"Success depends on where intention is"

Two of the best-selling business books of all time are 'In Search of Excellence' and 'Good To Great'. I value both books.

There is something very interesting though about the organisations profiled in these books - very few, if any, are still excellent or great!

A very different story applies to the organisations profiled in Firms of Endearment another of my favourite books. Such organisations as a general rule are outperforming the market 15:1. The difference - they're purpose driven. Purpose is another word for intention.

The poet Gita Bellin says "Success depends on where intention is." 

The intention role of Appreciative Leaders is Maestro of Gift (Talent) Enhancement.

This is the subject matter of today's Monday Morning Momentum video below.



Perform the Maestro of Gift (Talent) Enhancement role in your own best way and I have no doubt your business will be a 'firm of endearment'.

You can download the resources referenced in the video here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The Appreciative Leader Manifesto

You can download a PDF version of this manifesto for printing and signing here.

The Appreciative Leader Manifesto

I accept that simply yet profoundly by the nature of my birth that I am a remarkable one-of-a-kind human being.

I see myself and everyone else as remarkable.

Every day my primary intention is to fully appreciate and get the best out of myself and other people.

I know that by living this intention that the purpose of leadership - to create more leaders, and the number one role of leadership - unleashing and enhancing people's gifts (talents) are a natural consequence.

I know that more people leading and therefore being accountable is the simplest path to better business results at less personal cost.

I know that the more fully business owners and leaders appreciate and get the best out of ourselves and other people, the better relationships at work, at home, and in third places.

I know that the better relationships are in these three places then the better our communities, cities, states, nations, and our world can be.

I am committed to The Appreciative Leader Promise - co-creating workplaces where people feel valued, live values, and deliver value so that everyone has the opportunity to be the best version of themselves.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The Appreciative Leader Accelerator

You know those voice over slides webinars where there's a big sell at the end.

This isn't one of them. There's no slides and no sell.

This is a complimentary service where I host a master-mind gathering to accelerate your Appreciative Leadership.

Places are limited so that everyone has the opportunity to share.

The next accelerators are on Monday 30th May 2016.

Find out more about the Southern Hemisphere Accelerator (starts 8am AEST) and register here.

Find out more about the Norther Hemisphere Accelerator (starts 8am London time) and register here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Who to be and what to do when conventional wisdom isn't wise

Below is the first video in a series about The 8 Roles Appreciative Leaders Play Remarkably Well.

It's about who to be and what to do when conventional wisdom isn't wise.



You'll find the resources referred to in the video here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Is Your Business at Risk of Disruption?

I've had my car for 10 years now, and it's about time to get a new car. I mentioned to somebody that this might be the last car I ever buy, and she wondered whether I wasn't expecting to live very long!

Far from it. But I seriously believe this might be the last car I ever buy. Why? Because in another 10 years, we will probably all be using shared self-driving cars rather than owning - or driving - our own car.

This idea might seem inconceivable, especially when you look at how important cars are now in our daily lives.

But that's just our world now, and it will be vastly different ten years from now.

After all, here are six technologies that didn't exist just ten years ago:

If all of that has come into our life in just 10 years, imagine what the next 10 years will bring!

How do you prepare for this future?

In my presentations and consulting work, clients often want to know what's ahead for their industry and their future.

Broadly, the world is becoming "Fast, Flat and Free". In other words:

• Everything is moving faster than ever before
• We've broken down hierarchies and barriers
• Things that used to cost a lot now cost a lot less

If you want to know what could disrupt your business, look at the opposite of Fast, Flat and Free: Slow, Bumpy and Expensive. If you do anything that's slow, bumpy or expensive, beware!

Here are some examples:

1. Slow

Danger words (potential weaknesses): technical, complex, service

If your product or service is technical or complex, computers will be able to do it soon. This is happening in financial planning, where "robo-advice" is a looming threat to the established way of delivering financial advice.

In fact, if it's a service at all, it will first be outsourced, and then possibly even fully automated. We've seen this happen with travel agents, mortgage brokers, customer service, and many other service businesses.

2. Bumpy

Danger words: regulated, licensed, controlled, mandated

These words have protected businesses in the past, but now they are barriers to progress. The taxi industry, of course, is a well-known example. For a long time, it has been heavily regulated and licensed, so it was inevitable that somebody like Uber would come along. In many jurisdictions, Uber's legality is a grey area, but it won't be long before legislation catches up (It's happened already in the ACT).

3. Expensive

Danger words: up-front fees, delayed results, boring

If you provide an expensive service, customers will look for a way to find a more affordable alternative. You might have survived until now because it wasn't easy for them to look elsewhere, but now your competition is just one Google search away. And they are not only doing it cheaper; they are doing it better.

There are many, many examples in healthcare. For example, patients with heart conditions used to have to go to specialists regularly for ECGs and other expensive and intrusive tests. Now, they can use Alivecor: a small device attached to their iPhone that lets them do their own ECG - for about $1 a test.

Could any of this affect your business?

I know some businesses and industries that are sticking their head in the sand, pretending some of these changes won't affect them. But they will!

If you really want to future-proof your business, ask yourself:

"What do we do that's slow, bumpy or expensive?"

Then fix it! Isn't it better to disrupt it yourself rather than wait for a competitor to do it for you?

Monday Morning Momentum Master-mind

Next Monday morning I'm recommencing my Monday Morning Momentum videos with the first in a series about the 8 roles appreciative leaders play remarkably well.

I'll be producing a video twice a month May through August and also providing a handbook that will be updated with each video.

For a limited number of people at both Southern and Northern hemisphere times on 8 Monday mornings May through August I'm conducting a one-time-only online master-mind group about living the 8 roles in your own best way. 

I'll also be providing 8 1:1 mentoring sessions for each participant.

Find out all about this and take up the super early-bird offer by securing your Southern hemisphere place here, and Northern here.

Super early bird offer expires at 5 pm AEST tomorrow May 3rd.

Be remarkable.
Ian