The future is coming and managers far and wide have thrown their trust into technology, particularly looking toward the Internet of Things (IoT). However, because the future, unlike times in the past, is so vague the likelihood of a strategic initiative hit the mark is slim to none. Thus, writes
Which to employ Customer Development or Design Thinking
The answer is it depends. Although both place great emphasis on learning what works or does't from customers they are quite different tools. The key to selecting which might workout best is to understand the culture of your organization - fast, slow, process focused, urgency to gain traction - and
3 Attributes Powerfully Successful Problem Solvers Possess
Good problem solving skills are fundamentally important, especially when leading a business. But problems (what's that consulting term... challenges) are something that we don't particularly like. They're time-consuming. They bogart their way into our already packed schedules. And the queue never
The Secret of Getting Business Deals Moving
Say it's not so! It can't be. But alas it is. We are segueing into September. Over the next two weeks bathing suits will be wrung out, surfboards stowed, and backpacks wrenched out from beneath that pile of camp gear. Turning up the dial This is a period of both great anticipation and trepidation.
Seven Business Books Worthy of Your Attention
If you're in the Northern Hemisphere don’t look now, but summer’s winding down. Grab time to go outside with your mobile device to catch up on both those rays and that summer to-do hit list. I know for me that includes mapping the learning blueprint for the Entrepreneurship course I'm slated
The New Gatekeeper?
Pop quiz, What do each of the below have in common? "Come on out to the picture show." "Same Bat time, same Bat channel." "I want my MTV." Each is a former powerful lever in the media game. Ever since I fell into the media/entertainment industry in the mid-1990s the winning combination for
Keeping Your Strategy From Going Bust
Why do business strategies fail? They're developed by smart, insightful, and motivated people. That shouldn't be a formula which results in over 70% going belly up. Yet it does, with most doing so within six months of completion. Popular convention focuses on two causes of failure: people
Pop Quiz: Do you know these 47 business development acronyms?
Remember when you sat in that meeting to discuss the latest product launch and you heard a twenty something roll through a virtual alphabet soup of social media acronyms, only five of which you knew. Right then and there you made a commitment to yourself; "Never again, this is to
7 Elements of a Business Plan
"Entrepreneurship is the management discipline that deals with situations of high uncertainty." - Eric Ries http://youtu.be/tqfL_ESHCrY?hd=1 Here's a short video (9 minutes) of the introduction for the financial management component of the mini-MBA course I was fortunate enough to teach last