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© 2010, © 2011 LARRY BROUGHTON, All rights reserved.
I am the customer!
You’re not just an entrepreneur, leader or executive – you’re a consumer. With that in mind, how often do you use your own insights to fuel improvements in your business? It helps to imagine what you, as a consumer, would expect from your own business – from excellent customer service right through to the look and feel of your brand and marketing initiatives. How often do you challenge your team (and yourself for that matter) to think from your client & customers’ point of view? It’s in the small, daily actions and interactions that your organization builds its profile and reputation in the community. The next time you face an organizational challenge, or you want to rejuvenate the mood in your organization, think like your customer.
You may get tired of me saying this, but I live a blessed life. I realize that now, more than ever. I have an amazing family, and a group of friends and business associates who encourage and inspire me everyday. Jim Rohn was known for saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” There may be some debate in that, but I remember the first time I heard that quote — it absolutely resonated with me and I instantly became more aware of my friends and business associates. I finally recognized that who I was hanging out with would eventually have an impact on who I would become. It wasn’t just the time I spent with my closest friends that I began to scrutinize, but even the amount of time and types of people I chose to have brief encounters with for coffee, lunch or business meetings.
Since I’ve put boundaries around my self and my time, I’ve found virtually every area of my life to have simplified, improved and become more harmonious. One of the great people I’ve chosen to spend more time with this past year is my friend Brian Goodell. We met at a conference a couple of years ago, and I was immediately drawn to his humble, approachable, positive, transparent, self-confident nature. I seem to like these qualities in people, and I liked Brian immediately.
As it turns out, Brian has an amazing back story that I’d encourage you to learn more about (watch this video). I’ll plant the seed with this–he has an inspiring come-from-behind story, winning two Olympic Gold Medals in 1976 in swimming, has had a successful entrepreneurial career, and is a highly requested speaker and success coach for athletes and business folk (check out his website here, and his slideshow here). During one of our lunches recently, we were discussing the speaking engagements we have on our calendars, leadership practices we’ve witnessed (good and bad ones), the importance of positive mental imagery and hard work, how we could assist each other towards meeting our goals, and diets (we were eating sushi). As I returned to my office from lunch, I realized that I always leave my chats with Brian feeling inspired, uplifted, and blessed. Shouldn’t every day, and every interaction be like this?
We also chatted briefly about Brian’s ’76 Olympic teammate, Gold Medal decathlete Bruce Jenner, and the hero he became to the nation during a challenging geopolitical season. I had to chuckle though, because I was reminded of the classic John Belushi SNL skit, Little Chocolate Donuts. You’ll grin just watching this, but take particular notice of the lit cigarette at the end.
Who do you want to become?
Who are you spending time with?
Here’s a brief and brilliant (just the way I like things) video interview with Steve Case on our economic crisis, job growth and entrepreneurship. Video Preview: (1) To get economy and job creation engine moving again, we should be focusing on entrepreneurship; (2) congress needs to act in these three key areas: Immigration, Access to Capital, and Regulation, and (3) Case shares the startling statistic that the number of entrepreneurial start-ups is down 23% over last five years.
Coincidentally, Larry Cox, Ph.D., Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, shared with me today that the number one predictor of U.S. business start-ups is our unemployment rate: when unemployment is high, start-ups are low. Given that all net-job-creation in the past 3 decades has come from high-growth entrepreneurial companies, we’ve got a dilemma.
What do you suggest we do?
This cartoon succinctly captures one of the discussion topics we covered on our recent First Friday Breakthrough Call regarding Accounts Receivables and its impact on cash flow. You can listen to the recording of the entire call HERE.
If you’d like to participate in next month’s First Friday Breakthrough Call and submit your questions on entrepreneurship, leadership, and team building for discussion with Phil Dyer and me, sign up HERE.
Ideas are all around us. We can channel them rather easily if we stay attuned to their clues and patterns. Good ideas are often born from bad ideas and failure. They come from divergent thoughts and other points of view. Ideas can gush from the inexperienced, as they’re not yet jaded or closed-minded. They sometimes seem like a vapor, here for a split second, and then vanish. Ideas are more precious than gold and diamonds, when executed upon free of fear. We’re idea magnets when relaxed, free from the pushing and shoving of life. The best ideas are vetted among trusted friends, whose only interest is the success of others. Ideas can be priceless when nurtured into reality, yet worthless when hidden in the corners of our mind.
What’s the lifetime value of one good idea? Where do your best ideas come from?
