Jim Collins’ Latest; 7 Uses of AI; Mariya Yao; 3-Timer CEOs; ScaleUp Summit May 21 – 22 Atlanta

Hello ScaleUps, 

Hope it’s been a productive and purposeful week. Here are some insights/opportunities to help you outlearn/outthink the competition.

The greatest danger in business and life lies not in outright failure but in achieving success without understanding why you were successful in the first place.
	Jim Collins paraphrasing Prof. Robert Burgelman

3-Timer CEOs (Scaling Up Case Studies) –
From $100 million to over $1 billion in 24 months; from 3 to 30 locations; dozens of acquisitions; and a significant business pivot – this 87-second video highlights the outcomes four scaleup CEOs have achieved from attending our CEO Boot Camp three times since we launched two years ago. Why attend so many times? Because the experience is powerful. March is full, but 4 spots are open for June 4 – 7 in Marathon, FL. 

Jim Collins’ Flywheel –
How does YOUR flywheel turn? Jim Collins articulated the flywheel concept in Good to Great, one of the most powerful ideas to come out of his collective work. And it’s18 years later that he’s come to understand more fully the intricacies enough to help us discern our own flywheel – what are the components; what is the sequence; is the logic of your flywheel as equally sound as Amazon’s? Please watch this two-minute Jim Collins video for more details on his flywheel concept -- as applicable to business as it is non-profits and your own personal career.

Turning the Flywheel Monograph –
Released yesterday, Jim Collins’ latest 46-page Turning the Flywheel monograph provides a way for you to think about your own flywheel. It’s such a brilliant and quick read that I couldn’t put it down – and has my head spinning on precisely how to describe our own flywheel (if we have one!). To get it right means, to quote Jim Collins:

…if you conceive of your flywheel in the right way – and if you continually renew and extend the flywheel – it can be remarkably durable, perhaps even capable of carrying your organization through a major strategic inflection point or turbulent disruption.

But he goes on to warn:

…to do so requires understanding the underlying architecture of the flywheel as distinct from a single line of business or arena of activity (emphasis Jim Collins’).

Please grab a Kindle copy and take 62 minutes to read it this weekend, then bring Jim’s key questions to your weekly “council” meeting the next few weeks. Figuring out your flywheel is one of the most important strategic decision you’ll make – personally and professionally.

7 Practical Applications of Artificial Intelligence –
Chapter 2 of Applied Artificial Intelligence provides the best summary/progression of how AI is applied to business I’ve seen to date. You can read the chapter in 5 minutes. Co-authored by Mariya Yao, it’s subtitled A Handbook for Business Leaders – and it is!  SPro and Book Club members will receive a copy of the book next week. Mariya, along with 11 other top biz authors, will keynote our upcoming ScaleUp Summit in Atlanta May 21 – 22. Our two-day Summit is the equivalent of your team reading a dozen books (which research says is the differentiator between A-player execs and everyone else).

Machine Intelligence Continuum (MIC) –
Mariya labels these applications of AI, in Chapter 2, MIC. The seven are machine learning systems that: Act, Predict, Learn, Create, Relate, Master, and Evolve. And she shares examples where each is being used in business, which should spur some creative ideas for your own organization. I then suggest you go right to Chapter 6 where she details how to build an AI-ready culture. No surprise – it’s best if the CEO is onboard and at least one C-Suite executive has an advanced math degree (often top CMO’s have this, since it’s such an analytical function – or should be!!!). Again, Mariya has written a very practical and straight-forward book on how AI can be applied to our businesses. Join us in Atlanta to learn from her and a dozen others. 

What a Quantum Computer Looks Like –
10 years from being useful, quantum computing is the next frontier. For those curious, this Fortune article and 6-minute video gives you a quick look at what a quantum computer looks like -- essentially the most expensive refrigerator on the planet!

CEO-BOOTCAMP: spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 6 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. March 12 - 15; Jun 4 - 7, 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? Contact us at [email protected] for more information or visit https://coaches.scalingup.com/.

TECHNOLOGY:

Create Accountability - Drive Execution with Align, cloud-based software designed to scale up your Rockefeller Habits implementation. www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer, tablet or phone. Click here to watch an introductory video.

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.