Play To Win
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Today’s message is not likely to please the politically correct, nor will it mollycoddle the timid. I’m not going to address competing or playing nicely, rather I’m going to deal very bluntly with the topic of winning. Want to succeed? It’s easier than you might think…just don’t quit. Strip away the excuses, rationalizations, and justifications, and the only thing standing between you and the attainment of your objectives is what you see staring back at you when you look in the mirror each morning. In today’s post I’ll examine the benefits of playing to win…
“Measuring Success” seems like a simple enough concept right? Well it is, in concept…the problem rests in the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the matter. There has always been vigorous debate surrounding the topic of success metrics, and the argument only tends to heighten during tough economic times. I’m often asked ”What success metrics do you believe are most important to measure?” Regrettably there really isn’t a canned answer as each industry, sector, vertical, and micro-vertical have unique business drivers. Furthermore, depending on how a business is positioned, where it is in its maturation lifecycle, or what its current financial condition looks like will dictate which factors may be most important to measure. That said, in today’s blog post I will attempt to provide some general guidelines that will be useful to any business wishing to analyze success metrics.
It never ceases to amaze me at the number of people who are charged with hiring who possess absolutely no skill at doing so. While I rarely meet a CEO who is completely comfortable with turning the hiring process over to HR, most of them still seem to acquiesce and do exactly that…”Who should do the hiring?” is a question that more CEOs should spend time pondering. In today’s post I’ll share my philosophy on the best way to insure that you hire tier-one talent.
In a comment on yesterday’ post, Mark Oakes (
Understanding how to leverage the influence factor can make a defining difference in your ability to drive change, build cohesive teams, and to successfully implement strategic vision. As a CEO or entrepreneur your “Influence Quotient” is the IQ you need to pay attention to. In fact, your influence quotient will be a much greater determinant of your ultimate success than your “Intelligence Quotient” could ever be. Innate, raw intelligence while certainly something to be prized, is much more common and much less powerful than real influence. In today’s post I’ll examine the often misunderstood value of influence…
Have you been told that you have a bit of an edge? If so, you have likely found that it serves you very well. Let me be clear that when I refer to an edge I’m not talking about rough edges, or confusing an edgy presence with rude or arrogant behavior. What I am refering to is having a direct, no B.S. approach that allows you to get right to the heart of an issue in the shortest time-frame possible. So my question is this…how edgy are you?
In thinking about the comments I’ve received from readers on the topic of leadership I noticed an interesting paradox…while many of you vehemently disagree on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of different leadership styles, most of you are in total agreement on the qualities and attributes possessed by great leaders regardless of style. In further pondering this dichotomy an interesting thought came to mind – If I could genetically engineer the perfect leadership gene what qualities and characteristics would constitute the architecture of leadership DNA? In today’s blog post I’ll attempt to paint the portrait of the perfect leader…
There is simply no substitute for the truth. That said, how do you measure a person’s positional conviction? How do you know if someone is sincere in their communication? How do you know if you’re being told the truth, or just being spoken to in a manner designed to elicit a desired response? Listen to what’s being said…When attempting to evaluate the shifting sands of fluid messaging, or what I like to refer to as spin, examine the choice of words used in the composition of said messaging.
I’ve written in the past about how important it is for the CEO not to sequester him or herself away in the corner office. Operating in a vacuum, and being out of touch is never a good position to find yourself in as the CEO. I have consistently espoused the value of walking the floor, dropping in on meetings on an impromptu basis, taking employees of all ranks to lunch, and any number of other items that focus on raising your internal awareness. In today’s post I’ll focus my comments on the value for CEOs of raising their external awareness…