On this Memorial Day, we remember those men and women whose sacrifice enables us to enjoy the blessings of liberty. May we honor them through our purposeful exercise and protection of the freedoms they gave their lives to protect and may we never forget and always be thankful for their sacrifice.
All the Best, Nathan Ives
President and CEO
StrategyDriven
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.png00StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2013-05-27 06:52:502013-05-25 16:09:54Honoring Those Who Gave Us Our Freedom
The Strategist by Cynthia Montgomery challenges readers to ask “Am I a strategist?” and goes on to provide illustrated examples and insights into the skills and sensibilities all senior leaders must possess in order to guide their organization to ongoing growth and success. Cynthia presents the lessons learned from leading executives while teaching at the Harvard Business School. Within her book, Cynthia covers topics including:
Strategy & Leadership
Are you a strategist?
The Myth of the Super-Manager
Begin with Purpose
Turn Purpose into Reality
Own Your Strategy
Keep It Vibrant
The Essential Strategist
Why You Should Read This Book
StrategyDriven Contributors like The Strategist for its insights to a key skill every successful executive possesses. Cynthia brings readers a vast collection of experiences from hundreds of senior corporate leaders and well researched case history. Her concepts come to life through a myriad of detailed case studies like those the Harvard Business School is known for.
If we had one criticism of The Strategist it would be that the book is too academic, lacking the real-world insights only an author who has ‘been there’ can provide.
The Strategist conveys to readers the key skills and thought processes they need to succeed as organization leaders. It challenges the conventional, tactical thinking so many managers get locked into. For its executive-level insights and illustrative examples to the critical challenges faced by all organization leaders, The Strategist is a StrategyDriven recommended read.
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Performance measurement systems monitor the behaviors and results of the organization’s workgroups and, in some cases, individuals; providing periodic reinforcement of the achievement of desired outcomes. This reinforcement can only occur when an individual understands his/her role as associated with a metric and receives and understands the associated performance information. Such role designation and communication is fostered through development of a RACI matrix specifically associated with each performance measure within the system.
Hi there! Gain access to this article with a StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription or buy access to the article itself.
Subscribe to the StrategyDriven Insights Library
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Individual RACI assignments can be difficult. Several other StrategyDriven articles provide additional insights to help in this decision-making process including:
Nathan Ives is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Count your blessings.” I wonder how you interpret that. I wonder how you count them. I wonder how you take advantage of them. My biggest wonder is how grateful are you for your blessings.
HERE’S AN IDEA: Re-look at your blessings from a different perspective. Are they blessings or are they assets? Are they blessings or are they attributes? Are they blessings or are they gifts that you can share with others?
GOOD NEWS: There are no right answers to those questions.
BETTER NEWS: You have to determine the answers for yourself.
BEST NEWS: Once you determine what those blessings, or assets, or attributes, or gifts are you can begin to build them, add to them, enjoythem, and turn them into a happier, better you.
HERE’S HOW TO DO IT: Sit down at your laptop and write your eulogy. Write down what you would want your children or your significant other to say about your life. How you lived it, how you achieved in it, and what your best qualities were. What kind of a person were you? What kind of a father or mother were you? What kind of a son or daughter were you? What kind of a friend were you?
Those are the questions that will reveal all of the assets, all of the attributes, and all of the gifts that you have.
In my opinion, the one blessing or attribute that will define you better than any of the others is what you gave. I don’t mean how much money you gave away. Rather, I mean what you gave of yourself. Did you volunteer? Did you participate in a charity? Did you help your kids with their homework? Did you help an elderly person across the street? Were you a giver or a taker?
Giving defines your person.
Me? I give smiles. And I give them on purpose, every day.
I have a daily goal. Make ten people smile every day. That may not sound like much, but it’s amazing what happens when you can make someone you hardly know smile at you based on your interaction with them. It means that you have been kind, or humorous, or thought provoking, or just a good guy or gal. Sometime it involves a bigger tip than you might normally give. Sometimes it’s just a matter of holding a door. Whatever it is, when you make someone smile it changes their whole physiology. They walk away feeling better than they did because they encountered you.
My daily goal also includes one other element: performing a random act of kindness.
Random acts of kindness are easily defined as proactive politeness, proactive helping, or proactive giving. No one asked for anything. You just decided to get up and do it.
I wonder if you ever think about random acts of kindness. I wonder if you regularly perform random acts of kindness. I wonder if you understand who feels best after the random act of kindness is been performed.
If you perform them like I do, then you know who feels best. You do.
Oh, the recipient feels great because you helped them or honored them. But you feel greater. Random acts of kindness have a double win. And the feeling lasts a long time.
I challenge you to make ten people smile and perform one random act of kindness a day. I challenge you to do it for the right reasons: for yourself.
When you make people smile, you smile. The power of that transfers immediately to all your other thoughts and you become happier. In fact, you look for ways to make other people smile because of the feeling that gives you.
And that’s a self-imposed blessing you can take to the grave.
Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.
About the Author
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/JeffreyGitomer.jpg218156StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2013-05-20 06:15:342016-08-07 21:14:37People don’t know what they have. It’s better than money.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution provides the steps needed to repeatably translate one’s business strategy into the day-to-day activities instrumental to realizing organizational goals. These disciplines include:
Focus on the Wildly Important – Give your best effort to those few goals that really matter instead of giving mediocre effort to dozens of goals.
Act on the Lead Measures – Carefully track the lead measures and let the lag measures take care of themselves.
Keep a Compelling Scoreboard – Make sure everybody knows the score at all times so they can tell if they are winning or not.
Create a Cadence of Accountability – Hold frequent accountability sessions whose only purpose is to advance the Wildly Important Goals.
Benefits of Reading this Book
StrategyDriven Contributors like The 4 Disciplines of Execution for its methodical, repeatable method of translating corporate strategy into the day-to-day actions of organization members. We appreciate the adaptation of the book’s principles to both an organization and team-level implementation.
Chris, Sean, and Jim richly present their concepts with detailed illustrations and examples; making the disciplines both easy to understand and readily implementable. The 4 Disciplines of Execution is remarkably well aligned with the foundational principles upon which StrategyDriven, its products and services, is based. For its actionable principles of strategy execution while promoting organizational alignment and accountability, The 4 Disciplines of Execution is a StrategyDriven recommended read.
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Business Programs
Honoring Those Who Gave Us Our Freedom
/in Announcements/by StrategyDrivenOn this Memorial Day, we remember those men and women whose sacrifice enables us to enjoy the blessings of liberty. May we honor them through our purposeful exercise and protection of the freedoms they gave their lives to protect and may we never forget and always be thankful for their sacrifice.
All the Best,
Nathan Ives
President and CEO
StrategyDriven
Recommended Resources – The Strategist
/in Recommended Resources, Strategic Planning/by StrategyDrivenby Cynthia Montgomery
About the Book
The Strategist
by Cynthia Montgomery challenges readers to ask “Am I a strategist?” and goes on to provide illustrated examples and insights into the skills and sensibilities all senior leaders must possess in order to guide their organization to ongoing growth and success. Cynthia presents the lessons learned from leading executives while teaching at the Harvard Business School. Within her book, Cynthia covers topics including:
Why You Should Read This Book
StrategyDriven Contributors like The Strategist for its insights to a key skill every successful executive possesses. Cynthia brings readers a vast collection of experiences from hundreds of senior corporate leaders and well researched case history. Her concepts come to life through a myriad of detailed case studies like those the Harvard Business School is known for.
If we had one criticism of The Strategist it would be that the book is too academic, lacking the real-world insights only an author who has ‘been there’ can provide.
The Strategist conveys to readers the key skills and thought processes they need to succeed as organization leaders. It challenges the conventional, tactical thinking so many managers get locked into. For its executive-level insights and illustrative examples to the critical challenges faced by all organization leaders, The Strategist is a StrategyDriven recommended read.
RACI Matrix
/in Organizational Performance Measures, Premium/by Nathan IvesPerformance measurement systems monitor the behaviors and results of the organization’s workgroups and, in some cases, individuals; providing periodic reinforcement of the achievement of desired outcomes. This reinforcement can only occur when an individual understands his/her role as associated with a metric and receives and understands the associated performance information. Such role designation and communication is fostered through development of a RACI matrix specifically associated with each performance measure within the system.
Hi there! Gain access to this article with a StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription or buy access to the article itself.
Subscribe to the StrategyDriven Insights Library
Sign-up now for your StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription for as low as $15 / month (paid annually).
Not sure? Click here to learn more.
Buy the Article
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Additional Resources
Individual RACI assignments can be difficult. Several other StrategyDriven articles provide additional insights to help in this decision-making process including:
About the Author
People don’t know what they have. It’s better than money.
/in Practices for Professionals/by Jeffrey GitomerI’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Count your blessings.” I wonder how you interpret that. I wonder how you count them. I wonder how you take advantage of them. My biggest wonder is how grateful are you for your blessings.
HERE’S AN IDEA: Re-look at your blessings from a different perspective. Are they blessings or are they assets? Are they blessings or are they attributes? Are they blessings or are they gifts that you can share with others?
GOOD NEWS: There are no right answers to those questions.
BETTER NEWS: You have to determine the answers for yourself.
BEST NEWS: Once you determine what those blessings, or assets, or attributes, or gifts are you can begin to build them, add to them, enjoythem, and turn them into a happier, better you.
HERE’S HOW TO DO IT: Sit down at your laptop and write your eulogy. Write down what you would want your children or your significant other to say about your life. How you lived it, how you achieved in it, and what your best qualities were. What kind of a person were you? What kind of a father or mother were you? What kind of a son or daughter were you? What kind of a friend were you?
Those are the questions that will reveal all of the assets, all of the attributes, and all of the gifts that you have.
In my opinion, the one blessing or attribute that will define you better than any of the others is what you gave. I don’t mean how much money you gave away. Rather, I mean what you gave of yourself. Did you volunteer? Did you participate in a charity? Did you help your kids with their homework? Did you help an elderly person across the street? Were you a giver or a taker?
Giving defines your person.
Me? I give smiles. And I give them on purpose, every day.
I have a daily goal. Make ten people smile every day. That may not sound like much, but it’s amazing what happens when you can make someone you hardly know smile at you based on your interaction with them. It means that you have been kind, or humorous, or thought provoking, or just a good guy or gal. Sometime it involves a bigger tip than you might normally give. Sometimes it’s just a matter of holding a door. Whatever it is, when you make someone smile it changes their whole physiology. They walk away feeling better than they did because they encountered you.
My daily goal also includes one other element: performing a random act of kindness.
Random acts of kindness are easily defined as proactive politeness, proactive helping, or proactive giving. No one asked for anything. You just decided to get up and do it.
I wonder if you ever think about random acts of kindness. I wonder if you regularly perform random acts of kindness. I wonder if you understand who feels best after the random act of kindness is been performed.
If you perform them like I do, then you know who feels best. You do.
Oh, the recipient feels great because you helped them or honored them. But you feel greater. Random acts of kindness have a double win. And the feeling lasts a long time.
I challenge you to make ten people smile and perform one random act of kindness a day. I challenge you to do it for the right reasons: for yourself.
When you make people smile, you smile. The power of that transfers immediately to all your other thoughts and you become happier. In fact, you look for ways to make other people smile because of the feeling that gives you.
And that’s a self-imposed blessing you can take to the grave.
Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.
About the Author
Recommended Resources – The 4 Disciplines of Execution
/in Recommended Resources, Strategic Planning, Tactical Execution/by StrategyDrivenby Jerry Weissman
About the Book
The 4 Disciplines of Execution
provides the steps needed to repeatably translate one’s business strategy into the day-to-day activities instrumental to realizing organizational goals. These disciplines include:
Benefits of Reading this Book
StrategyDriven Contributors like The 4 Disciplines of Execution for its methodical, repeatable method of translating corporate strategy into the day-to-day actions of organization members. We appreciate the adaptation of the book’s principles to both an organization and team-level implementation.
Chris, Sean, and Jim richly present their concepts with detailed illustrations and examples; making the disciplines both easy to understand and readily implementable. The 4 Disciplines of Execution is remarkably well aligned with the foundational principles upon which StrategyDriven, its products and services, is based. For its actionable principles of strategy execution while promoting organizational alignment and accountability, The 4 Disciplines of Execution is a StrategyDriven recommended read.