so your vision is never lost.
LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS
Sometimes your best partner is your competitor. If you’re in a competitive industry that’s facing an economic downturn, partnering with another company in trouble could be just the thing to revitalize your business. The revival of American Airlines[1. “American Airlines soars from bankruptcy to S&P 500 club,” March 17, 2015, http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/17/investing/american-airlines-stock-sp500/] is an excellent example of how competitors can work together to overcome hard economic times.
Brace yourself for a troubling statistic: a recent Gallup poll found that only 35 percent of employees are engaged in their work. What’s worse, research shows that when managers are disengaged, it has a cascade effect on the employees they manage, leading to less engagement over all. [1. “U.S. Employee Engagement Unmoved in June at 31.9%,” http://www.gallup.com/poll/184061/employee-engagement-unmoved-june.aspx?g_source=EMPLOYEE_ENGAGEMENT&g_medium=topic&g_campaign=tiles] With all the effort good leaders expend trying to create a welcoming, engaging atmosphere for managers and employees — everything from ping pong tables […]
In this week’s video blog our expert guide, Don Hadley, discusses the difference between consultants and guides. Let’s start with the definition of consultants: “People who provide expert advice professionally.” (from Merriam Webster) They then tell you what you need to do and then leave. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines a guide as “a person who leads or directs other people on a journey.” The next time you are wondering if you should hire a consultant or if you have had […]
In this week’s video blog our expert guide, Don Hadley, discusses the concept of engaging or not engaging with individuals. There are certain times when it is appropriate to engage in conversations or business with people. Then, there are times when it is just as appropriate to not engage with people. This brings to mind a saying, “A relationship is like a glove. You should be able to fit in the glove, wear it and have room to work effectively.” […]
In a recent study, it was estimated that 40% of today’s Fortune 500 companies on the S&P 500 will no longer exist in 10 years.[1. “A decade to mass extinction event in S&P 500,” Jun 2014, http://www.cnbc.com/2014/06/04/15-years-to-extinction-sp-500-companies.html] One of the reasons for this is that companies are afraid of expanding outside of their comfort zones. They refuse to innovate, and therefore become stagnant. For leaders who want to take advantage of the rapid expansion in the marketplace, this can become incredibly […]
Many companies come to Applied Vision Works wondering how they can make their teams more cohesive. A lot of managers looking for tips on team building are dealing with it from a reactive point of view. Usually, they’re trying to solve problems that already exist in the teams they’ve created. Their teams might be failing to collaborate, lack a common vision, or not know how to communicate. The fact is many of those problems will exist before the team ever […]
Does your company have a compelling mission statement? What about an inspiring vision statement? For many business leaders, these may sound like trick questions; executives often don’t understand the crucial difference between a company’s mission and its vision, let alone carve out enough time for this key part of strategic planning. That’s bad news for leaders who want to earn the respect of their colleagues and guide employees to success. In a Harvard Business Review survey, 77 percent of respondents […]
Running an organization is like flying an airplane, although it is not as dramatic. When an airplane has a warning light go on, the crew reacts. In business, too often leaders wait to see what happens…and they wait…and they wait… and by the time the crash occurs, it is too late. We have identified seven typical situations where we see slow death occur within organizations. Leaders in these situations must make changes to get to a new and better reality. […]
99% of the population, and even most employees in a growing company, hear that growth has been robust, and they think how pleasurable life must be for upper management. Of course, we know that nothing could be further from the truth. When you start a company, you only need to be good at what you do. Even if your idea isn’t the best and your execution is subpar, if you work hard enough you’ll experience at least moderate success. The […]