July 12, 2006

“You don’t want to be considered the best at what you do. You want to be known as the only one who does what you do.”
 
Bill Graham, entertainer and concert promoter
 

How to Guide: Ten ways to keep your strategic plan from hitting the shelf

More often than not, life and day-to-day operations take over a well-intentioned strategic plan implementation. If it is one more thing to do, the strategic plan beings to feel like a burden instead of being exciting. By embedding your strategic planning into daily operations, you begin to make strategy a habit instead of an event. Then acting strategic or completing items on your strategic plan becomes natural instead of something extra. Here are ten quick ways to keep your strategic plan from hitting the shelf and collecting dust. Read more...

 
Feeling overworked? So is everyone else
 
One of the big business myths in our business community is that the more you do, the more gets done.With already a third of executives and managers working 11 hours or more a day and a fifth working 61 or more hours a week, working more hours is not a solution, since people are running out of the number of hours that can be worked. Rather than devising ways to work more hours, businesspeople should focus on how to get more done within the time allotted, then take steps to decrease that amount of time. This means working smarter, concentrating on what matters and eliminating activities not central to the desired result. (Data source:Chuck Martin, Darwin)


Case Study: You don’t have to be big to be great
 
Bo Burlingham, editor at large of Inc. magazine and author of Small Giants, debunks the myth that great companies have to grow their revenues and profits year after year. He found numerous examples of entrepreneurs who have rejected the pressure of endless growth to focus on more satisfying business goals. Goals like being great at what they do, creating a great place to work, providing great customer service, making great contributions to their communities, and finding great ways to lead their lives. Who are some companies? Anchor Brewing, Clif Bar, and Righteous Babe Records (Ani DiFranco). Check out his site to learn more. http://smallgiantsbook.com/ 
 

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