I'm a fan of Servant Leadership.  If you are not aware of the concept, check out this video of Colleen Barrett, CEO of Southwest Airlines or The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership to learn more.  The basic premise is that when company leadership serves their employees as their number 1 priority, the employees will be more engaged and motivated and better able to serve their customers and markets.  I love the concept because it assumes we are part of something greater than ourselves, that the whole is greater than the sum of its part when this care taking is the fabric of an organization.  This also feeds my (and others') spirtual and emotional self, in that by giving we become better beings. And there is an added bonus.  Companies that embrace a long term strategy of servant leadership are more profitable than their peers.  In turn "profits are the applause for the employees doing well."  It's a win-win for all.   

My analytical side loves to analyze the tangible implications of Servant Leadership. And that's where the term Triple Bottom Line (People Profits & Planet - or Triple P) comes in.  Triple Bottom Line management can be used to find the balance between People, Profits and Planet to create sustainable businesses that serve.  All companies have components of each element but without the right balance, one or more of the other factors may become skewed. 

Consider the 3 components as sides of a triangle, where sustainability is a board that balances at the tip of the triangle foundation  - too much emphasis on one or two will cause an imbalance - eventually resulting in a breakdown of the foundation.  Too much emphasis on profit, and employees and/or planet will suffer.  Too much emphasis on employees, and profits and/or planet will suffer.  You get the point.  Triple P allows for a measureable way to manage and grow a company based on the company and owner's unique value system with our real world business, social and environmental ecosystem.  

Want to learn more about People Profit & Planet, Triple Bottom Line?  I encourage you to join a group on linked in, or check out CNBC's series on the subject

 
When I was a student in college learning music theory & composition, one of the techniques our professors used was to teach us all the rules of composition & music theory before we could break them.  We would then better understand the full palette of musical techniques to combine.   One of the courses that was especially interesting to me was "Counterpoint & Fugue."  During this course we would be given part of a music line, around which we would build a short 4 -piece harmony.  We were specifically told to not play the tune we were writing, and would instead listen to it for the first time when we submitted it to our professor.  Following the basic rules gave great results,  and ignoring all the rules was a fast track to failure.  By following this technique we had another building block under our belts which formed the foundation for developing our own unique styles.

This technique applies to business - know the rules of business, the lessons learned through the efforts of others is tremendously beneficial.  But learning from the mistakes of others is also valuable - sometimes failures prove to be even greater lessons.  So for this post, I'd like to share two references around the topic of failure in business - How the Mighty Fall, by Jim Collins (author of the more famously referred to Good to Great), and The Seven Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful Executives (by Forbes.com contributor Eric Jackson)

Both articles provide wonderful examples of how not to run your company, and just like my old professor, Leonard Klein taught me - learn from the good & the bad, and along the way, you'll develop your own unique and winning style!

New Jersey Business owners - want to learn more about creating great companies?  Join us, along with other business owners January 16th at our annual Business Summit "Turbo Charge Your 2012." 

Ah, spring. You bring bright green grass and blooming flowers, graced by the gentle buzzing of bees and chirping of birds. There is much we can learn from you, apart from the fact that we need a new motor for our lawnmower.

The concept of cross-pollination in nature is simple: animals, be they bees or birds, travel from one flower or tree to the next, carrying pollen and seeds to new plants as they go along. The receiving plants are able to reproduce with greater variety, meeting environmental challenges more successfully thanks to the benefits of genetic diversity.

Cross-pollination in the business world can be equally beneficial. By blending in seemingly unconnected ideas into your business, you develop and grow. Your business will be better able to weather the challenges that all businesses must face, and adapt to, to survive.

Cross-pollination comes in many forms. A Bank of America inside your local grocery store is an example of two businesses expanding their markets through a non-traditional collaboration. When a company posts something on its corporate blog, and then posts links to the blog on Facebook and Twitter, it’s participating in social media marketing cross-pollination. When members of TAB meet for their monthly board meetings, they explore creative solutions to difficulties that confront all small businesses.

The first step to cross-pollination is to keep your eyes open to new sources for ideas. Great ideas can be found where you least expect them. Read books, magazines, and blogs from outside your industry. Absorb the information and ask yourself how you can apply their strategies to your business.

Now we ask you: have you gathered ideas from all over and applied them to your business? Or have you seen some really great examples of cross-pollination at work? We would love to hear your stories!

For decades, business leaders have operated their companies assuming they could rely on some level of stability in their assumptions.  This is no longer the case in today’s environment.  The only certainty is that uncertainty abounds.  Globalization, tax & regulatory changes, access to information and the ability to tap into resources around the world almost instantaneously has created new models of business.  While this certainly opens up new competitive models, it also opens up a world of opportunity.  You, your employees, partners and customers (who are also facing uncertainty) now have the ability to interact in ways that were previously impossible, and to create solutions that in the past might never have existed.  And one of the most powerful ways to do this is through using Social Media. 

Social Media isn’t just for friends, family, retailers or entertainment.  It is a powerful tool for business today and allows new, ongoing conversations to take place which can in turn build your brand, your solutions and your company.  If you haven’t done so already, revisit your 2011 Success Plan and see where and how you are leveraging Social Media in 2011.  Because if you’re not moving forward, you may well be falling behind!

Have a unique way that you're using Social Media this year?  Let us know - leave a comment!  And as always, thanks for your feedback.

I recently came across IBM's white paper describing key skills and competencies CEOs will need to lead their companies in the coming years.  The biggest drivers of these revised leadership skills were speed, information and complexity.  As more information becomes more available, more quickly, CEOs must adapt. The old adage of “being able to turn on a dime” becomes more critical for businesses as they must not only execute innovative offerings, but must do so more quickly and with less information than in previous business cycles.

Instilling innovation and risk taking can seem a lofty ideal.  However, if your employees were more creative in problem solving, in improving internal processes, developing new customer services & solutions, in negotiating with vendors & customers – what would the impact be?

Consider the dental industry.  Not the most exciting (well, maybe for those in the business it is), not one traditionally known to take risks.  But while looking for a new dentist due to an insurance plan change, I came across one that struck my interest, a dental office that uses Feng Shui as its design basis.  The facility is designed to be an oasis of relaxation.  There are babbling water walls, beautiful Zen stone pieces, wonderfully calming energy, complimentary refreshments and massages.  How did the owner come up with the concept?  By innovating and creatively addressing a market need.  By disrupting the status quo. 

So often the challenge for business owners is where and how to start embedding creativity. Fortunately there is help, and there are approaches and processes to developing creative muscles.

Some of my favorite techniques include:

• Removing yourself – get away from a problem or challenge you are trying to solve
• Pairing opposites.  Think about the dental spa example above.
• Spending time learning in areas unrelated to your field.
• Embracing diversity – of ideas, people and approaches (a key aspect of The Alternative Board!). 

There are many more techniques, tips and tools that can help and a great place to start is The Heart of Innovation.    In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you.  What are you doing to create a culture of innovation?  How do you look at change – locally, globally and within your markets?

.Thanks for sharing!

Think Social Media is for other businesses?  Think again.  Facebook is now the most used application on the planet with Fan Pages growing rapidly as a way for companies to promote their businesses outside of their websites.  In one message posting Twitter can undo years of work a company has put into building its brand and loyalty (just ask Southwest Airlines how Kevin Smith's sharing of his treatment on a recent flight impacted their loyalty).  And get ready for the latest.  Chat Roulette.  A new website ChatRoulette.com allows you through a random process to connect to others around the world and have video chats with people you may never have had an opportunity to meet otherwise.  That's the fun news.  The not so fun news is that you may never have wanted to chat with some of these people to begin with.  But you can quickly move on to others and gain new experiences and insights through the process. 
Social media now allows us to create conversations in whole new ways with new people that we've never been able to before.  Which is the key point. Conversations.  It's not about one way or one to one discussions.  It's about two way conversations one to many and many to many.  So the next time someone says Social Media doesn't matter, post a twitter comment on that and see how many replies you get back joining into the conversation. 
Want to learn more about Social Media Matters?  Join us for one of two upcoming complimentary sessions taking place in Sussex New Jersey and Flanders New Jersey on Social Media Matters for Small Business and get a customized website effectiveness report for your company. Email us to learn more.

It's official.  Spring has sprung.  Flowers are blooming.  And birds (and tweeters) are twittering.  Spring has always been a time of rebirth - a time when after winter's reflection and storing of energy, new growth and new initiatives take root.  While the economy has been difficult, as in past downturns, more innovations and more entrepreneurs leapfrog competitors in these types of creative climates than in any other. We recently held a great Online Business Summit for small to mid sized business owners and our subject matter expert speakers (including Google SEM Manager Dave Fall, OpenMoves CEO Ronen Yaari & COO Amir Chityat and WebSwagger's Marlene Pissott) all enthusiastically shared ways to grow during today's market - some top tips: