November 16, 2021 Our health is our wealth. Without it, we can’t live up to our full potential or achieve all of the feats we have in our brilliant minds. So when something goes wrong, and we need to take a trip to the hospital or doctor’s office, we want to have the best possible conditions. Innovation is important in …
Who Owns Innovation?
February 14, 2019 It’s not easy to create an innovation track record like Amazon or Google. But companies that hope to outperform their competitors and shake up their industries are pouring money into innovation programs – labs, hubs and design thinking tanks. But are they successful? Several years ago Booz & Co. (now part of PwC) conducted a Global Innovation 1000 report. …
Why CEOs Are FINALLY Focusing on Talent & Culture
April 19, 2018 by Michelle M. Smith The shift has been palpable. I noticed it first during the Great Recession. After years (decades!) trying to convince senior executives their employees were invaluable assets – and often the most direct route to successfully achieving organizational goals – the lightbulbs began to go off over the heads of many leaders. Those leaders …
Developing a High-Performance Culture
April 3, 2018 by Michelle Smith If only there were a silver bullet for leaders…. Most leaders are constantly seeking the ultimate solution to build strong cultures, raise performance levels and operate at maximum efficiency and effectiveness. And there are many options from which to select your course of action, but in all the research I read, three factors consistently …
The Future Will Be Led By Strategists
January 30, 2018 by Michelle M. Smith I always remind my readers and audiences that however talented they are, their CEOs don’t want them to be Sales, Marketing, HR or Tech leaders – CEOs want them to be business leaders with Sales, Marketing, HR or Tech expertise. It’s more than semantics. It’s a serious reminder that whatever your area of …
Does Innovation Make a Company Innovative?
January 18, 2018 by Carla Johnson I have a client that’s proud of his new innovation center. It’s well thought out. He’s hired the best-of-the-best across the board. Design thinking is core to their innovation discipline. They bring customers in for focus groups and collaborate on product development. He’s able to deliver products that solve problems in the marketplace. But …
30 Seconds to Killer Storytelling Anytime, Anywhere
March 2, 2017 by Carla Johnson I’ve written about how high-quality storytelling can take companies out of the commodity conundrum and actually help raise prices. “That’s great!” readers tell me. “But how do I actually tell a story?” I’d like to share the easiest and quickest storytelling formula ever, courtesy of former Disney Pixar writer Emma Coates. Story, story everywhere. …
Does Your Marketing Culture Embrace Change Management?
September 20, 2016 by Carla Johnson Change never comes easy. Whether it’s a detour on your way to work or restructuring an entire company, few people take change in stride. In fact, one study found that 70% of change efforts fail and 29% are launched without any formal structure whatsoever. If people don’t see the need for change, it’s impossible …
50 Reasons Why We Cannot Change
July 26, 2016 One of the biggest hurdles for marketers to clear is getting their organization to accept change. To be success at content marketing means that people need to think differently about their work and how they approach customers and build larger audiences. In every case with every marketer, they always bring up the resistance that they either expect …
Marketing’s Leadership Role in Driving Revenue
September 15, 2015 Marketing executives must walk a fine line between building pipeline, meeting revenue expectations, managing customer experience, delivering new prospects and building and maintaining a productive team with the proper skill set. What does it take to make it all happen? That was the question at hand for a panel that Carlos Hidalgo, president of ANNUITAS hosted last …