Tag Archives: entrepreneurship

The Death Ground Strategy: Create A Sense of Urgency

in entrepreneurship, Innovation, Leadership

Happy New Year! I want to set the tone for the 2024 first post this year: Acting with a sense of urgency.

There is no better way to do that than fighting with your back against the wall. This is called the death-ground strategy. Though initially a military tactic, this ancient strategy holds profound implications for personal and professional growth. The Death-Ground Strategy is based on placing oneself in a ‘do or die’ situation, where failure is not an option. In such scenarios, people often find untapped reservoirs of courage, determination, and focus.

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How To Make Culture Your Advantage

in entrepreneurship, Innovation, Leadership, Strategy

Imagine this: your employees wake up excited to come to work. They feel valued, heard, and empowered to do their best. Collaboration flows naturally, and creativity sparks around every corner. This isn’t a utopia – it’s the reality for companies that have unlocked the power of culture – their secret weapon for success.

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Seeing Opportunities Through the 4 Lenses of Innovation

in Creativity, entrepreneurship, Innovation, Leadership

Ideas don’t matter, execution does. Yes, of course. Ideas by themselves don’t have value unless they’re grounded on a unique insight or perspective. How do you generate unique ideas? Let’s look at four approaches from the book  The 4 Lenses of Innovation: A Power Tool for Creative Thinking by Rowan Gibson.

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The Blinding Power of Assumptions: How They Block Opportunities

in Creativity, entrepreneurship, Innovation, Leadership

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a business partner that served as a stark reminder of the dangers of assumptions. We were preparing for a visit to a prospective client, an industrial laundry owner, and I outlined my goals for the visit.

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The Customer Is Always Right? Here’s When They Are and Aren’t Right

in Customer Service, entrepreneurship

We’ve all been there, a customer has unreasonable demands yet we give in to them because “the customer is always right”. But, the customer isn’t always right! “The customer is always right” is a long-standing service mantra emphasizing the importance of customer satisfaction. However, the reality is more nuanced.

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Focus on the Problem Customers Have, Not What the Competition is Doing

in entrepreneurship, Innovation, Leadership, Marketing, Strategy

I recently had a conversation with a friend who owns a marketing agency. My friend, although very smart, has a very deep tendency to see what competitors are doing and is constantly reacting to what others do. This puts him, and his business, in a bad position. Most business leaders run their businesses the same way, looking at what others do.

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