Read more about the article Vol 57: Think Strategically!

Vol 57: Think Strategically!

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“The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong questions.”– Peter Drucker

 

I have been working recently with a young CEO-in-waiting who is eager to move into the top spot. He recognizes, however, that his struggle to “think strategically” may be keeping him back. On a tactical level, he is very efficient, discharging the assignments given to him, working his way through his daily action list and dispatching players to their intended destinations. He’s proud of his accomplishments, as he should be, but he “can’t see the lawn for the blades of grass,” and is constantly wrestling with how to develop a strategic perspective.

Ironically, many executives bear a subconscious fear about actually getting to that strategic level. After all, it’s a little harder to figure out what to do than to simply — do. It’s more demanding to establish the flight plan than to follow it. Creating the plan also demands more personal accountability, the conundrum that befuddles so many executives in the first place.

What does it mean to “think strategically?” (more…)

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Read more about the article Vol. 56: The Power of Personal Accountability

Vol. 56: The Power of Personal Accountability

sword1The Power of One concept is not new — it’s the bedrock of everything from motivational speeches to Army One.

There’s an entire industry devoted to the power we have over our destiny.

In the context of Building a Business, we can view the Power of One as a series of concentric circles that ripple outward from the center … from where we stand as business leaders.

[pullquote]“God grant me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I can’t and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Nieburh[/pullquote]

With a stagnant economy that has brought many businesses to their knees, we’ve been inundated with economic data, shards of doubt and glimmers of hope. While we can’t ignore these external forces, we can’t allow them to deter our commitment to reclaiming control of our agenda.

As a result, there’s no better topic with which to start than personal accountability, the singular touchstone of professional success over which we have the greatest control. (more…)

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Read more about the article Vol. 54: The road to cost control

Vol. 54: The road to cost control

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The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.

This page provides the Print-Friendly Version of the article, as published.

Any related materials or articles referenced in the column, or otherwise applicable, will also be referenced below:

The electronic version of the article, as published, may be found here.

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Article published -November 30 2009larykirchenbauerhdr

Is fear or kindness the road to cost control? You decide

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

– Albert Einstein

Last time I presented the dichotomy of two opposing cultures and posed the question: If measured by financial performance, how can dramatically different organizations be equally successful? In this continuing series, we’ll explore some of the combinations and permutations of sound business principles and cultural patterns that often collide within an organization’s walls.

In many ways, it doesn’t seem fair that both charitable and churlish cultures can thrive. It’s easy to embrace the benevolent culture created by Sid Rich (we’ll call it Company South, “S” for Sid) as profiled in my last column.

That company deserves to be successful. Wouldn’t it be great if that was the company I worked for? Contrarily, when you look across the aisle at the rough and tumble world of Company North (“N” for Nasty), highlighted by temper tantrums, public floggings and a petulant devotion to spending a dime on anything, we’re either glad we’re not working there … or wishing we didn’t.

Some powerful lessons are evident as we compare and contrast these companies, their styles and culture, although some lessons are not very inviting. (more…)

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Read more about the article Vol 52 – Building a Business: Health Costs

Vol 52 – Building a Business: Health Costs

The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.

This page provides the Print-Friendly Version of the article, as published.

Any related materials or articles referenced in the column, or otherwise applicable, will also be referenced below:

The electronic version of the article, as published, may be found here.

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Article published – November 2, 2009larykirchenbauerhdr

 

Building a Business: Can small companies lead in “consumer-directed” health care?

Disconnect between consumers, providers needs to be solved

“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like and do what you’d rather not.” – Mark Twain

Health care reform has become a cause célèbre with potential costs that will threaten many small businesses. That’s one of the reasons I’m attracted to the growing use of “consumer-directed” plans that require each of us to take a more active role in managing the financial side of our own health care.

The New York Times looks at some of these alternatives in “Making Sense of High Deductible Plans“. You should also consider the comments by John Mackey, president of Whole Foods, in his controversial op-ed piece explaining Whole Foods’ approach to health care coverage, a piece that caught the attention of the Obama administration.

Over the years, I’ve repeated ad nauseam my belief that the principal flaw in the health care industry is our lack of individual financial accountability. (more…)

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Read more about the article Vol. 51 – Never Give Up! Never, Never, Never!

Vol. 51 – Never Give Up! Never, Never, Never!

Churchill Image: I am an optimist2

At first, I figured it was too late to talk about surviving the economic storm we’re in … and then, I thought, hey, this isn’t over.

What does this recession really look like?

Maybe the sense of impending doom has dissipated but the reduced level of business activity and an increasing sense of frugality in a buyer-dominated market are going to be our unbidden passengers for quite a few more miles.

“Let us go into the storm … and through the storm,” said Winston Churchill as he prepared England to confront the Nazi regime in World War II.

As it applies to our current business climate, I thought this might be a touch of hyperbole, but then I recalled that Churchill’s odyssey raged for five years, not just the single year we’ve navigated since September 2008.

[pullquote]“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” ~ Winston Churchill[/pullquote]

Imagine Churchill, FDR and others slogging for five dreadful years through the greatest threat to civilization we have known.

How do we carry on the fight over a longer period?

So, how do we get through four more years of this business cycle, a time frame proclaimed by many before employment gets back to 6 percent and more customary growth trends resume?

Consider these few concepts inspired by the triumph and tragedy of those years: (more…)

Continue ReadingVol. 51 – Never Give Up! Never, Never, Never!