The Agile Scaleup

Unoffendable; CEO of the Year; Get Hygge; Thrive in ‘25

Weekly scaleup news from Verne Harnish

Become unoffendable.                          Brant Hansen  I don’t believe leaders are born. I believe leaders are trained.                          Lisa Su, CEO AMD Unoffendable – How Just One Change Can Make All Life Better It’s enough to purchase the book and read the cover every day! How can you become unoffendable? As author Brant Hansen suggests, learn how to replace perpetual frustration and anger with refreshing humility and gratitude. It will make everything else in your life better, for sure. Women Biz Owners Need Your Help Tis the season – if you have any funds left in your end-of-year donation coffers, please consider a cause near and dear to our hearts – scholarships for women biz owners hit hard by inflation, city challenges, etc. – to attend Million Dollar Women’s programs that boost their sales and businesses – see below for more details. Thank you for giving – entrepreneurs to entrepreneurs. Last Business Article 2024? CEO of the Year Stock up 40x in a decade ($3 to $121), Lisa Su CEO of AMD was named Time Magazine’s “CEO of the Year.” This article details how she’s done it. Racing past Intel, the key question: can she come close to catching up and beating NVIDIA founded by her cousin (all in the family!). NVIDIA has 95% market share in the data center space. It’s worth 3-minutes to get an inside glimpse at her strategy. One glimmer of hope in a political charged environment – the two largest supercomputers in the world are powered by AMD chips, not NVIDIA! Get Hygge This Holiday Season Kari Leibowitz is a psychologist and the author of How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days (applicable six months from now for my readers in the south). This podcast interview details how those living in the most northern Artic regions, with only two hours of sunlight, avoid most of the seasonable depression issues that come with extended darkness. One way is the Nordic practice of hygge which can make darkness feel cozy – and why the Danes are some of the happiest people on earth. She also emphasizes the importance of getting outside and remaining social. Enjoy this podcast with your favorite warm beverage sitting around a roaring fire all cozy and comfy. Skip New Years Planning – March 20 Instead We’re meant to hibernate in the winter, so take pressure off (and put off) your New Years’ Resolutions until the spring solstice, March 20. I did it this last year and it worked so much better – focusing on accomplishing personal goals between the Spring and Winter Solstices – and then hibernating – giving myself a break! If the calendar were 14 months, we would set 14 month goals – so why not accomplish in 9 what it normally takes 12. Bridge the Gap Campaign As you finalize your end of year giving, please consider a contribution of $50, $100, $250 or more to MDW Fund this giving season. I am a proud supporter of MDW Fund (Million Dollar Women Fund), a 501c(3) non-profit that provides business scholarships to underrepresented women small business owners. MDW Fund is the nonprofit arm of Million Dollar Women and every dollar raised goes toward making it possible for underrepresented entrepreneurs to build scalable, profitable, and fundable businesses. Check out this video explaining the fund by founder Julia Pimsleur. Bonnie McPike – MDW Works Bonnie McPike, a recent Million Dollar Women Accelerator Grad, shares in this short video how Julia’s program, based on Scaling Up and her Sales CURE program, helped Bonnie reach her first $100k revenue month! Not a scholarship recipient (Julia shares those scholarships with women truly in need), the video is a beautiful testament to the quality of MDW’s training for women entrepreneurs. Thrive in 2025! Happiest of Holidays and New Year. I’ll be back with more insights after the first of next year. In the meantime, hygge up and become unoffendable in the coming year.

 

Buy a box of 20 books Save 50% over the price on Amazon for Scaling Up, and Start to Scale books here for less! EDUCATION Scaling Up Master Business Course Scaling Up Free Mini Course SCALING UP WORKSHOPS: Engage your team with interactive Scaling Up workshops. Here's our list of workshops TECHNOLOGY Scaling Up Scoreboard is AI-enabled and integrated with Salesforce, Slack, and Zapier (allowing it to connect with 1000s of systems). Use Scoreboard to provide your team (working remotely even more important!) with a real-time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of the Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business. Planning to Exit – Critical Whitepaper Selling your firm, for its maximum value, is the most important negotiation in which a business owner will participate. You are typically negotiating with sophisticated buyers who have done hundreds of acquisitions whereas this is often your first rodeo. And these buyers have a formula for ripping you off – and it works, stealing tens of millions from you. Seeking help, owners discover the big M&A firms, especially those specializing in your industry, are more beholden to the buyers than the sellers (they will tell you otherwise). Email me to get a whitepaper on how to maximize your valuation and avoid the psychological games buyers play [email protected]. Planning for 2025 – Get a Coach or Be a Coach It’s best if the planning session is professionally facilitated according to experienced CEOs. This way they can participate in the process (and not dominate it). If you’re looking for a facilitator, click here. And if you’re interested in becoming a coach/facilitator, we’re always looking to add to our 296 experienced partners around the globe. To learn more, click here. *This may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Highest Ever; Now’s the Time; Wendell Weeks; $311.97

Weekly scaleup news from Verne Harnish

CEO optimism ‘is as high as we’ve ever seen.’                          Deloitte Survey  Do not be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.                          John D. Rockefeller

CEO Optimism Post US Election – Highest Ever
This Yahoo/Finance article shares the results from Fortune/Deloitte’s latest survey of CEOs post the US election. Notes the article:

140 CEOs of the world’s largest and most influential companies, 84% expressed optimism about their company’s performance in the next year. Nearly half are optimistic about the global economy, up from 7% a year ago, and two-thirds see opportunity in AI.

The article links to the complete survey results. As goes the world’s largest firms seems to go mid-market firms.

Land Large Accounts – Now is the Time with Optimism High
number8, a growing software development company, faced challenges in securing large accounts due to a lack of a defined sales process and inconsistent messaging. To address these issues, they partnered with Hunt Big Sales for a comprehensive strategic sales system. Within nine months, number8 successfully landed three deals exceeding $3 million each.  Notes MD Oliver Ray:

If You Only Read One Article…And I’ll Break It Down
First, here’s an IG Reel to the author’s quick summary of her story on Corning.

Her Fortune article details how the 173-year-old firm that created Edison’s glass for his lightbulbs – and Apple’s iPhone screens – and is one of the hottest firms in Silicon Valley – stock up 50% this year as Corning powers GenAI with their optical fiber. 

How do you maintain such prominence across so many centuries and generations?  For those who truly want to build a lasting firm (and scale in the short run), please absorb the key lessons outlined in the article.

The article includes an audio version of the piece – 14 minutes.  Please gift yourself a Fortune magazine subscription – they, and HBR, are the two biz subscriptions to own – the best in-depth insights – not fluff reporting.

Nurtures Influencers – and Becomes Their Close Friends
Notes Fortune, Corning’s CEO Wendell Weeks:

…counts some of the biggest names in business as his close friends and confidants, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Andy Jassy, Samsung Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, and Ford’s Jim Farley.

He vacations with Jony Ive, who up until 2021 was Apple's Chief Design Officer.

How many of you have this kind of relationship with your top customers? I always loved how Jack Stack, SRC (Great Game of Business) hosted bass fishing tournaments in Springfield, MO, bringing in their major customers and having a great time together over a weekend.  Jack shared it was the best money he ever spent helping he and his team become best friends with their clients.

Sam Goodner who created the largest Microsoft Solution Provider did the same by nurturing a list of the top 100 key people at Microsoft.  Make your list and work it.

Listens and Remembers – and Acts – How Rare
Notes Fortune, one of Corning CEO’s best traits is listening deeply to his friends and customers and remembering the questions or problems they are trying to solve. Shares Jony Ive:

What absolutely blows me away is that four years could pass and he will then bring out a case and bring out a sample of a completely innovative material that they designed and developed based on that very careful listening to me. Just the modesty and the humility of quietly doing the work–you know how rare that is.

Ive goes on to note “He is utterly consumed by trying to work with you to solve difficult, sometimes almost seemingly impossible challenges.” 

Humble and Team Oriented
Notes the author of the article, Weeks joined Amazon’s board in 2016. Jeff Bezos described how remarkably humble Weeks is (which fact checks, as Weeks was quick to point out to me that Bezos is a “much better CEO” than him).  Notes Bezos:

“He is very team-oriented. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Wendell say, ‘You guys should do this or that.’ He says, ‘We should do this or that.’ It’s very deep inside him. He’s an MVP from a team player orientation.”

Complete and Utter Passion for Glass
The author goes on to note:

As with every feature, some things were left on the cutting room floor. One of my favorites: Weeks doesn’t leave glass at his 9-to-5. He takes great pride in his personal glass art collection featuring the works of Stanislav Libenský and Lino Tagliapietra, and serves on the board of the town’s big tourist draw, the Corning Museum of Glass.

And you have to love that he keeps a small, yellowed piece of paper in a dark wood frame behind his desk. Dated Nov. 17, 1880, it’s Thomas Edison’s $311.97 order for Corning Glass Works to produce the glass for a risky new invention of his: the lightbulb. 

Buy a box of 20 books
Save 50% over the price on Amazon for Scaling Up, and Start to Scale books here for less!

EDUCATION
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Scaling Up Free Mini Course

SCALING UP WORKSHOPS:
Engage your team with interactive Scaling Up workshops.
Here's our list of workshops

TECHNOLOGY
Scaling Up Scoreboard is AI-enabled and integrated with Salesforce, Slack, and Zapier (allowing it to connect with 1000s of systems). Use Scoreboard to provide your team (working remotely even more important!) with a real-time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of the Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business.

Planning to Exit – Critical Whitepaper
Selling your firm, for its maximum value, is the most important negotiation in which a business owner will participate. You are typically negotiating with sophisticated buyers who have done hundreds of acquisitions whereas this is often your first rodeo. And these buyers have a formula for ripping you off – and it works, stealing tens of millions from you. Seeking help, owners discover the big M&A firms, especially those specializing in your industry, are more beholden to the buyers than the sellers (they will tell you otherwise). Email me to get a whitepaper on how to maximize your valuation and avoid the psychological games buyers play [email protected].

Planning for 2025 – Get a Coach or Be a Coach
It’s best if the planning session is professionally facilitated according to experienced CEOs. This way they can participate in the process (and not dominate it). If you’re looking for a facilitator, click here.

And if you’re interested in becoming a coach/facilitator, we’re always looking to add to our 296 experienced partners around the globe. To learn more, click here.

*This may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Verne’s Insights – Buffett’s Parenting Tip; #1 Culture Key; Federer’s Note

Weekly scaleup news from Verne Harnish

When your children are mature, have them read your will before you sign it.                          Warren Buffett  Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot.                          Federer’s note to Nadal

Bonuses/Recognition Align with Customer Expectations This Scaleups.com article details how CEO of Paradigm Mechanical Corp Melinda Dicharry, with the help of coach Karie Kaufman, has aligned bonuses and their “Bragging Rights” recognition program with important company and client outcomes. Notes Melinda: “A project earns Bragging Rights if it meets criteria like no injuries, beating budget, job files that are organized, and a client recommendation.” So far this year, the company has paid employees $40,000 in Bragging Rights bonuses. The article goes on to share what Melinda jokingly calls “Melinda’s plan to take over the world” – a five-year vision, structured with the help of coach Karie.  Not surprisingly, it’s already coming truer than she expected. Please invest 2-minutes to read the rest of her story including their Purpose, Brand Promises, acquisition strategy, etc. Smooth Holiday Jazz Videos Providing a warm image and holiday cheer during the opening, breaks, and lunch of our two-day YPO International Scaling Up workshop this week, we played these two smooth holiday jazz videos – one providing a comforting snowy mountain villa scene and the second a coffee shop, holiday, snowy lake scene. Enjoy, at home, work, or during holiday events on your big screen. Warren Buffett’s Advice to Parents This CNBC article provides a good summary of Warren Buffett’s surprising letter offering “suggestions to all parents” re: passing along your wealth to your children (see quote above). Always thoughtful, his 4-page letter is worth perusing. Key to Being a Great Leader — Buffett …and this Fortune article highlights Buffett’s two keys to being a great leader. His first supports my notion that your strategy decisions come before your people decisions. Notes Buffett, good leaders…: …have to have a clear vision of where you’re going, so that you can get others to follow you. This is why it’s crucial as a leader to have AMBITIOUS goals -- like Melinda expresses in the article noted above -- not attainable ones as some profess. If my vision was to simply start a local entrepreneurs club in Wichita, I would not have attracted Reagan’s, Jobs’, or Dell’s support for launching ACE and YEO (now EO) globally. What is your CLEAR and BOLD vision for 2025 and beyond? And please remember to give it a name – Thrive in 25? Words Cast Spells The second key to being a great leader, notes Buffett, is to create a strong culture. Everyone says this, but HOW do you do it as a leader? For Berkshire…: …(I) create a strong culture through what I write, and what I say… I can’t overemphasize, as I did at our YPO International two-day Scaling Up Workshop in New Orleans this week, the importance of the CEO sending out a weekly email, voicemail or video – or hosting a weekly all hands meeting like Zuckerberg’s “Q&A with Mark” 5pm PT every Thursday - where the CEO reinforces the quarterly/annual theme, stories where core values are lived, concerns and updates, and generally what they are thinking/feeling. Being vulnerable at times is also super helpful. This is the simplest routine to maintain a strong culture. Roger Federer’s Note to Rafa Nadal Speaking of “words casting spells,” Steve Hall alerted me to of this heartfelt message Roger posted marking Nadal’s retirement from the sport of tennis. Notes Steve: To me this sets a high bar for athletes that every parent, school and university should aspire their student athletes to achieve -- more focus on leadership and being a great competitor than "winning at all costs" because winning at all costs actually costs you everything in the long run. Please invest 2-minutes to read this classy message– a lesson for all of us hoping our competitors retire 😊. 3hrs Each Day Dec 11 - 12 – Virtual Scaling Up Master Class LIVE with Verne Harnish Your annual review of the fundamentals (like golf and tennis lessons) for you and your team. 90 minutes each People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash – and a bonus session for CEOs only. For more info and to register (recording included).

 

Buy a box of 20 books

Save 50% over the price on Amazon for Scaling Up, and Start to Scale books here for less! Buy 2 boxes of Start to Scale and automatically get one free seat to our 2024 December Master Class.

Planning for 2025 – Get a Coach or Be a Coach
It’s best if the planning session is professionally facilitated according to experienced CEOs. This way they can participate in the process (and not dominate it). Email [email protected] if you’re looking for a facilitator.

And if you’re interested in becoming a coach/facilitator, we’re always looking to add to our 296 experienced partners around the globe. Email [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY
Scaling Up Scoreboard is AI-enabled and integrated with Salesforce, Slack, and Zapier (allowing it to connect with 1000s of systems). Use Scoreboard to provide your team (working remotely even more important!) with a real-time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of the Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business.

EDUCATION
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Scaling Up Free Mini Course

SCALING UP WORKSHOPS:
Engage your team with interactive Scaling Up workshops.
Here's our list of workshops

Planning to Exit – Critical Whitepaper
Selling your firm, for its maximum value, is the most important negotiation in which a business owner will participate. You are typically negotiating with sophisticated buyers who have done hundreds of acquisitions whereas this is often your first rodeo. And these buyers have a formula for ripping you off – and it works, stealing tens of millions from you. Seeking help, owners discover the big M&A firms, especially those specializing in your industry, are more beholden to the buyers than the sellers (they will tell you otherwise). Email me to get a whitepaper on how to maximize your valuation and avoid the psychological games buyers play [email protected].

*This may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.