Kudos to Goldman Sachs…
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Kudos to the top 7 C-level executives at Goldman Sachs for agreeing to forego their bonuses this year…Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, Presidents and co-Chief Operating Officers Jon Winkelried and Gary Cohn, CFO David Viniar, and three vice chairmen: J Michael Evans, Michael Sherwood and John Weinberg all voluntarily refused their annual bonuses. Only 11 days ago I authored a post (”It’s Bonus Time Baby…“) severely admonishing Goldman Sachs for planning to dole out nearly $7 Billion dollars in bonuses while accepting $10 Billion dollars of Bailout funding. As critical as I can be at times when I sense something is afoul, I am also quick to tip my hat to those who do the right thing…Congratulations gentlemen.
What’s Your Story?
Monday, November 17th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
So, what’s your story? If your personal or corporate brand doesn’t tell a story, then your brand is lacking the very essence of what makes a strong brand to begin with…The story. There is no denying that everybody loves a good story, and there are numerous reasons why. Think about the novels you’ve read, movies you’ve watched, speeches you’ve listened to, ads that have hooked your interest, or virtually any other message delivered by any other medium and it’s the story that either seals the deal, or leaves you feeling cheated. In today’s post I’ll discuss the value in creating a strong brand story…
Is Starbucks an Economic Bellwether?
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Is Starbucks and economic bellwether, have they just been mismanaged, or are consumers simply becoming more savvy? Why do I ask, or perhaps more to the point, why do I care? Whenever an industry giant stumbles there are lessons to be learned. If you couple Starbucks recent earnings announcements, with massive store closures and other corporate re-engineering initiatives, there can be little doubt that Starbucks is in trouble. Put candidly, Starbucks has gone from an industry darling to just another turnaround. So, in today’s post I’ll share some insights that all CEOs can apply to their businesses in hopes of avoiding a Starbucks like event…
Veteran’s Day
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
In celebrating Veteran’s Day each year it is virtually impossible not to think of our founding fathers and the sacrifices they made when they fought to establish our country’s independence. Those thoughts of respect and admiration in turn always lead me to think about of our troops currently fighting to protect our way of life and preserve our freedom. The more you begin to ponder the heroism of our military (past and present) the more you begin to consider the traits possessed by our nation’s warriors. I believe the same characteristics that are present in the heart of a warrior are also present in the most successful executives and entrepreneurs.
It’s A New Day…
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
What a ride…but as with all rides they must inevitably come to an end. With any political race, as is the case in any competitive endeavor, there must be winners and losers. While I know that most of you who frequent this blog were not overly enamored with the candidate Barack Obama, the votes have been cast, the election is over, and the candidate is now President-Elect Barack Obama. Those of you who know me understand that I enjoy vigorous debate, and I’m not even opposed to a bit of bombastic contentousness in the spirit of supporting values and positions held dear. That being said, I’m also an old soldier who understands chain of command, and that come inauguration day, our nation will have a new leader and Commander-In-Chief. While I’m clearly not happy about the outcome of the election, I will now cease my opposition, and lend my support for as long as it is earned. We all must now hope for great things from our new President, but we must also hold him accountable to uphold the standards of the office he holds and the country he represents. May God Bless America…
Your Vote Matters
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
In this election, perhaps more than any other in recent times, your vote matters. I would encourage all who have not yet cast their ballot to do so, as I believe this race to be much closer than many of the polls indicate. In many polling places the lines are long and the weather is not good, but do not let apathy stand in your way of exercising your right to have your voice heard. Today is election day and time is short. So, rather than restate all the reasons why I believe John McCain deserves your vote, I’ll simply direct you to three of my prior posts on the topic in a last ditch effort to appeal to the common sense of those who have yet to vote.
Read The Full PostLeadership vs. Management
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
As a top CEO Coach I can tell you without any doubt that Leadership is different than Management. While there seems to be a never ending stream of politically correct pontificating in corporate circles about the differences between managers and leaders, most of it misses the mark. Leaders and managers play different roles, and have different purposes. They both are unique in their value, and in their contribution. While most of the commentary I have read on Leadership vs. Management attempts to please all constituencies, those of you who have read my work in the past know that I am rarely politically correct, nor do I ever seek to try and please all the people all the time.
Understanding Your Customers
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
I’ve written often on the importance of maintaining an external focus with an emphasis on customer centricity. Let me put this as simply as I can…If you want to succeed in business you must be in touch with the demands of the marketplace. While many businesses think they understand their customers, few of them really do…What most companies view as an understanding of their customer’s wants, needs, and desires more often reflects their own internal biases, perceptions, and judgments. In today’s post I’ll share a few tips that will help your business succeed by achieving a better understanding of your customer’s needs…
Perception Matters
Monday, October 13th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Does perception matter? We’ve all heard the saying “perception is reality,” but is it true? Does perception never, rarely, sometimes, or always equal reality? While 
I long ago reached the conclusion that perception does in fact matter, it may not be for the reasons that you might think. I have found that most people are myopic with regard to perception…they understand their own perceptions, but are quite often either ignorant or intolerant of other’s perceptions. You see, the most important item to understand is that success has very little to do with your perception, but rather it has everything to do with the perception of others. I’m not suggesting that you ignore your perception, subordinate your perception, or change your perception, but I am strongly suggesting that you take the time to both be aware of, and understand the perceptions of others. What I’ve just espoused has nothing to with compromising your values or being disingenuous. Rather my reasoning simply hypothisizes that if you’re not in touch with the perceptions of meaningful constituencies, your success will be impeded by your tunnel vision. In the text that follows, I’m going to give you a different perspective on understanding perception.
Obama’s Ruse of Ambiguity
Thursday, October 9th, 2008By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
With only 26 days left until the election, I feel a responsibility to help expose Obama and his ruse of ambiguity. I don’t believe that I’ve ever encountered a more appropriate use of the phrase “form over substance” than as applied to Barack Obama. While I could go into great detail and address the fact that he has no executive experience, numerous questionable associations, supports radical social reengineering, has an undeniable track record of wrong decisions with respect to national security and foreign policy, his suppression of personal historical information, that he has the most liberal voting record in the Senate, the fact that his tax policies would even further cripple our economy, his elitist arrogance (see “confidence vs. arrogance“), etc., I won’t take a deep dive there today. So, I invite you to join me in looking into Obama’s carefully crafted ruse of ambiguity…