Happy, Hectic Holidays

The holidays are rapidly approaching, and things are as hectic as usual.

Each year, the days between Thanksgiving and New Year's are filled to the brim with projects and deliverables, and over flowing with family, friends, colleagues and festivities.

These are very good things, but in combination they can make it difficult to see beyond the urgency of now and plan for the bright new year ahead.

If you're experiencing the same phenomenon, you might find it worthwhile to revisit the post, 'Tis the Season. It provides useful links to fast and easy strategies that will help you put together workable action plans for projects, your business or both.

Like many of you, I'll be working over the holidays but posts are likely to be infrequent or nonexistent, so let's plan to reconnect in the New Year. For now, let me wish you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons!

'Tis the Season

In a recent conversation, a colleague commented they felt completely unprepared for the coming year.

They described 2014 as so busy and demanding, everyone in the company has remained laser-focused on what has to be accomplished this day, this week or this month. The urgency of now has left little time, energy or brain power to create a plan for 2015.

If you're wrestling with similar challenges, let me offer this ...

Strategy | Pinpointing Product Priorities

It's planning season, that time of year when every organization large or small is struggling to refine its strategic focus for the coming year.

We have in fact been working with a small business client on just such an effort. The big pieces of the plan have solidified and the client is so delighted, they were happy to share a high level overview here.

Let's take a look.

Mastering the SEO Universe

The business world has been buzzing about both recent  and planned SEO changes.

As we all know, Google regularly updates and refines its search engine algorithms. Others do, too, but Google is the 800-lb gorilla in the SEO universe.

Theoretically, Google’s SEO algorithms optimize the speed and quality of search processes and minimize detractors like spam-based sites. 

If you routinely conduct online searches for products, services or reliable, trustworthy information, you can judge for yourself how well these improvements are working. Or not working, as the case may be.

Strategy | Focus on Your Sweet Spot

This has been a hectic year for everyone, and as it races toward its close, everyone is scrambling to formulate a plan for the next one.

Sound familiar? Let me offer a few words that will help you simplify and streamline your approach: Focus on your sweet spot.

It's a fast, familiar and easy way to grasp the big picture and translate it into terms that are meaningful. To you.

Here are a few articles that will help you quickly get started:

• Strategy | Find Your Sweet Spot
• Strategy | The Sweet Spot in Action
• Strategy | Find Your Future Sweet Spot

Through the years, I've shared many sweet spot strategies and techniques applied in varied ways. To see them all, click here.

Strategy | The Perfect Plan

We’ve devoted a fair amount of space to strategic, business and action planning methods and examples.

Recently, a client sent me his company’s business plan and asked me to take a look at it as part of a larger effort we’re tackling. His goal was to provide valuable context and gain feedback from an objective outside source.

I reviewed the plan with interest and care, and while the actual discussion was more detailed, these are the highlights.

Spotlight | Machining Consulting Services

When Mike Gugger, president and owner of Machining Consulting Services (MCS), decided his company needed a business plan, he contacted Crossbridge for assistance.

Together, we crafted a plan that serves multiple objectives. It describes the MCS vision, mission and goals. It maps a realistic five-year growth plan to guide Mike and his board of advisors. And, it was designed to be shared with clients as well as potential investors.

Economy | What Employers Really Want

Some years ago, I wrote a book called, What Employers Really Want: The Insider’s Guide to Getting a Job.

What Employers Really Want took the first detailed look at the hiring process from the employers’ perspective.

                                   

The goal was to explain the inside viewpoint to help job seekers understand and navigate the job search to find the right job – and right employer – for them.

Ben on Business | Industry

Industry. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. BEN FRANKLIN

When Ben Franklin decided that it was not just possible but desirable to seek perfection, he drafted a list of 13 virtues.

These virtues or behaviors defined the scope of his personal self-improvement program.

Industry is virtue number six. To Ben, industry was a verb, an action not an entity, and throughout his life, he practiced his own advice.

Ben on Business | Seeking Perfection

It’s one thing to conceive of an idea, another to put that idea into action.

Ben Franklin (1706-1790) was an entrepreneur, inventor and statesman – a man with big ideas and big accomplishments.

Along the way, he determined the pursuit of perfection was one key to success in life and business.

How did he translate such a “bold and arduous” idea into action? One step at a time.

Strategy | The Power of a Game Plan

Early in May, Steve Forbes and John Schlifske visited a handful of cities to talk about “The Power of a Game Plan.”

You’re probably familiar with Forbes, the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media.

You may or may not be familiar with Schlifske, the chairman and CEO of Northwestern Mutual.

Strategy | What's the Value of Focus?

What’s the value of having a clear focus?

That’s a very good question, one that’s difficult to evaluate.

Luckily for us, Pareto, the Italian genius behind the Pareto Principle (or the 80-20 Rule), provides some clues.

Strategy | The Power of Vision

A colleague and I have frequent, often vociferous discussions about the power and importance of having a defined vision.

We disagree on a few of the fine points, but agree on the big issue:  A clear, precise and well-defined vision is essential to success.

This is true for organizations and individuals.

Aristotle's Success Strategy

It’s true. There’s nothing new under the sun.

Take the need to plan for success, for example.

We struggle with this challenge today, and as nearly as I can determine, that struggle has gone on for at least 2300 years. Here's the proof.

Strategy | Find Your Future Sweet Spot

Many organizations are trying to figure out how to move from where they are today to where they want to be in the future.

They’re working to redefine their company and get positioned for the next stage, whatever that might be.

If that sounds familiar, you might want to pinpoint your sweet spot from a fresh perspective.

Strategy | Define Your Customers' Sweet Spot

We recently posted a short series of articles about using Venn diagrams to find your sweet spot.

Both individuals and organizations have sweet spots, that zone where people and organizations are able to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses.

Our sweet spot strategy applies to customers as well.

Strategy | Target Your Audience

We’ve spent some time looking at the Sweet Spot, which is one way to pinpoint a broad vision for the future.

At Crossbridge, we also spend a great deal of time helping clients define their primary target audiences.

Why? Because these are the people and players crucial to success.

Strategy | The Sweet Spot in Action

Sometimes, a picture tells the story.

Let's look at an example of the our version of the sweet spot model in action. Just click the image to enlarge it:

Strategy | Find Your Sweet Spot

Have you found your sweet spot?

Your sweet spot is the zone where you maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

It's that elusive but powerful place that represents your optimum operating position in terms of revenues, results and, yes, satisfaction.

This applies to individuals and organizations alike.

Strategy | Where's Your Sweet Spot?

Many people and organizations describe the current business and economic environment as murky – at best.

As a result, they continue to struggle to create an overarching strategy and basic action plan for the near future.

If that describes you or your organization, perhaps it's time to find your sweet spot.