Posts tagged as:

culture and values

Check your ego at the door

by margaretreynolds on May 19, 2010

in STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

Top leaders agree, exceptional leadership has no room for ego. Since we started this blog in February we have interviewed top leaders around the country and they all concur. Leaders of great performing companies can’t do it alone. They put the spotlight on their employees.
Jim Collins introduced the concept of Level 5 leadership in his [...]

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The definition of a brand is “everything that gives an entity its recognition, meaning and value.” The brand perception held by the public, your customers and others familiar with your brand may or may not match the intended brand image. Crafting a brand blueprint is the process of identifying all the touch points your brand [...]

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Just back from a trip with a new dose of customer service frustration. I am reminded of the book by Ted Cohn, Why are you making it so hard for me to give you my money? His point isn’t that companies don’t want your money—they just don’t want to serve you to get it. No more [...]

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Perhaps, nothing! Perhaps, millions of dollars. The answer depends on how you manage your brand. According to BrandZ, brand value contributes almost 1/3 of the value for Fortune 500 companies, or close to $2 trillion.
A brand is defined as “that which gives meaning, recognition and value to your entity.” A brand is often confused with [...]

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In today’s competitive marketplace, companies are only as good as their people. The best companies get that and have unique hiring processes to hire people who are aligned culturally with their company’s brand promise.
But, so many companies don’t. How many times do you encounter those in the service profession (such as retail associates, telephone customer [...]

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To improve performance, focus on strengths

by margaretreynolds on April 8, 2010

in STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

Most leaders get it wrong. If an employee is doing 70% of their job description really well and 30% marginally or worse, what do you do? If you said, “focus on their strengths,” you were right! Most of us have a tendency to want to “fix” what isn’t right. Here is the downside of focusing [...]

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The first time I heard the phrase “hire an athlete” was early in my career. I was working for Hallmark Cards, Inc. and my boss used the phrase. Coming from a family with a long line of athletes, I naively asked what he meant. Was he being literal? Not at all.
Hiring an athlete simply means [...]

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Are you settling?

by margaretreynolds on April 3, 2010

in STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

When you stop and think about it, how many of us are settling? Doing something that is acceptable or tolerable because our dream didn’t work out?
But wait, how many of us actually tried to attain our dream? Further, do you know what your dream is?
My experience is there are far too many people who [...]

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This is not a news flash. We have always known that change is not a luxury of choice. Yet, we have never been in the position we are now––facing so much change all at once and at such a rapid pace. We are surrounded by it… technology, health care treatment (not insurance, an entirely different [...]

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6 Ways Leaders Add Value

by margaretreynolds on March 30, 2010

in STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP, STRATEGIC PLANNING

Leaders have an opportunity and an obligation to add value to their teams and organizations. Size of the organization is irrelevant––a leader is there to “raise the tide so all boats float higher”. When that happens, employees are challenged, feel valued, and are more productive, more innovative and more likely to help the company achieve [...]

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