Blog Post of Interest: SBA Honors the Fallen

As with SBA, we hope on this Memorial Day that you take the time to remember those who have died in service to the United States.

We honor the fallen and remember them and their sacrifice with reverence and deep respect and hope that it translates into what we do for all veterans today.

Learn more here.

Illustration credit:  Memorial Day (SBA)

Blog Post of Interest: Success By Choice

As Heidi Grant Halvorson asks, "Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others?"  Ever wonder?  Then this blog post is for you:  "Nine Things Successful People Do Differently."

One of my personal favorites is No. 4:

Be a realistic optimist. When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don't underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence. Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure. 

And Dr. Halvorson should know a thing or two about how to succeed:

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. is a motivational psychologist and author of the HBR Single Nine Things Successful People Do Differently and the book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals (Hudson Street Press, 2011). Her personal blog, The Science of Success, can be found at www.heidigranthalvorson.com.  Follow her on Twitter @hghalvorson.

Article of Interest: How to Go From Good to Great in 10 Easy Steps

How inspiring to have Jim Collins as one of our keynote speakers at our WPO Atlanta Conference this year (2012)!  Adding to that, I had the great pleasure to meet Kimberly Weisel, the talented author and entrepreneur behind the following article.

Jim Collins:  Good to Great in 10 Steps

As Jim says:  Do ten things that will dramatically improve your company. What are you waiting for?

Article of Interest: Key, Timeless Leadership Attributes

According to Erika Andersen, CEO, Proteus International, leadership hasn't changed much over the decades and centuries.  What's in store for each of us as we lead our organizations into a new century?

... the only real shifts they anticipated in what will be required of leaders are the ability to think truly globally, and the capacity to lead through continuous and substantive change. 

Will that be you?  

Learn more here. 

Ms. Andersen says:

I’ve been thinking about leaders lately, and how important good leaders are going to be over the next couple of years. As we start to come out of this recession, and to right our ship of state on a variety of levels, I’m noticing more than ever before how important it is for organizations to have strong and flexible leaders.

Read about her Leading model here.  One of her books can be found here.

Article of Interest: What Is the Essence of Your Brand?

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012

Do you have any great branding principles in place at your business? 

We all know great design has a critical role to play in building a great brand. But how do we go about making that happen?

The author of the article below speaks to three top designers about that very question.

Learn what he discovers here.

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2012, "Apple iPad and iPhone"

Book of Interest: Media: From Chaos to Clarity

Full disclosure first, I have not read "Media:  From Chaos to Clarity" by Judy Ungar Franks so what you are about to read is not a review.

What triggered me to post about her book is a fascinating article I caught in the recent edition (April 19) of the Chicago Reader: "What traditional media can learn from Betty White, Old Spice, and Joan of Arc." 

I was intrigued to say the least by Franks's comments to Michael Miner's (author of the article) questions.  For example, "We need a few simple tools and one big picture," she writes.  And goes on further to say, "We need a great story to tell (across multiple channels), we need an engaged consumer and we need an open media architecture that enables consumers to accelerate content across media channels and social networks."

Sounds like something all business owners should address in order to get and keep digital customers. 

Read the entire article here.  Check out her book where she makes sense of a messy media world here.

Article of Interest: The Way I Work

In just three short years the daily-deal site LivingSocial has:

... more than 46 million members in 25 countries and close to 5,000 employees worldwide, about 900 of them in its D.C. headquarters. Fueled by close to $1 billion in funding from VC firms and Amazon.com, LivingSocial has acquired nearly a dozen companies and launched offerings aimed at travelers and families.

Find out how LivingSocial founder Tim O'Shaughnessy does it. A whole lot of lessons here.

One insight:  "If you're not nervous about one or two decisions every day, you probably aren't trying hard enough."

Illustration credit:  LivingSocial

Article of Interest: Do You Have An F-Commerce Plan in Place?

Yes, you read that right, f-commerce and not e-commerce.

Some entrepreneurs and investors increasingly think "f-commerce" - meaning e-commerce on Facebook - is the answer. Start-ups such as BeachMint, Yardsellr, Oodle and Fab.com are coming up with novel ways to persuade Facebook users to not just connect with friends on the social network, but to shop as well.

The question becomes:  Facebook e-commerce:  the next big thing?  If so, are you ready?  Better keep your finger to the pulse here with potential opportunities for your business.

Rethink your e-commerce strategy and make it more social (e.g., f-commerce). 

Article of Interest: What Matters to Organizations Now

Our friend and colleague, Gary Hamel, has a new book out: What Matters Now (pictured). It is a series of interconnected essays that focus on five key themes beginning with values, which have nearly wilted away in the business world.

He worries that unless there is a moral renaissance, recent lapses will lead to an increased regulatory burden.

Read the entire article to find out what else is on Gary Hamel's great mind.

Hint: Check out this insight of his:

“Unlike Apple, most companies are long on accountants and short on artists. They are run by executives who know everything about cost and next to nothing about value,” he warns.

News of Interest: WPO Featured in The Wall Street Journal

 The Women Presidents' Organization is featured in The Wall Street Journal.  Founder and President, Dr. Marsha Firestone says:

She goes on further to say:

"Women go in [to business] having technical expertise but they don't have the managerial skills," she says. "To run a business, you need a lot of skills -- marketing, financial, (human resources). You may not, in fact, have all those skills." 

Read the entire article:

Women-Owned Businesses Make Strides

Event of Interest: WPO 2012 Conference

Change - Deal With It -- That's the theme of this year's exciting WPO 2012 Conference held in beautiful Atlanta, Georgia (pictured at night) April 25-27th at the InterContinental Buckhead.

The conference encourages WPO members to share business strategies and experience with other successful women from all over the world, as well as learn from interactive seminars and speakers. Additionally, it will provide potential members who qualify a unique opportunity to experience the impact the WPO has on women business owners professionally, and personally.

Learn more here.

I'll be there. Hope to see you too!

Magazine of Interest: Monocle

There are many ways to keep up with global news (e.g., CNN, BBC News, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, etc.) but to maintain a serious competitive edge, Monocle is one of our favorites.  It helps us stay on top of trends.

Monocle is a premium media brand with magazine, web, broadcast and retail divisions. Focusing on global affairs, business, culture and design, Monocle's mission is to keep an eye on the world.

To keep your business cool, relevant and an influencer in your industry, read up over at Monocle

Article of Interest: Women Energize Economies

I was asked to write the lead article "Women Entrepreneurs Energize Economies," by the U.S. Department of State.  It is part of the eJournal USA issue "Enterprising Women, Thriving Societies." 

Hungry for recognition and a better living, women in the developing world vie for business success.

I hope it inspires all individuals to pursue their dream of starting a business.  There's even a section on tips on how to start a business -- don't miss it!

Immediate download: PDF version (6.5 MB)

Posted by:  Women Presidents' Organization Chicago Blog

Article of Interest: Business Growth Tips for 12 Industries

If a business is on a mission to grow, it will no doubt face challenges.

In good times and bad, some companies succeed while others fail. Success is determined in large part by the particular mix of capabilities — the combination of processes, tools, knowledge, skills, human capital, and organizational forms — that companies deploy. 

Does your business have the capabilities required to keep moving forward in a highly profitable manner?

According to "Winning Moves for 12 Industries," all companies have two types of capabilities:  competitive necessities and distinctive capabilities.  

Find out which one you have and whether you have what it takes to outperform your competitors here.

Article of Interest: Negotiating a Noncompete Agreement

When you sell your business, you don't have to sign your life away.  Here are four ways sellers can carve out some wiggle room during negotiations.

How to Negotiate a Noncompete Agreement

Article of Interest: How to Rework the Brainstorming Process At Work

Does brainstorming really make people more creative at work? At your business, do you make it a regular practice to get together with your team to talk about breakthrough ideas? Does it work?  How do you measure it?

Two recent articles argue that brainstorming doesn't make people more creative.  So how might we remake the brainstorming process, given what science tells us?

Find out here.

Blog Post of Interest: Social Media Marketing

As social media platforms such as Google+ and Facebook continue to evolve and grow, how do you, as a business owner, stay focused and up to date on what's relevant?

The reality of web marketing is that almost all of it happens on platforms that are owned by others. Platform owners, such as Facebook or Google, have provided environments where some things are easy to do, some things are much harder to do, and some things simply can't be done. Even tougher for marketers is that these systems are constantly changing ...

Read: Your Marketing Can Keep Pace with Facebook and Google

WPO Chicago Member of Interest: Shelly Sun, CEO and Co-Founder of BrightStar

WPO Chicago Platinum member Shelly Sun, CEO and co-founder of BrightStar, is a longstanding member of the Women Presidents' Organization and has won numerous awards, including but not limited to:

... selected as the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009, becoming not only the youngest recipient of this impressive award, but also only the second female recipient. In 2011, Shelly and BrightStar were featured on the hit CBS series “Undercover Boss.” She was also recognized by the Women Presidents Organization and American Express Open as #1 in their Top 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Led Organizations in 2011, moving up from #2 in 2010.  Read more ... here.

Her most recent accomplishment is authoring, "Grow Smart, Risk Less (as shown at right)," which I am about to read this week.  Read what others have already said about the book. Order yourself a copy here.

We are very proud of Shelly and wish her continued success with her business and in her life.

Illustration credit (top) here.

Related post here.

Article of Interest: How to Stay a Step Ahead in Business

Here's a glimpse of the thinking behind some of the major steps I.B.M. has taken under Samuel Palmisano’s (pictured) leadership, based on two interviews with him conducted at the NYTimes.com. He boils it down to four questions you must ask:

1. “Why would someone spend their money with you — so what is unique about you?”
2. “Why would somebody work for you?”
3. “Why would society allow you to operate in their defined geography — their country?”
4. “And why would somebody invest their money with you?”

Mr. Palmisano has stepped down as Chief Executive of IBM, turning the baton over to Virginia M. Rometty (pictured) who becomes the ninth chief executive in the company’s 100-year history.

Read the entire article here.

Hat tip to WPO Chicago member Mary Bahr for turning us on to the article.

Blog Post of Interest: CEO Blindspots

What do CEOs misunderstand the most about how their management teams think? Take a guess. As President of your firm, do you know your management team very well?

The blog post below offers three major ways in which teams definitely do not see themselves as the CEO does.

Top Three CEO Blindspots brought to you by The Build Network (from the creators of Inc.)