Archive - December, 2010

Family Matters

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth 

For the last post of the year I decided to update a piece I published earlier this year – I also consider it to be the most important work I authored this year…it applies to all of us.  Over the years I’ve come to believe that there is only one sure fire litmus test for measuring leadership success, and to the chagrin of many reading this post, it has little to do with what happens on the job. Today’s post might push a few buttons and test the boundaries of your comfort zone, but if you stick with me, I promise you’ll be glad you did. I’m going to peel back the layers on your personal brand, question your priorities, and quite possibly put a big dent in your carefully crafted professional facade. We’re going to get very personal today – How’s your family life?



 

Facing Challenges

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Facing ChallengesLess than 100 days until year-end. The good news is, this time of year always affords a great opportunity to plan for the challenges that are sure to present themselves in the upcoming year. My question is this: have you taken the time to do the necessary planning? Regardless of where you are in your life and your career, I can promise you one thing; you will consistently be faced with challenges and obstacles along the way. In today’s post I will take a brief look at the beliefs that cause some to succeed where others fail.



 

Success vs. Significance

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth 

As one year draws to a close and another begins, I can think of no better time to dust off an old post and ask you to ponder the difference between success and significance. Some would say that any discussion along this topic line is nothing more than a semantical debate. However, it is my opinion that those who hold this view truly don’t understand the difference between the two, and are simply attempting to blur lines in order to feel better about themselves. Harsh? Perhaps, but I’ll let you be the judge. In today’s post I’ll attempt to clearly lay out the differences between success and significance, and why you’ll be better off setting your sites on the latter and not the former…



 

Top Leaders of 2010

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth 

Most people are familiar with the myriad of celebrity leader lists that get published this time of year – Top 10 CEOs, Top 1o World Leaders, Top 10 Entrepreneurs, etc., but you’ll not find that here. In today’s post I’m asking you to nominate the everyday community leader - the soldiers, first responders, teachers, volunteers, student leaders, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, pastors, medical professionals, etc., who serve as inspiration to us all by the daily difference their leadership makes in our lives. You can nominate your unsung hero by leaving a comment explaning how their example of leadership touches the lives of others. From the comments submitted I’ll pick a winner who will receive a $500 dollar check, an Amazon Kindle, and a video interview to be hosted on this blog (anyone wishing to add to the prize package please send me an email). I’ll announce the winner via Twitter on Christmas Eve. Let’s not let this holiday season pass without recognizing those who make our world a better place. Let the nominations begin…



 

Guest Post – Kevin Eikenberry

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Leadership absent perspective is little more than an exercise in frivolity. Today’s guest post by Kevin Eikenberry (@kevineikenberry) really resonates with me because it’s chalk full of leadership perspective. For those of you not familiar with Kevin,  he is a two-time best selling author and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that has been helping organizations, teams and individuals reach their potential since 1993. Kevin also hosts the Best of Leadership Blogs 2010 contest of which this blog is a nominee (if you haven’t voted yet, today is the last day for voting). If you’ve yet to read any of Kevin’s material you’re in for a real treat – enjoy…



 

Leadership Self Examination

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Leadership Self ExaminationAre you a good leader? Want to find out? If you’re looking to benchmark your leadership ability the following self examination will give you a baseline to build from. While this test is not as detailed as more comprehensive assessments, I have nonetheless found it to be fairly thorough. That said, any self exam is only as good as the honesty of those taking the test. If you check your ego at the door and give a thoughtful, introspective evaluation of your ability, it is likely that you’ll learn something about your leadership abilities or lack thereof. Better yet, for those of you bold enough to place yourself under what might be the harsh scrutiny of others, you can get the benefits of a mini leadeship 360 review by asking your co-workers to rate you as a leader. If you’re game to test your leadership ability read on to take the exam…



 

Growth by Partnering

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Growth By PartneringIf corporate growth is what you seek, but you lack the patience to endure the slow pace of organic growth, and don’t have the capital necessary to finance an acquisition binge, then you might want to consider the many benefits associated with partnering.  While the concept of creating a strategic partnership is familiar to many, the reality is that few companies take advantage of them. Let me offer the initial disclaimer that the subject of today’s post is a complex area that would require much more in depth coverage to do it justice. That said, in the text that follows I’ll provide an overview of the many reasons why partnering should be included as a key component of your corporate growth strategy…



 

To Blog or Not to Blog?

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

I think you’d be shocked at how many people still struggle with the “to blog or not to blog” dilemma. Most of you who have been following this blog know that I’ve been an a strong evangelist of social media, and perhaps even more so of blogging for several years now. So why is it that so many people still seem paralyzed when it comes to taking the plunge? Let’s look at the numbers…While the numbers vary depending on which source you believe, the total number of blogs on the Internet is generally thought to be in the range of 200 million blogs. By any category analysis or analytical standard blogging has obviously developed into a powerful communication medium. However the question remains, do the numbers in-and-of-themselves mean that blogging is right for everyone?



 

Vision vs. Mission

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Today’s Myatt on Monday’s question was posed by a CEO who asked: “Can you define the difference between vision and mission?” What a great question…it’s always refreshing to me when an executive checks their ego and asks a clarifying question (a characteristic of great leaders by the way) rather than pretend they know the answer. The reason this is such a great question is that I’ve witnessed far too many executives confuse vision and mission in terms of both definition and application. In today’s post I’ll clearly explain the difference between vision and mission



 

Great Leaders Leverage Great Messaging

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth 

It's The Message Stupid...
Great leaders understand the power, influence, and leverage created by great messaging. Do you ever find yourself sitting back and marveling at those leaders who always seem to have the right thing to say? Contrast this with the feelings you have when you hear an awful sound-bite that makes a leader look either uninformed or unintelligent. The difference between the two aforementioned examples is that great leaders have mastered the art of finding the right message regardless of the medium, market, or constituency being addressed. In today’s post I’ll share some of the messaging secrets used by the best leaders…