In the last few postings, we have been talking about entrepreneurs . . . what the profile of an entrepreneur looks like and how successful entrepreneurs tend to behave. But entrepreneurs, like all business owners, need an exit strategy, and it doesn’t matter if the owner is 26 or 66 . . . he or
Don’t manage change. Lead it!
In their book, “Blue Ocean Strategy,” authors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne offer some advice for successfully introducing change. The advice they offer is in the context changing marketing strategy, but their advice is really valid for any significant change within an organization whether you’re making operational changes, organizational changes, policy changes, or other.
“There is nothing permanent except change.”
We’ve talked here previously about change (see https://rocksolidbizdevelopment.com/ourblog/if-there-is-no-change-theres-no-need-to-manage/) . . . about the inevitability of it and about the need to adapt to it. But since our previous talk about change, guess what’s happened! Yep, everything has changed . . . our markets, our competitors, our banking relationships, our people, the technologies we use .
“Make no little plans.”
Sometime around the last holiday season, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced a plan to home-deliver merchandise within 30 minutes of the order being placed . . . by a little helicopter drone. That’s right. He claims, when the system is ready some years in the future, you’ll call Amazon, place your order, and 30 minutes
WIIFM? Huh?
As human beings, we are all creatures of motivated self-interest. That’s right, we are all egocentric. Sounds pretty cynical, doesn’t it? But it’s not. It’s just the way we’re wired and the way we make decisions. Should I do this or that? Should I pick A or B? Should I turn left or right, or
“OK, but let’s look on the bright side . . . .”
In their best-selling book, “Switch,” brothers Chip and Dan Heath discuss why it’s so difficult for us to change, whether we’re trying to change the way we eat or change the way we do business. The culprit is a fundamental conflict that’s hardwired into our brains. But once you understand the conflict, you can find
“If there is no change, there’s no need to manage.”
What would happen in your business if one day your managers just didn’t show up? What would their subordinates do? Well, they would probably just do what they did yesterday. And if the managers still didn’t show up the following day, the subordinates would just continue doing what they had done all along. This could
“Progress always involves risk, but you can’t steal second base and keep a foot on first.”
“Change with the world – or it will change without you.” There is always risk with change, and in general, the greater the change, the greater the risk. But you know what? There’s also risk in not changing . . . arguably even greater risk. Changes in the business world are coming at us faster
