12 November 2023 Newsletter
“The ship is safest when it is in port, but that’s not what ships were built for.” – Paulo Coelho
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week full of meetings.
Following on from my article about the five types of BHAGs from a couple of weeks ago, at one of these meetings we spoke about BHAGs, and in particular Vanity BHAGs.
Vanity BHAGs are probably an expense in your financials and not connected to your making money and living Read More...
12 November 2023 Newsletter
“The ship is safest when it is in port, but that’s not what ships were built for.” – Paulo Coelho
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week full of meetings.
Following on from my article about the five types of BHAGs from a couple of weeks ago, at one of these meetings we spoke about BHAGs, and in particular Vanity BHAGs.
Vanity BHAGs are probably an expense in your financials and not connected to your making money and living Read More...
4 December 2022 Newsletter
“Our goal is to make the best devices in the world, not to be the biggest” Steve Jobs
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a good week, with life returning to normal after the Onboarded book launch and media promotion.
Let’s jump in!
Man Fired For Not Being Fun
When building Core Values with teams, I’m often asked about one of the questions on our stress test — “If a person breaches the core value, they probably don’t belong”.
And so, I might Read More...
4 December 2022 Newsletter
“Our goal is to make the best devices in the world, not to be the biggest” Steve Jobs
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a good week, with life returning to normal after the Onboarded book launch and media promotion.
Let’s jump in!
Man Fired For Not Being Fun
When building Core Values with teams, I’m often asked about one of the questions on our stress test — “If a person breaches the core value, they probably don’t belong”.
And so, I might Read More...
This video is a summary of the book Scaling Up by Verne Harnish and should give you an understanding of the subjects and key concepts in the book. I’m going to talk about who the book is intended for, what problems it solves and how it solves them and how you can use the book to further your business.
[creativ_media type=”youtube” url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naYurMoPjGA&”]
What is Scaling Up?
Scaling Up is Mastering Read More...
This video is a summary of the book Scaling Up by Verne Harnish and should give you an understanding of the subjects and key concepts in the book. I’m going to talk about who the book is intended for, what problems it solves and how it solves them and how you can use the book to further your business.
[creativ_media type=”youtube” url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naYurMoPjGA&”]
What is Scaling Up?
Scaling Up is Mastering Read More...
In Vlog 16 I’m talking about the only sport metaphor for business I have ever liked and the analytics behind team work as well as the 3 laws of Mastery and the 3 elements of Motivating People.
I begin talking about Ben Darwin from Gain Line Analytics and the article in the Australian Financial Review about how he has found what he calls the Team Work Index to accurately predict what the chances of a sporting team are for winning and why most modern sporting clubs are bound to Read More...
In Vlog 16 I’m talking about the only sport metaphor for business I have ever liked and the analytics behind team work as well as the 3 laws of Mastery and the 3 elements of Motivating People.
I begin talking about Ben Darwin from Gain Line Analytics and the article in the Australian Financial Review about how he has found what he calls the Team Work Index to accurately predict what the chances of a sporting team are for winning and why most modern sporting clubs are bound to Read More...
Every organisation has a culture, and one of the key elements to culture is Core Values, the handful of rules and beliefs that remain constant. Whether a company actively works to develop its culture or not, culture will always be present and by identifying the key components of culture such as Core Values and Core Purpose and bringing these to life through identification, Core Values stories, Core Values posters and Core Values videos (amongst others) organisations can help to align Read More...
Every organisation has a culture, and one of the key elements to culture is Core Values, the handful of rules and beliefs that remain constant. Whether a company actively works to develop its culture or not, culture will always be present and by identifying the key components of culture such as Core Values and Core Purpose and bringing these to life through identification, Core Values stories, Core Values posters and Core Values videos (amongst others) organisations can help to align Read More...
In this short video Naomi Simson talks about her journey implementing Gazelles tools to Scale Up her business Red Balloon. Naomi discusses the Red Balloon Core Values, how she has used the Brand Promise and Catalytic Mechanism (Brand Promise guarantee) to make it painful to not deliver on customer promises and the BHAG at Red Balloon.
She also discuses Core Purpose and how this inspired her to start the company as well as an example of a theme that could have worked better, but was Read More...
In this short video Naomi Simson talks about her journey implementing Gazelles tools to Scale Up her business Red Balloon. Naomi discusses the Red Balloon Core Values, how she has used the Brand Promise and Catalytic Mechanism (Brand Promise guarantee) to make it painful to not deliver on customer promises and the BHAG at Red Balloon.
She also discuses Core Purpose and how this inspired her to start the company as well as an example of a theme that could have worked better, but was Read More...
Have you ever walked into an office and noticed a vision, mission or core values statement and wondered if it was alive? If it was actually being lived in the organisation?
Or have you ever noticed these statements and knew that they were not being lived? That indeed a core values statement was aspirational and was not alive in the company?
Core Values cannot be aspirational and must be alive in the company today. Core Values reflect the behaviours and beliefs that the organisation holds Read More...
Have you ever walked into an office and noticed a vision, mission or core values statement and wondered if it was alive? If it was actually being lived in the organisation?
Or have you ever noticed these statements and knew that they were not being lived? That indeed a core values statement was aspirational and was not alive in the company?
Core Values cannot be aspirational and must be alive in the company today. Core Values reflect the behaviours and beliefs that the organisation holds Read More...
In the world of business, we are often asked to draw parallels between what enormous global enterprises do, and to consider how we might apply those same learnings to our business. We are told Apple has a strategic advantage having built a ‘walled garden’, and you should have one also. We learn that 3M has innovation within it’s culture and you should have one also. We are led to believe that if Google provides meals for employees, we also should.
But we all feel that most Read More...
In the world of business, we are often asked to draw parallels between what enormous global enterprises do, and to consider how we might apply those same learnings to our business. We are told Apple has a strategic advantage having built a ‘walled garden’, and you should have one also. We learn that 3M has innovation within it’s culture and you should have one also. We are led to believe that if Google provides meals for employees, we also should.
But we all feel that most Read More...
One of the fastest growing app companies in the world, Appster understands that a high performance culture is critical to this growth and having new team members join which align with the teams Core Values is critical to it’s success.
In this presentation Appster outlines its culture policy, and what it means to work at Appster being an ‘Appsterfarian’.
Importantly the Core Values help them to understand who they are not and they actively recommend that people who Read More...
One of the fastest growing app companies in the world, Appster understands that a high performance culture is critical to this growth and having new team members join which align with the teams Core Values is critical to it’s success.
In this presentation Appster outlines its culture policy, and what it means to work at Appster being an ‘Appsterfarian’.
Importantly the Core Values help them to understand who they are not and they actively recommend that people who Read More...
Today marks the end of the TPG takeover of iiNet with shareholders being paid $9.55 per share as part of the $1.4B acquisition.
TPG Executive Chairman David Teoh has said it is their intention to retain the iiNet brand, and that TPG have a lot to learn from iiNet, yet there is no doubt that it is his intent to remove what he views as frivolous spending in a Country Club Culture at iiNet. What we are about to witness is a colossal collision of cultures, where Read More...
Today marks the end of the TPG takeover of iiNet with shareholders being paid $9.55 per share as part of the $1.4B acquisition.
TPG Executive Chairman David Teoh has said it is their intention to retain the iiNet brand, and that TPG have a lot to learn from iiNet, yet there is no doubt that it is his intent to remove what he views as frivolous spending in a Country Club Culture at iiNet. What we are about to witness is a colossal collision of cultures, where Read More...
Last week it was announced that Atlassian was awarded the Best Place to work in Australia by BRW for the second year running. This is despite Atlassian growing so fast that one in four of the companies 1,500 employees have been at the company for less than five months, and the median tenure being one year and nine days.
So how do Atlassian manage to achieve Australia’s best place to work in a fast growth environment which would normally create HR headaches?
“What I tell my staff is Read More...
Last week it was announced that Atlassian was awarded the Best Place to work in Australia by BRW for the second year running. This is despite Atlassian growing so fast that one in four of the companies 1,500 employees have been at the company for less than five months, and the median tenure being one year and nine days.
So how do Atlassian manage to achieve Australia’s best place to work in a fast growth environment which would normally create HR headaches?
“What I tell my staff is Read More...
In this interview, Herb Kelleher former CEO of Southwest Airlines talks about the Profit per X of his business and the Hedgehog concept. He also discusses how they originally set out to be the most productive short haul airline in the world, and how the Core Values were established.
Also the video looks at the challenges facing the companies Profit per x of profit per fuselage today, how rising fuel prices have been a significant challenge to this, and how the companies Core Values Read More...
In this interview, Herb Kelleher former CEO of Southwest Airlines talks about the Profit per X of his business and the Hedgehog concept. He also discusses how they originally set out to be the most productive short haul airline in the world, and how the Core Values were established.
Also the video looks at the challenges facing the companies Profit per x of profit per fuselage today, how rising fuel prices have been a significant challenge to this, and how the companies Core Values Read More...
Paul Fraynd and Hugh Morton have been using the Rockefeller Habits and the One-Page Strategic Plan to both merge their firms and drive an expected doubling of revenue by 2018. Leaders of Omaha-based Sun Valley Landscaping, this Landscape Management magazine article details how they independently launched their separate businesses and then merged them into something providing more of a 100% solution for clients needing landscaping services. To make sure the merger didn’t destroy either Read More...
Paul Fraynd and Hugh Morton have been using the Rockefeller Habits and the One-Page Strategic Plan to both merge their firms and drive an expected doubling of revenue by 2018. Leaders of Omaha-based Sun Valley Landscaping, this Landscape Management magazine article details how they independently launched their separate businesses and then merged them into something providing more of a 100% solution for clients needing landscaping services. To make sure the merger didn’t destroy either Read More...
Melbourne-based Maple Event Group is growing quite fast and their owners, wife and husband Carly and Eric Cohen, say it’s all about their Core Values. Named the 14th Best Place to Work in Australia, they’ve produced a video that serves as a great employee recruiting and customer acquisition tool – and outline many of the things they do to live their core values (and a great example of how to structure a video like this).
Maple Event Group Core Values Read More...
Melbourne-based Maple Event Group is growing quite fast and their owners, wife and husband Carly and Eric Cohen, say it’s all about their Core Values. Named the 14th Best Place to Work in Australia, they’ve produced a video that serves as a great employee recruiting and customer acquisition tool – and outline many of the things they do to live their core values (and a great example of how to structure a video like this).
Maple Event Group Core Values Read More...
Joel Tardy runs a Culligan Water franchise in Lubbock Texas and was consistently one of the highest performing franchises in the US for Culligan with net profits around 15% to 20% and a NPS score of 91%. But Joel felt that wasn’t enough and wanted to build a better business. Having read Scaling Up and built a One Page Plan for his business, Joel attended a Gazelles public workshop and felt he needed the help of a Gazelles coach.
In this video we hear the story of Joel and how he Read More...
Joel Tardy runs a Culligan Water franchise in Lubbock Texas and was consistently one of the highest performing franchises in the US for Culligan with net profits around 15% to 20% and a NPS score of 91%. But Joel felt that wasn’t enough and wanted to build a better business. Having read Scaling Up and built a One Page Plan for his business, Joel attended a Gazelles public workshop and felt he needed the help of a Gazelles coach.
In this video we hear the story of Joel and how he Read More...
If, as statistics suggest, employee loyalty is now dead, what can you do to develop an engaged workforce?
Gallup recently released the following statistics about employee engagement;
Less than one third of employees in the US are actively engaged
A little over half are disengaged and,
18.5% are actively disengaged
With such a large number of the workforce both disengaged and actively disengaged, what can you do to develop an engaged workforce?
In this video Pamela Carrington Rotto discusses Read More...
If, as statistics suggest, employee loyalty is now dead, what can you do to develop an engaged workforce?
Gallup recently released the following statistics about employee engagement;
Less than one third of employees in the US are actively engaged
A little over half are disengaged and,
18.5% are actively disengaged
With such a large number of the workforce both disengaged and actively disengaged, what can you do to develop an engaged workforce?
In this video Pamela Carrington Rotto discusses Read More...
It’s all good and well to develop Core Values, an inspiring BHAG or a strategy to win, but unless you can find a way to bring these elements to life, and for them to be important to the people in your organisation, it is worth very little. That’s why we recommend you find fun, engaging ways to align team members with what is most important for the business.
As Rackspace ‘Godfather of Fanatical Support’ David Bryce reflects, ” We got unhappy customers, Read More...
It’s all good and well to develop Core Values, an inspiring BHAG or a strategy to win, but unless you can find a way to bring these elements to life, and for them to be important to the people in your organisation, it is worth very little. That’s why we recommend you find fun, engaging ways to align team members with what is most important for the business.
As Rackspace ‘Godfather of Fanatical Support’ David Bryce reflects, ” We got unhappy customers, Read More...
Voted by BRW magazine as the number 1 place to work in Australia, Rockefeller Habits users The Physio Co helps oldies stay mobile, safe and happy. Each year Founder & CEO Tristan White publishes a book outlining why people love working at The Physio Co.
Written as an interview with staff members it includes quotes such as;
“It’s my first job where I have had any interaction with the CEO”
“When we all get together it does feels like a family”
“TPC is Read More...
Voted by BRW magazine as the number 1 place to work in Australia, Rockefeller Habits users The Physio Co helps oldies stay mobile, safe and happy. Each year Founder & CEO Tristan White publishes a book outlining why people love working at The Physio Co.
Written as an interview with staff members it includes quotes such as;
“It’s my first job where I have had any interaction with the CEO”
“When we all get together it does feels like a family”
“TPC is Read More...
SRG Insurance, a fast growing Perth based insurance broker recently conducted an offsite strategic planning session facilitated by Evolution Partners to plan for 2015 and beyond. Through this 2 day offsite planning session the team at SRG insurance worked together to uncover Core Values, Core Purpose, BHAG as well completing the Gazelles One Page Plan.
As Rod Fitzgerald, Managing Director at SRG Insurance said “(as a result of our offsite strategy workshop) we made significant gains on Read More...
SRG Insurance, a fast growing Perth based insurance broker recently conducted an offsite strategic planning session facilitated by Evolution Partners to plan for 2015 and beyond. Through this 2 day offsite planning session the team at SRG insurance worked together to uncover Core Values, Core Purpose, BHAG as well completing the Gazelles One Page Plan.
As Rod Fitzgerald, Managing Director at SRG Insurance said “(as a result of our offsite strategy workshop) we made significant gains on Read More...
Givers tend to get stuff back while takers fight for every last nickel and they are always the ones, in the end, who are struggling – they never have abundance.
20 times return on investment in less than a year; record retention of customers in a commodity business during a severe downturn; highest morale in the history of the company; and the best two quarters, ever, in terms of profitability. The key? An initiative called “Dream On.”
“You’re either a giver or Read More...
Givers tend to get stuff back while takers fight for every last nickel and they are always the ones, in the end, who are struggling – they never have abundance.
20 times return on investment in less than a year; record retention of customers in a commodity business during a severe downturn; highest morale in the history of the company; and the best two quarters, ever, in terms of profitability. The key? An initiative called “Dream On.”
“You’re either a giver or Read More...
How often should you test and change your Core Values?
Are they set in stone for a lifetime, or should you periodically consider updating?
The actual answer is when you genuinely don’t value the items as “Core” any longer. If the Core Values were originally built to be meaningful, and passed several stress tests they should last 10-20 years.
What are the stress tests for Core Values?
1. They should be alive in the company today
2. You should be prepared to take a Read More...
How often should you test and change your Core Values?
Are they set in stone for a lifetime, or should you periodically consider updating?
The actual answer is when you genuinely don’t value the items as “Core” any longer. If the Core Values were originally built to be meaningful, and passed several stress tests they should last 10-20 years.
What are the stress tests for Core Values?
1. They should be alive in the company today
2. You should be prepared to take a Read More...
In 2009, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings published a 124-page slide deck outlining how he hires, fires and rewards employees. The level of insight into the inner workings of a company’s culture was unprecedented, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has since said the SlideShare “may well be the most important document ever to come out of the (Silicon) Valley.” It’s a very forward-thinking approach to culture that set off a movement for others to follow in Netflix’s footsteps. More than Read More...
In 2009, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings published a 124-page slide deck outlining how he hires, fires and rewards employees. The level of insight into the inner workings of a company’s culture was unprecedented, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has since said the SlideShare “may well be the most important document ever to come out of the (Silicon) Valley.” It’s a very forward-thinking approach to culture that set off a movement for others to follow in Netflix’s footsteps. More than Read More...
Robert Scoble is a titan of Silicon Valley and the tech industry.
He is arguably the most influential person in the tech industry and has the ability to make or break a well funded startup depending on his public assessment. It has been written that he knows more about the global tech community than any other person on Earth, something many would readily agree with.
In 2005 ‘The Economist’ noted that whilst Technology Evangelist for Microsoft, Scoble was solely Read More...
Robert Scoble is a titan of Silicon Valley and the tech industry.
He is arguably the most influential person in the tech industry and has the ability to make or break a well funded startup depending on his public assessment. It has been written that he knows more about the global tech community than any other person on Earth, something many would readily agree with.
In 2005 ‘The Economist’ noted that whilst Technology Evangelist for Microsoft, Scoble was solely Read More...
