A Consultant's Chronicles

GO NINERS!!!!

When it comes to big sports event, we all have our favorite teams. With the divisional championship coming up this weekend against the NY Giants, while both teams deserve kudos for advancing this far, here's a shout-out to my beloved 49ers! BEAT NY!!!

           
  

Take-Aways For Business From This Year's Primary

Every time there is an election, I like to see what information can be mined for business. Like previous cycles there is no shortage of information to focus on but the one I've decided to write about today is one that repeats itself over & over again in both politics & business.

Treat Bad News Like Pulling Off A Band-Aid; Reveal It Fast

It's pretty simple. If you have news that you have to reveal that shall we say, paints you in a less than favorable light, get it out fast & get it out early [like pulling off a band-aid]. Why? Not only are memories short these days but if you do it this way, you get to frame the information instead of others doing it for you. In this case I am referring to Mitt Romney's coyness about his tax returns because he has paid such a favorable rate in spite of his enormous wealth. It unwittingly makes him the instant poster child for "Occupy Wall Street" [regardless of you feel about them] because his taxes reflect the fundamental unfairness they have been shouting about. It doesn't even matter whether or not its true because its the perception that counts & that's powerful soup. In Romney's case, he has run for office so frequently & recently, that this is a galactic "unforced error." So when will CEO's & politicians finally learn this critical lesson? From the looks of things, I'd say not anytime soon.

SOPA/PIPA: Make A Statement

    

 

             


             

Learning From Failure

Here we are in a new year so recently when I heard probably one of the best quotes for this time of year I just had to share it because it immediately rings true. As we all know, the new year is all about the perennial "clean slate" which we all frequently talk about in terms of our personal & business lives. Typically this is done by making new year's resolutions... resolutions that get broken quickly. However, listening to an interview with veteran sportswriter John Feinman, he shared a quote from one of my favorite figures in sports today, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski [better known as Coach K].

Why Failure Can Be An Important Tool For Success

According to Feinman because Coach K learned from failure, he has become the coach with the most wins in the college game surpassing some very big names. Feinman recalled sitting  in a local Denny's with the coach after a particularly bad loss early in his tenure at Duke & raised his water glass & said "here's to forgetting that game". What was Coach K's response?

"...Here's to NEVER FORGETTING that game...!!"

Why? Only by never forgetting failure can you learn from past mistakes & change the trajectory of experience in the future. Moreover, unless you pay attention to those less than stellar times, you will more likely than not, repeat the same mistakes.

 

In the interest of full disclosure, Ellen Gunty is a graduate of Duke University.

Lessons From Steve Jobs

That Steve Jobs was a visionary & creative genius among many other attributes has long been established but what about the rest of us "mere mortals?" Is there anything we can learn from him & his pioneering ways? The answer to this question seems to be a gigantic YES!!!!.

Some Not So Secret Principles For Success From Steve Jobs

According to former Apple CEO & the man who once defeated Jobs in the boardroom, John Sculley said that according to Jobs:
1-Great ideas already exist; they are just waiting to be discovered
2-A world-changing product deserves a world-class brand campaign
3-Jobs [& about every writer] agree, its toughest to decide what to cut, not what to add
4-Simplify,simplify simplify; "user experience" counts for a LOT
5-Great leaders must transform their vision into something tangible & inspirational
6-Hire [or surround yourself with] the best & only the best
7-Failure can also be your instrument for success
8-Follow your passion

While there are many other lessons in business to be gleaned from him, no one can promise you that following any of these principles will guarantee success. I will say that at its core, this "blueprint of ideas" speaks to a lot of what Jobs meant when he said those crtical 2 words: "think different."  "

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

The creative genius that was Steve Jobs happens perhaps once in a generation. His death today has been felt in the four quarters of the world. There may be no better words to memorialize this man than his own. He said:

"...Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary...”

- Steve Jobs

May he rest in peace.