Developing Influence

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

The key to developing influence is understanding that contacts and relationships are not synonymous. Don’t confuse a database with a sphere of influence. A database consists of information records, and a sphere of influence consists of meaningful relationships built upon a foundation of trust – a point of distinction lost upon many. Spammers and info-product sales people add contacts to a database, while savvy professionals interested in creating influence invest into people for the purpose of building relationships. In today’s post I’ll describe how to create influence by developing high value relationships…

Measuring Success

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

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?

Attitude Reflects Leadership

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth 

I read an intersting post yesterday by Gwyn Teatro (@GwynT) entitled “The Attitude Contagion.” The point of Gywn’s post is that attitude matters because whether good or bad, attitude is contageous. So my question is this: ”How’s Your Attitude?” Show me a CEO with a bad attitude and I’ll show you a poor leader. While this sounds simple enough at face value, I have consistently found that one of the most often overlooked leadership attributes is that of a positive attitude. As a CEO, how can you expect to inspire, motivate, engender confidence, and to lead with a lousy attitude? The simple answer is that you can’t…it just won’t work. CEOs with bad attitudes will not only fail to engage their workforce, but they will quickly find themselves shown the door as their attitude’s impact on performance becomes visible to the board. In today’s post I’ll examine the importance of CEOs having a positive attitude…

Bold Leadership

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Are you a bold leader? 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 candor with rude or arrogant behavior. What I am referring 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?

Time and Leadership

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Time; it’s the only thing we all have in common, yet it’s how we choose to spend it that defines and differentiates us as individuals. Even though time is a key success metric, I am always amazed at how many leaders don’t manage it as such. Time is indeed a precious and finite commodity, and those executives that manage it wisely are those that achieve the greatest results. Show me an leader that doesn’t leverage time to its highest and best use and I’ll show you a leader likely to be replaced by one that can. In today’s blog post I’ll examine the value of time.

Timing Is Everything

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Opportunity and timing are inexorably linked. So much so, that if you don’t think timing is everything - think again. Anyone paying attention to current events has recently witnessed that it doesn’t really matter whether you’re a politician, investment banker, CEO, or just an average citizen, when it comes to making a simple decision, managing a crisis, or attempting to exploit an opportunity, timing is everything. I’ve often heard people quip that they would rather be lucky than smart. While intelligence and good fortune are certainly both valuable traits to possess, neither of these traits holds a candle to having a great sense of timing…Luck is a hit or miss proposition, and we’ve all known many a brilliant underachiever. However it has been my observation that you will rarely come across someone who possesses a great sense of timing that is anything other than successful. In today’s post I’ll take a look at timing as key success metric…

Leadership: Blinded by Success?

BBy Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Can leaders be blinded by their own success? You bet…While success is what all leaders strive for, unless you’re prepared to handle it, success can quickly complicate your life. Even worse, without the proper perspective success can actually contribute to the beginning of your downfall. So my question is this: Is your success serving as a springboard for even greater success, or is it merely a temporary state, precariously positioned and ready to implode with the slightest change in circumstance? As strange as it may sound, success can often times be the precursor to failure. Success without perspective, purpose, and focus can actually cause more harm than good. In today’s post I’ll discuss how CEOs, entrepreneurs and other leaders can either leverage success, or if they’re not careful, have it serve as a catalyst for a rapid downward spiral…

Finding The Zone…

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

“Finding The Zone” is a concept that most athletes are familiar with, but what about CEOs? We’ve all heard the sportscaster refer to an athlete as being in “the zone,” and so my question is this: “How do you find your performance zone as a CEO?” or better yet, “How do you find and remain in the leadership zone?” What respectable chief executive wouldn’t want to function at their best more often than they currently do? Wouldn’t it be a marvelous thing to be able to place yourself in the zone when needed? In today’s post I’ll provide some tips for CEOs to help them be successful in Finding the zone…

Leadership and Motivation

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Since the dawn of time leaders have argued about, struggled with and sought after the leadership “x” factor – how to effectively motivate people. While there is much debate over what does or doesn’t motivate people, there is little debate that effective motivation can make a defining difference in your ability to lead change, build cohesive teams, successfully implement strategic vision, and to create a certainty of tactical execution. The video above packs what is perhaps some of the best content I’ve seen on the subject of motivation into a short, powerful and compelling presentation. I’d love to hear your thoughts – please add your comments below and tell me whether you agree or disagree and why. Share your examples of great ways to motivate employees – the best story wins a $100.00 Amazon gift certificate – to be awarded on Monday.

Focus on Performance

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth 

I’m going old-school with today’s message – it’s going to be direct, and to the point…focus on performance. One of my pet peeves is the voluminous amount of management speak and self-help propaganda currently in circulation designed to codify a lack of performance. I’m an individual that believes in clear and direct communication, so I’ll spare you the rhetoric and just do what I do best…cut to the chase. Put simply, the formula for success, what truly differentiates you, is that you either PERFORM or your don’t.