleUp Summit. Ari has finally written down the process for getting employees to own their suggestions and drive improvement ideas through an organization - they create the vision, they get the buy-in, and they drive the improvement - plus it's fun. Go to this link to purchase this powerful (and well-illustrated) step-by-step pamphlet for driving bottom line change.

Legal Monkeys' Appreciation Board (Gazelles idea of the week) -- mentioned alongside Southwest Airlines and DreamWorks in this Entrepreneur article, Rockefeller Habits fans Legal Monkeys took an idea for an Appreciation Board from their Gazelles coach Andy Bailey and ran with it. It's an 8x10 picture frame where any employee can use a dry erase market to write a note of appreciation and then present it to another associate for display on their desk. Here's a 2-minute video (I like to see how other companies produce/use video) by CEO Corey Cormier where he shows a board, how it's presented, and then how they extend the appreciation through Facebook and other social media. He also explains how it ties back to their core values - and you also get to see video of their daily huddle. Nicely done Corey and team!

Join me at InfusionSoft's ICON -- I'll be keynoting the center of the single largest community of small business owners and marketers from around the world. Gazelles preferred CRM and Rockefeller Habits fan, InfusionSoft's gathering of over 10,000 biz leaders provides some top notch education and entertainment. April 25 - April 27 2017 • Phoenix, Arizona Register now and get $100 off!

ScaleUpU Launches in Raleigh -- following the successful launch of ScaleUpU in Kansas City, serial entrepreneur and author Randy Nelson, champion for North Carolina, is seeking applications for the first 15 high potential growth firms in the Raleigh region for a May 1 - 4 launch of the inaugural "Class of 2019." Supported by RedHat, this program honors (including extensive media) the best scaleups in the region and takes them through, with the support of the local community, a 36-month process of education, coaching, and tech support to double their revenues. For more info contact Randy Nelson at [email protected] and visit this link

CEO Boot Camp -- spend 4 fun and interactive days with Verne and 10 CEOs in Marathon, FL March 7 - 10. For more info [email protected]

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Click here to watch Gazelles International President Keith Cupp describes the four most important attributes of successful clients. Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

And if you're interested in becoming a world-class certified Gazelles International coach, please go to gicoaches.com/becomeacoach for more information. If you determine that we're a fit and wish to join our premier organization, we invite you to contact our Dir. of Coach Engagement at [email protected] or 877.217.2253 ext.700.

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.