How To Grow, Profit & Organize Your Business » Leadership

4 Easy Leadership Tips From Coach Bill Walsh

Rob Kelly — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:42:19 +0000

I love to read books on leadership. The latest one I finished (which I borrowed from the awesome San Francisco Library) was The Score Takes Care of Itself by Steve Jamison & Craig Walsh…about the leadership style of football coach Bill Walsh. Why should you listen to Coach Walsh: well, among other things, he invented a new offense now widely used in football and turned the worst team in the league (the San Francisco 49ers) into Super Bowl champs (in just two years). There were four leadership techniques that Walsh shared that I found most useful: Four Leadership Tips From Bill Walsh 1) Making The Best Of What You Have “What assets do we have right now that we’re not taking advantage of?” E.g: Walsh took inventory of his Bengals’ struggling offense which was undersized (meaning running the ball was a big challenge) and not capable of passing for long yardage (quarterback Virgil Carter could not throw very far) (though he could throw decently for short yardage). Walsh then took stock of what he had to work with in terms of field real estate and had an uh-huh realization that they had 53.5 yards of width on the field (about [...]

Visionary Ray Kurzweil’s Data Points & Insights

Rob Kelly — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:19:59 +0000

I read a great interview with Ray Kurzweil in the San Francisco Chronicle. Kurzweil is a visionary (reading machines for the blind, text to speech technology, music synthesizers, a bunch of artificial intelligence stuff) and he had a few nuggets of valuable insights/data points in the interview. I encourage you to read the entire article, but here were my favorites: …”technologies will be another billion times more powerful per dollar in 25 years and 100,000 times smaller in size.” “We’ll reach a tipping point in about 15 years where we will be adding more than a year each year to your remaining life expectancy.” “There has been 18 percent annual growth in every form of information technology for the past half century as measured in constant dollars, despite the fact that you can get twice as much of it each year for the same cost.” “…there are 5 billion cell phones for 6 billion people…” “Information-based technologies are affordable only by the rich at a point in time where they don’t work very well. By the time they are perfected, they are almost free.” “The number of bits we are transmitting on the Internet is doubling every year.” Clearly, this [...]

The Top 10 “John Wooden” Searches On My Blog

Rob Kelly — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:05:38 +0000

My John Wooden Series is receiving a bunch of traffic these days after his recent death. I always look at what keywords people search on to make sure I’m doing my best to provide good resources on them. Towards that end, here are the top 10 John Wooden searche phrases (in quotes below) that I’m receiving, along with relevant links/answers: “john wooden quotes” — Here’s a good list of Wooden quotes (along with how many people like each one) “john wooden 7 principles” — This refers to the “7 Things To Do” that Wooden’s father taught him “john wooden steps to success” — Here’s my post on Wooden’s 8 Steps To Success “pyramid of success john wooden” — Here’s a cool image of Wooden’s Pyramid with “bill gates and john wooden” — my old colleague Bob Evans of Information Week wrote here that “Bill had a basketball autographed by John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach and a master strategist himself. I asked about the ball and Bill’s feelings toward Coach Wooden, but Bill just smiled and said we’d have to get to that another time.”) “john wooden records” (the best listing I can find of John Wooden’s records appears [...]

John Wooden Quotes From “Pyramid of Success”

Rob Kelly — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 03:05:36 +0000

[This is part of a John Wooden Leadership Series I'm doing celebrating his 100th year of life] The following is excerpted from John Wooden’s amazing book The Pyramid of Success. He begins with this overall quote: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” And here are Wooden’s 15 “Building Blocks” of the Pyramid of Success along with quotes on each: 1) Industriousness — “There is no substitute for hard work. Worthwhile results come from hard work and careful planning.” 2) Enthusiasm — “Enthusiasm brushes off upon those with whom you come in contact. You must truly enjoy what you are doing.” 3) Friendship — “Friendship comes from mutual esteem, respect and devotion. Like marriage, it must not be taken for granted but requires a joint effort.” 4) Cooperation — “Cooperate with all levels of your co-workers. Listen if you want to be heard. Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your way.” 5) Loyalty — “Loyalty to yourself and to all those depending upon you. Keep your self-respect.” 6) Self-Control — “Practice self-discipline and keep [...]

5 Tips On Managing Virtual Teams (From A Virtual CEO)

Rob Kelly — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:29:46 +0000

Virtual team management is not easy. It sounds great for everyone to wake up in their pajamas and crank out work all day…but the fact is that managing virtual teams has a whole other host of challenges. But I’ve been through it…so enjoy these first-hand tips to maximize your effective virtual teamwork. Tips For Managing Virtual Teams 1) Hold Daily Huddles I recommend that meet with your virtual team daily (every other day at the least). See my article entitled How The Ritz Carlton & I Run Our Meetings: The Daily Huddle for my approach to such huddles. These huddles can be via conference call or video-conferencing if you can afford that. The main reasons for frequent huddles (which can be 15 minutes or less) are: Speed — You will iterate faster Alignment — You and your team will better stay aligned on objectives Accountability — These meetings will hold you and your team accountable (it’s tough to hide poor performance when you meet daily or every other day) 2) Hold Periodic In-Person Meetings For starters, for effective virtual team management, you’re still going to have to meet in person once in awhile. If you are all in one country, [...]

7 Tips On How To Motivate Your Team (Hint: Make Them Feel “Progress”)

Rob Kelly — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:04:32 +0000

A feeling of “progress” may be the most important motivator for you or your team, according to a Harvard Business Review study on what motivates people (thanks to my colleague Mary for pointing this one out). The HBR study took an interesting angle on motivation by studying hundreds of workers and digging into what happens on a great work day. The gist of the study is that on days when workers feel like they’re making progress on projects their emotions are positive and that increases their drive to succeed. The opposite is true: when workers are feeling like they’re on the “hamster wheel,” working hard with little in the way of results, they feel negative emotions and their performance plummets. And the progress that your team feels can even be small…and they’ll still feel motivated! 7 Tips For How To Motivate Your Team Through Progress 1) Set SMART Goals To motivate your team through the feeling of progress, you’re gonna first need to work with them to set goals. The goals you set should be SMART Goals: Specific — Well defined, clear to everyone Measurable — There should be a metric or some measurement to identify how you’re progressing on [...]

How To Determine Your Business Values: Exercises, Examples & Top Lists

Rob Kelly — Sat, 22 May 2010 23:14:07 +0000

Do you know what your business’s values are? I believe that your corporate values may be THE most important asset in enhancing your company’s long-term monetary value. Your strategies and trends will come and go — your values can be forever! This article will help answer the top questions you need to know about corporate values, such as: What are values? Why are values important? How do you determine your values (including a “values exercise”)? What are some business examples of values? Here we go…! What are values? My definition of values is simple: Values are deeply-held beliefs about the right way of doing things. Each individual operates life with their own set of values…and, of course, a business should as well. Why are values important to a business? As the author Jim Collins penned: “The founders of great, enduring organizations like Hewlett-Packard, 3M, and Johnson & Johnson often did not have a vision statement when they started out. They usually began with a set of strong personal core values…” It is your values that will guide you through the toughest decisions you make…you know, those 50-50 calls that every business leader faces periodically. How do you determine your business [...]

Eight Steps To Success By John Wooden

Rob Kelly — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:50:37 +0000

In honor of John Wooden turning 100 this year, I’m doing a series on Wooden including tips for success. Here’s his “Eight Suggestions for Succeeding” from Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations And Reflections On And Off The Court (which I highly recommend you read!). Fear no opponent. Respect every opponent. Remember, it’s the perfection of the smallest details that make big things happen. Keep in mind that hustle makes up for many a mistake. Be more interested in character than reputation. Be quick, but don’t hurry. Understand that the harder you work, the more luck you will get. Know that valid self-analysis is crucial for improvement. Remember that there is no substitute for hard work and careful planning. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail

7 Business Lessons I Learned From The Grateful Dead

Rob Kelly — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 02:04:36 +0000

I’m a big fan of the Grateful Dead — I attended 100+ shows, collected 300+ bootlegs (that are in cassette form still in the hallway of my San Francisco apartment!) and I received an original signed 1968 Grateful Dead concert poster as a signing bonus when I sold the Mojam business. In additional to bringing me a bunch of musical joy, The Dead taught me a ton about my other passion: business. Just look at the numbers: The Dead pulled in $95 million a year at the height of their 30+ year journey (according to Booz & Co.) and was referred to by The Altantic Magazine as “one of the most profitable bands in the history of music” (see Management Secrets of The Grateful Dead article). So allow me to elaborate on two of my favorite subjects: business…and the Grateful Dead: 7 Business Lessons I Learned From The Grateful Dead 1) Moving the “Free Line” There’s a lot of talk in Internet business these days about “moving the free line” — in other words, providing more of your products/value available for free and make your money on the back-end. Well the Grateful Dead were doing this 40 years ago. The [...]

What Is Thought Leadership & How Do You Apply It To Your Business?

Rob Kelly — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:24:39 +0000

I met an interesting woman, Natalie Wood (not the deceased actress) who’s focusing her career on the subject of Thought Leadership. I asked her to cover the topic with me in a Q&A. Read on to learn more about what thought leadership is; why businesses should care; examples of thought leadership in business; and how to leverage thought leadership marketing. Q: What is your definition of Thought Leadership? We see Thought Leadership as the new paradigm for how businesses market themselves and build brand. Thought leadership evolves through the efforts of both individuals and businesses making the commitment to develop a deeper understanding of the specific forces shaping their industry. Why is Thought Leadership important? Gautam Ghosh of Accenture claims that… “Simple, great thought leadership means never having to ‘pitch’ or ‘sell’ for business.” You become a trusted advisor, counselor and partner, not just a vendor. Today, Thought Leadership is becoming the new standard for how people and companies communicate their value to the world and their customers. This includes B2B strategy, marketing, product development, customer support and sales. Companies can no longer avoid the impact of Thought Leadership and what it means to their market and to their customers. [...]

Wooden’s “7 Things to Do” (To Succeed in Life)

Rob Kelly — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:08:01 +0000

I was captivated by John Wooden’s childhood stories, especially what his Dad taught him. In Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations & Reflections On & Off The Court by John Wooden with Steve Jamison, Wooden says his dad gave him a piece of paper with a list of things that would guide him for the rest of his life. He would use this guidance to shape his career, marriage and general philosophy. The list was titled: “Seven Things to Do.” And when Wooden’s dad handed it to him, he said, “Son, try to live up these things.” Here are Wooden’s Seven Things to Do (with short comments from me after each): Seven Things to Do 1. Be True To Yourself At the end of the day, there is no one whose opinion matters more than your own…so be true to yourself. And Wooden warns you not to get caught up in how you size up to others: “Don’t compare. Don’t try to be better than someone else. But whatever you’re doing, try to be the best you can be…” Keys to being true to yourself include: Be self-aware Understand your values Be honest with yourself 2. Help Others The old saying: [...]

Leadership Lessons From John Wooden

Rob Kelly — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:07:08 +0000

A hero of mine is John Wooden who describes himself simply as a teacher; and who is known by many as the former UCLA College Basketball coach with perhaps the most successful track record in the history of sports. Some of Wooden’s Records: Won 10 NCAA Championships (in 12 years) 88 Consecutive victories 38 Consecutive NCAA Tournament victories 4 Undefeated full seasons Won 905 games & Lost 205 (won 81.5% of all games) over 40 years Teacher Wooden turns 100 this year and I’ve decided to share some of my favorite nuggets of wisdom from him in this series of postings (note: Teacher Wooden died on May 4, 2010, just short of his 100th birthday). Seven Things To Do (from Wooden’s father) Eight Steps To Success 15 Building Blocks (with quotes) From “Pyramids of Success” The Top 10 Searches of “John Wooden” Topics on My Blog What can Wooden’s lessons do for you? If you practice these learnings I believe that you will be more successful in business and in life. I recommend you read any John Wooden book you can get your hands on. I’ve read these so far and can recommend them all: (and I use them as [...]

The 8 Mistakes To Avoid When Transforming Your Business

Rob Kelly — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:18:39 +0000

Is part or all of your business in the need of a transformation — A truly radical change? My smart friend Daniel Neukomm riffed on Harvard Professor John Kotter’s theories on mistakes commonly made in corporate transformations (hint: if you AVOID these mistakes, you can indeed transform your business) – enjoy! Introduction While a professor at Harvard Business School, John Kotter had the opportunity to gain valuable insight into an array of companies ranging in both size and scope. In doing so, he identified eight key stages of transformational development in which companies failed to manage the change process. He theorized that those companies that had been successful did so only by effectively negotiating all eight steps. He further noted that those firms who skipped any of those steps, or failed to recognize the importance of them were sacrificing quality and effect for speed of change, giving the illusion of being quick but in realty building a platform for failure. In addition to illustrating a series of opportunities to fail, Kotter also provides some insight as to how to overcome these commonly experienced errors. The Eight Mistakes To Avoid When Transforming Your Business Transformation Mistake #1: Not Establishing a Great [...]

Shhh…The A Leader’s Protege Divulges 5 Leadership Tips

Rob Kelly — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:25:23 +0000

I was speaking to a sales account executive the other day and he was praising his VP of Sales as an amazing leader.

I asked him to outline what leadership skills he appreciated about his boss, and he shared the five items below.

I consider these good tips for ANY leader:

Top Five Tips For Leadership

For Tiger Woods & His Insiders Only: A 6-Step Leadership Action Plan

Rob Kelly — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:18:35 +0000
Let me start off by saying that I am NOT disappointed in Tiger Woods for reportedly cheating on his wife.

I imagine life as a famous person, on the road the majority of the time with people throwing themselves at you, would tempt even the most pious of people.
I AM disappointed in the way he seems to be dealing with his affairs.
A good leader is measured by how they handle a crisis. Barak Obama & Tiger Woods What Would Obama Do In Tiger's Shoes?
The 6-Step Tiger Woods Leadership Action Plan

Thought Leadership in Business: The Top Ten List

Rob Kelly — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:04:28 +0000

I met a woman recently who’s focusing her career on Thought Leadership…and then I ran into this terrific Thought Leadership poll out of the U.K that happened to be released today.

Coincidence? I think not.

So I thought I’d do a short posting on the subject.

Here’s A Good Example Of A Credo/Mission Statement (Johnson & Johnson)

Rob Kelly — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:00:51 +0000
I’ve been thinking about mission statements lately and I’m real impressed by Johnson & Johnson’s credo (they call it a corporate credo instead of mission statement). I know J&J people, and they’re truly proud of their credo! Why is a corporate credo important? Read this article on how it helped guide (and some argue save) J&J during the Johnson and Johnson Tylenol Crisis of 1972. The Tylenol Crisis put J&J on the map as a leader in PR crisis management. If you want a great book on credo and mission statement examples, try Say It And Live It by Patricia Jones and Larry Kahaner (the article above is excerpted from the book). Say It And Live It includes credos and mission statements from such business leaders as UPS, IBM, Kellogg’s, Citicorp, Hallmark Cards, Reader’s Digest, Boeing, Southwest Airlines, UPS, Xerox and Ben & Jerry’s. Oh, and I almost forgot, here’s J&J’s Credo: We believe our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses and patients, to mothers and fathers and all others who use our products and services. In meeting their needs everything we do must be of high quality. We must constantly strive to reduce our costs in order to [...]

Porter’s Five Forces

Rob Kelly — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:31:54 +0000
I met a guy named Dan Neukomm recently who has a real zest for business-life. He’s got an MBA degree from Paris (where as an American he was a minority) and he has been a key member of a couple of successful start-ups. He and I brainstormed mutual areas of interests and strategic planning was one of them. He kindly agreed to share his thoughts on one key strategic model: The 5 Forces from Michael Porter. Here’s the Q&A — I hope you enjoy it: Please explain the origin of “Michael Porter’s Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy” Strategic assessment models are utilized by senior management and other stakeholders to assess external factors to direct and efficiently distribute resources driving growth. While many such models exist, few have become as widely valued and practiced as the Five Forces model, developed by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter. This model helps to analyze external variables and structure, primarily at the industry level, which influence the attractiveness of entering and successfully competing in a specific marketplace/industry. Each of the five forces can be attributed a weighted numerical strength on a scale of 1 to 10 and then added together to determine industry [...]

OODA Loop

Rob Kelly — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:04:10 +0000
I’m a big fan of using Colonel John Boyd’s OODA Loop strategy for reacting to events in business. I’m so into the OODA Loop theory that I once chanted “OODA, OODA” (like “Toga, Toga”) at a strategy session! OODA stands for: Observe — As in collect the inputs/data of the situation. Orient — Analyze the inputs/data to determine your position. Decide — Determine your course of action. Act — Execute your decision. It’s called an OODA Loop (or OODA Cycle) because the event/situation taking place may be changing and so you may have to change your decisions as new data/inputs are gathered. While Col. John Boyd’s OODA Loops were created in military situations, he made recommendations on their use in business (and OODA Loop Theory is widely used in business today). For example, Boyd recommended that decisions/actions be distributed throughout a business organization so that decisions and actions are made by the people who are directly observing and oriented to a situation (as opposed to an isolated commander/CEO who is only indirectly involved). Colonel John R. Boyd is no relation to famous businessman John Boyd Dunlop who founded Dunlop the tire company or peace nobelist Lord John Boyd (United Nations, [...]

How To Communicate During Crisis

Rob Kelly — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:20:23 +0000
When you are in conflict- or crisis-mode, the tendency is to get emotionally charged and that sometimes leads to folks taking actions that are unhealthy for the business. Here are four steps that I adopted from the University of Maryland’s Leadership Program to deal with communicating during crisis or conflict: 1) Separate the People from the Problem A good communication about conflict should focus on the underlying problem (not the person). Two examples: ” We just discovered that we did not ship out products to certain customers over the last 10 days and now sales will be down 16% this month” (good) “George (in Shipping) slipped up and forgot to confirm that our shipping facility received our go-ahead to ship products out this month…and our sales are plummeting” (bad) If you indeed do have a person-problem, then deal with the problem as a relationship problem by talking directly to the person you have a problem with (i.e. George) 2) Generate a Variety of Possible Solutions before Deciding What to Do Don’t assume there is just one solution. Example: “After discussing this with all of you, we have two potential solutions: Do nothing and just ship the customers their products late [...]