Going, going…
July 20, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
Gone! A grand slam!
My son’s first baseball game was more exciting than expected. After spending the first four innings watching a back-and-forth struggle, one of his favorite players hit a grand slam – the giant home run that changes the outcome of a game.
Not surprisingly, the media coverage that evening focused almost exclusively on this particular moment in the game. Apparently, the little things that occurred earlier in the contest weren’t as fun to talk about.
But sports teams that rely on the home run cannot win over the long term. Neither can entrepreneurs and business owners.
That sure hasn’t stopped them from trying. Companies love to develop business plans that are little more than a series of attempted home runs. And while occasionally someone hits one, this approach doesn’t lead to sustainable growth.
A better strategy is to concentrate on hitting singles. It may be less exciting, but think about it this way: if you try for home runs and miss, you’ve accomplished nothing. Modest wins, on the other hand, mean that you’re always growing. And over time, steady growth will transform even the smallest of firms into a powerhouse.
Which is a lot better than the occasional big inning.
Shake It Up
June 8, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
My friend Shawn Murphy doesn’t follow. He leads.
Shawn (@shawmu on Twitter) just launched the Wake Up and Shake It Up blog series. Need a push to think bigger than you have before? Here it is.
The first post, Big versus Small, went live this morning. I think you know the author – check it out.
Two Questions
June 3, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
Invest a few minutes and watch the video below. Then answer two questions:
- Do you get it?
- What now?
Yes, But
May 29, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
How many times have you heard someone say “yes, but”?
“Yes, I’d like to ship that for you, but you can’t use that box.”
“That’s a good idea. I’d like to say yes, but this isn’t the time to try something different.”
Somewhere along the line, people were conditioned to say no. What would happen if everyone in the company had to look for a reason to say yes?
Don’t Change Your Story
May 23, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
It’s frustrating to listen to people, companies, and politicians say they stand for something while at the same time they try to please everyone. It doesn’t work that way, no matter how hard they try to convince us otherwise.
A company’s story can’t be about convenience, low-cost, premium-value, and great selection.
A politician can’t talk about lowering taxes, increasing services, attacking bureaucracy, and reducing the deficit.
A Little League coach can’t preach health and fitness to his team and then sneak a cigarette while the kids are running laps.
I realize that it’s hard to take a stand, to tell people what they don’t want to hear. But it does no good to change your story to suit your audience. Sooner or later people will figure out that you don’t stand for anything at all, which means you’ll be gone tomorrow.
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