Do you work at an established, highly-respected company that controls a substantial part of the market, has tremendous name recognition and enjoys deep good will with its customer base? Is this business considered a leader in the industry? Beware. A high level of confidence and pride often causes an organization to underestimate the competition. And underestimating any opponent can be risky business. When a company is doing great, how does the leadership celebrate the team’s successes while also keeping everyone humble and focused? That’s the challenge. Here’s how. Continue reading →

So you’ve decided to custom design and develop a website. This approach is more time consuming, expensive and complicated than creating a templated website, but for most established businesses, this is the right approach. Templated websites simply lack the functionality customers now expect from vendors. But, while it is the right decision, it is also a more challenging process, even for companies creating the content, design or development in-house. And for those hiring a digital agency to do the job, it can be even harder. It helps to understand up front what to expect. Here is basically what’s involved. Continue reading →

Creating or updating a website is often a tough process for small or mid-sized businesses. It is always time-consuming, often tedious and frustrating, and almost never quick or easy. There is so much to consider. But for today’s business owners or leaders, regularly updating the company website is a necessity because it often directly affects sales, customer service and brand reputation. The first question for small and mid-sized businesses, then, is whether to save money with a simple, easy templated website or go with a more expensive, custom-designed website. Seems like a trick question. It’s not. Continue reading →

In 2000, a business with a comprehensive, well-designed website was notable, but not essential to do business. By 2010, a comprehensive website was a business necessity. If a business didn’t have a website, people wondered if it was legit. Today, not only is a website an absolutely essential part of business, it must look up-to-date. If the design is outdated, people wonder if the business is asleep at the wheel. Given that spectrum, where is your company’s website? Is it fresh, outdated or nonexistent? Is it time to create or update? If so, here are a few things to consider when choosing a digital agency to work on a tech project. Continue reading →

No one relishes trouble. No one wants problems. When misfortune strikes, no one thinks “Yay, I’m so glad this is happening to me.” Hard times are endured, not revered. Even long after it has passed, we seldom look back on tough times and think “that’s the best thing that ever happened to me”, but maybe we should. It is in times of adversity that people grow and develop most. Perhaps those who are serious about 2020 being a year of great growth and improvement should roll out the red carpet for trials and tribulations. Continue reading →

Mahatma Ghandi once said “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” With a new year and decade approaching, it is not only a good time to write resolutions, make plans and set goals, it’s also a particularly propitious time to look within. Think about not only what you want to achieve, but also what type of individual you need to be – professionally and personally – to get there. No one can do this kind of internal self-assessment for you, but here are some thoughts to get you started. Continue reading →

Business leaders in most developed nations embrace speed, agility, creativity and fierce competitiveness as essential components for success in business today. That is because, for the last 30 years, that approach was highly effective, generating amazing results and returns. However, that “crash and clash” approach to business innovation is expected to become less and less effective over the next 30 years. Why is that? And, what approach will business leaders need to take to be effective in the fast-approaching post-digital world?

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There are 22 days left in 2019. As companies look to wrap up the last quarter of 2019 and usher in 2020 and the start of a new decade, planning should be well under way. No matter what kind of business or what industry, every company should take time to strategize and chart a course… at least for the immediate future. So what exactly should department managers, division execs and top leadership focus on to prepare for a smooth and strong 2020? Here are six things to consider and a dozen things to do. Continue reading →

It behooves every organization to improve its ability to elicit, sort and spot the good ideas… the kind of ideas that can transform into great ideas with the proper space and support. While it may sound easy to do, evaluating ideas is a process that requires careful handling as there are several common pitfalls. However, there are three approaches a company can take to become better at spotting the ideas with the greatest potential. Continue reading →

As year-end nears and 2020 approaches, business managers, leaders and owners are actively planning the long-term direction and goals of their businesses. However, that kind of master planning should focus on more than just improving the financial “Bottom Line”. Leaders should consider how to grow their Quadruple Bottom Line. What is the QBL and how is it different — better — than just the traditional financial Bottom Line used to measure business performance? Continue reading →