The Agile Scaleup

How to Keep Winning; Nick Saban; Pep Guardiola; the Process; CEO Boot Camp

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

Bill's "Own the Room" methodology has helped countless speakers play at a higher level.
	Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook

Final CEO Boot Camp Before Summer -- two seats are left for the upcoming May 29 - June 1 Boot Camp hosted by McKeel Hagerty of $400 million Hagerty insurance and immediate past international chair of YPO - along with serial entrepreneur John Ratliff and Verne Harnish - identify your constraints and eliminate them.

Perfect Presentations -- the ability to comfortably deliver a message - to a handful of people or a large crowd - is a key leadership skill. Bill Hoogterp has written the best practical book I've read (with tons of fun exercises) on how to "get over yourself" and present. Titled Your Perfect Presentation: Speak in Front of Any Audience Anytime Anywhere and Never Be Nervous Again, the book notes:

"Bill, who has a quirky ability to make anyone a better public speaker and presenter," has developed a system...called Own the Room...some pretty big and cool companies and a growing number of famous people and leaders (see Sandberg's quote above) have hired (Bill's) coaches to find the star speaker that's hiding inside.

The first two pages of Part 1 outline his process - and the opening exercise, where he has you speak a set of words in a way that represents their meaning, is insightful and sets the tone for the entire book of exercises. Bill is keynoting the upcoming ScaleUp Summit May 22 - 23, New Orleans and SPro and book club members will receive his book next week.

What Being a Champion Means...Being Different -- this, notes University of Alabama coach Nick Saban, is the key to winning. Named one of the top 50 leaders by Fortune for leading the Crimson Tide to five national championships in 9 years, this article goes on to explain,

"To me it takes a completely different mindset to stay successful as opposed to what you have to do to build something to be successful," says Saban. "All of us are sort of geared toward, if we have success, we're supposed to be rewarded for it, not necessarily that we have to continue to do things even better than we did before."

The article continues:

If imitation is truly flattery, then Saban is much praised: Four of Alabama's Southeastern Conference rivals - Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas A&M - now employ former Saban assistant coaches as head coach. (Saban has never yet lost a game to one of his disciples.)

The Innovator's Dilemma -- Yet the gist of the Saban article is not how he came in, using his Process - "a methodical, efficient approach to organizational management" - to quickly take a college football to two national championships. It's how he's been able to sustain victory after victory over a long period of time. To quote the author:

How has he managed to navigate the sports version of what Clayton Christensen famously dubbed the "Innovator's Dilemma" - the fact that success makes it hard to keep the edge you need to win in the future?

In short, Saban has been relentlessly committed to self-disruption. Though his Process might seem rigid to those on the outside, it's really based on a constant analysis of what's working and not working. Quotes Saban, "I hate it when somebody says, 'That's the way we've always done it.' It drives me absolutely up a wall."

Cut and Move Swiftly -- Saban's constant analysis of what's working and not, and then making swift adjustments, was never better demonstrated when he took out his star quarterback at halftime of the championship game and put in a freshman who threw the winning pass in overtime to clinch the title. It is one of the boldest personnel decisions of any team coach I've ever seen. Saban also embraces technology to give his team an edge. Using a GPS system by Catapult that monitors the performance of his players (think "Prediction Machine"), he was able to make adjustments in practice routines that kept his players fresher on the field. These are just two of the many insights this Fortune article shares - it's worth the 3 minutes to read - then reflect on pivots and technologies you should employ to give your team the edge.

…And Cut the Grass: driving similar success, FC Barcelona's former coach Pep Guardiola, just led Manchester City to the Premier League Championship - and in record time! This NY Times article shares how no small detail is left to chance, including the length of the grass, trimmed to different specs to facilitate the fast-paced style Pep has brought north. Reading these two sports article, you'll begin to see a pattern around success - discipline, data, precision, and a point of view that looks at the same game and does things differently.

Need More Copies of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)? -- Amazon continues to premium price the hardcover book. If you need a box of 20, the books are less than $10/each.

Bloomberg Breakaway Membership and CEO Summit -- As part of our collaboration with Bloomberg LIVE, 30 ScaleUp CEO's will be eligible to apply and join Bloomberg's Breakaway membership (annual dues just $2500) which includes an invitation to their Breakaway CEO Summit June 20-21 in New York City. If interested in joining Verne and 150 other CEOs hosted by Bloomberg, click here.

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? Contact us at [email protected] for more information or visit https://scalingup.com/coaches.html.

And if you're interested in becoming a certified Gazelles coach, please email [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]

TECHNOLOGY:

Create Accountability – Drive Execution
Click Here to Watch a video example.

Align is your cloud based business operating system designed to keep you on your path to executing your goals. 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, 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.

Best Biz Book 2018; Top 50 Leaders; Prediction Machines; Important Record; Co-Founder Priceline Keynoting

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

World's Top 50 Greatest Leaders -- Fortune's list is out today and topping the list are "The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas and other schools." Only 12 of the 50 are business leaders not including Bill and Melinda Gates (#2) for their foundation efforts. Worth a minute to scan down through the list.

Jeff Hoffman Closing Keynote -- Entrepreneur (Priceline.com, uBid.com), proven CEO, author, Hollywood film producer, and producer of a Grammy-winning jazz album in 2015, Jeff Hoffman is attending and keynoting our spring 2018 ScaleUp Summit in collaboration with Bloomberg LIVE May 22 - 23, New Orleans (the equivalent of reading a dozen books in two days).

Best Biz Book 2018 (so far) -- AI is the rage and was the main topic at the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos. But how do mere mortal mid-market firms use it, economically, to scale? This week three professors from U of Toronto, the global epi-center of AI, published a book titled Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence. It is the most practical book I've read on the topic - and if you only read one book in 2018, this is it so far. The five-page "Introduction" is excellent. And if that's too long, read the three "Key Points" on page 5. SPro and book club members will receive a copy next week. Then come hear co-author Avi Goldfarb keynote the ScaleUp Summit in Collaboration with Bloomberg LIVE.

AI Doesn't Bring Intelligence -- notes the co-authors of Prediction Machines:

Our first key insight is that the new wave of artificial intelligence does not actually bring us intelligence but instead a critical component of intelligence-prediction.

In short, AI/machine learning helps you "see around corners" as the late Steve Jobs was famous for doing. From predicting mechanical failures to pending health issues to potential customer/employee exits, the first company in any industry to harness the power of AI will have a leg up on the competition. Where would better prediction help you avoid problems? Where is there drama in your business? Again, please take time to read this well written and insightful book on how to figure this out and apply AI in a practical way - then decide on your first "prediction machine" initiative.

Amazon's AI Initiatives -- This Bloomberg article highlights how Jeff Wilke (the other Jeff!) is leading Amazon into the world of AI. His focus is on helping customers do practical things. Notes the article:

"I don't think they (Amazon) want to be the people who beat the world champion in Go," says Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence and a computer science professor at the University of Washington. "They want to be the people who roll out very successful AI-based products."

Fun Fact: the article highlights that Amazon's revenue is less than 1% of the global retail market of $25 trillion, proving you don't need huge market share to have a viable business (haha). Please take 2 minutes to read how Wilke is dealing with Trump's threats to raise postal rates and other challenges facing this retail giant.

Amazon's AI Hurting Scaling Up (less expensive version available)? -- given the popularity of Scaling Up, Amazon's AI has been premium pricing the book (I have no control over the price and make no more or less - Amazon pays me a fixed fee). If you would like copies for less than half the $20+ Amazon is charging, you can get a box of 20 for less than $10 each plus shipping. NOTE: Quantity of 1 means one box of 20 books. Yes, a little confusing! We're getting a new storefront.

Training and Discipline -- AI should help better predict when a jet engine might fail but its only as accurate as the data it receives. Seems the standard visual inspection which occurred two days before an engine failed on a Southwest flight this week, wasn't sufficient. Our prayers go out to the family of Jennifer Riordan. She was the first accident-related fatality in a record nine years on US airline flights, and the first for Southwest Airlines in their 51 year history - an impressive record credited to continuous learning and discipline (kudos to former navy pilot Tammy Jo Shults for landing the crippled plane). The airline industry will issue directives in a couple weeks that correct this problem (more frequent ultrasound inspections on certain engines) in hopes of setting another record before an accident fatality. The key is process improvement driven by checklists. Where do you have drama in the business that needs examined and the process corrected?

Big Data Meets Biology -- and Fortune's latest magazine features a series of articles on how big data is driving healthcare revolutions everywhere. One example that serves as a productivity lesson for all of us:

(John) Hopkins's Scheulen says the technology functionally expanded the hospital's capacity by 15 or 16 beds without the need to add, well, actual beds.

The other huge gain will be on the patient side - both in helping predict health issues to putting more control of the healthcare process in the hands of patients. And this technology is already saving lives as detailed in the featured article noted above. Where could better prediction provide you significant productivity gains?

Virtual Choir -- Grammy-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre was the closing keynote for EO's Global Leadership Conference (and 30th anniversary celebration) in Toronto this week. Proving the power of creating a new genre within an industry and then owning it's two words, Whitacre created the world's first "Virtual Choir." Piecing together the first virtual choir piece with contributions from 185 voices from 12 countries in 2010, his latest choir features 5905 singers from 101 countries. The music and visuals are groundbreaking - worth a few minutes even if just background music while cranking email. What two words do you own? How could you tap into more free talent to drive your business model and brand like ALL the unicorns (companies that scale to a billion valuation quickly) do?

Scaling Up Magazine -- Excited to share the inaugural issue of our new quarterly magazine full of business insights from top industry thought-leaders and business gurus. Click here to view!

Scaling Up is published in partnership with Carle Publishing - Want to differentiate & position your company as a leading authority in the marketplace? Contact them today!

CEO-BOOTCAMP: Spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 9 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. May 29 - June 1; October 2 - 5; and January 15 - 18, 2019

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? Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

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:

Create Accountability – Drive Execution
Click Here to Watch a video example.

Align is your cloud based business operating system designed to keep you on your path to executing your goals. 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, 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.

Next Five Minutes; Excellence Dividend; People and AI; Hotel Cut-off

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

Excellence is not an "aspiration." Excellence is...THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES!
	Tom Peters, The Excellence Dividend

April 17 Hotel Room Cut-off -- if you're planning to attend the ScaleUp Summit May 22 - 23 New Orleans, please reserve a hotel room. The cut-off date for the discounted rate is April 17 - and given the beautiful location (French Quarter) and time of the year, this Marriott tends to sell out.

Role of People in AI World -- legendary Tom Peters, co-author of In Search of Excellence, published his 18th book this week titled The Excellence Dividend Fitting with our upcoming ScaleUp Summit theme "Prediction Intelligence," Peters squarely addresses what is the critical role of people in an AI driven world - and much of what he's predicted in the past about how work would be structured today has come true - so I've learned to listen to this sage. SPro and book club members will get a copy of his book next week - then you're all invited to come hear Tom and 9 other top thought leaders keynote our ScaleUp Summit in collaboration with Bloomberg LIVE May 22 - 23, New Orleans

Execution is Strategy -- I'm not sure I completely agree with General Omar Bradley, whom Tom quotes as saying "Amateurs talk about strategy. Professionals talk about logistics" but I get the point. Victory ultimately comes down to excellent execution and as Tom notes above, it's all about what you do next, in the next five minutes. Notes Tom:

EXCELLENCE is your next conversation. Or not. EXCELLENCE is your next meeting. Or not. EXCELLENCE is shutting up and listening-really listening. Or not. EXCELLENCE is your next customer contact. Or not. EXCELLENCE is saying "Thank you" for something "small." Or not. EXCELLENCE is the next time you shoulder responsibility and apologize. Or not. EXCELLENCE is waaay over-reacting to a screw-up. Or not. EXCELLENCE is the flowers you brought to work today. Or not. EXCELLENCE is lending a hand to an "outsider" who's fallen behind schedule. Or not. EXCELLENCE is bothering to learn the way folks in finance [or IS or HR] think. Or not. EXCELLENCE is waaay "over"-preparing for a 3-minute presentation. Or not. EXCELLENCE is turning "insignificant" tasks into models of ... EXCELLENCE.

This is a checklist worth formatting and posting in front of every person in the company!

Be the Best. It's the Only Market That's Not Crowded -- your reputation for excellence is simply the sum total of all the little things you do and don't do over the next five minutes, and then the five minutes after that. It's a never ending "search for excellence" - and must include, as Tom preaches, an increased role for women in leadership positions; an understanding of the importance of scaleups in the global economy; the interplay between technology and people; and the power/impact that culture and "putting people first" have on driving flawless execution of a simply stated (Vision Summary) strategy.

Enough -- hopefully the list above gives you enough to ponder over the coming week. And, again, please format and post the list in front of everyone in the organization. I'm simply out of time to write any more, leading with serial entrepreneur John Ratliff our latest CEO Boot Camp this week. It's always an intensive 24/7 kind of event and Tom's list has been prescient in helping me focus on the next one-on-one session, the next conversation, the next presentation, the next...as we work to guarantee an excellent experience/outcome for these CEOs and their firms. Tom's messages are always inspiring and insightful for me and I look forward to having him light a fire under all of you in New Orleans. See you soon.

CEO-BOOTCAMP: spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 9 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. May 29 - June 1 (YPO-only hosted by McKeel Hagerty); October 2 - 5; and January 15 - 18, 2019

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:

Create Accountability – Drive Execution
Click Here to Watch a video example.

Align is your cloud based business operating system designed to keep you on your path to executing your goals. 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, 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.