Most companies focus on doing things faster and cheaper than before – are you saying this isn’t the best strategy?

Many managers are using the rifle approach – focusing on how to deliver their products and services faster, better and cheaper. This nose to the grindstone approach can be detrimental to the business in the long term if you miss the opportunity to innovate, reinvent your business and grow new revenue streams. Make sure that a significant amount of effort is focused externally on the marketplace and not always inward creating conflict and competition within your organization.

While the record companies were busy fighting online piracy of music, Steve Jobs at Apple opened Itunes and has sold more than 4 billion song downloads. If you’re a record company, why couldn’t you figure out how to innovate and create this opportunity? Because you get so focused on your business model, you aren’t able to see what isn’t there.

You are seeing the same thing happen in the newspaper business, the television broadcasting business in fact if you looked at the list of original companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average back in 1896 – only one company still exists – General Electric – and that company is a very different, modern company that makes sure it is in profitable, growing businesses. It has reinvented itself many times.

What do you suggest to help companies avoid the efficiency trap?

First realize that in addition to finding ways of making more money doing what you currently do you need to be ready and willing to reinvent yourself. Instead of keeping your head down, lift your head up and focus some of your time looking outside of your business. Attend conferences, read books, look at what other industries are doing, not just other companies in your same industry. Encourage employees, customers, suppliers to give ideas. Remember that the greatest innovations that can leapfrog your business ahead could be from adapting something happening in another industry.

How does someone apply this thinking to their career?

If you are an achievement oriented person, you might lock into a career that you think will be rewarding and prosperous only to find that one day, the world has changed and suddenly you are forced to start over. So by all means focus on doing your job to the best of your ability and at the same time be aware of what’s going on around you and be prepared to adapt and change. Take courses and stay open and flexible.

Now is the time to elevate the skill set and thinking in your organization – visit www.LeadershipWizard.com and get in touch with us now.

In the spirit of the Olympic games, it is interesting to think about whether your performance at work would deserve a gold medal and how to achieve greater excellence.

1. Be absolutely clear in your vision and goal – Many of today’s medalists finished out of the medals in previous games. They trained and came back even better than before. So strive for your best performance. Think about your long term vision for success and break it into achieveable stretch goals you can achieve along the way.

2. Training is important – As an Olympian you spend four years preparing for the opportunity to go for gold. Michael Phelps follows a rigorous daily training regimen over in Ann Arbor Michigan. Think about what you need to get better at and take time each day to grow your performance. Try something new, use a new technique.

3. Good coaching and mentorship – Most athletes have coaches and trainers to help them achieve peak performance. Who can you look to in your organization or industry to provide honest feedback on what would make you a gold medalist?

4. Look forward to the challenge of competition – Look forward to those opportunities when you can demonstrate your capabilities. Look forward to the challenges presented to you at work. This is your chance to shine and prove to yourself that you are a champion.

5. Celebration – After you perform to your personal best, or win the gold medal, take time to celebrate your success. Use it as motivation to climb even higher.

This is the time of year when our phones are ringing with companies looking to improve their performance by training their leaders and staff in the fall. Go to www.LeadershipWizard.com for more information.

While we were in New York City, I attended the National Speakers’ Association Convention. There were 1,800 professional speakers and trainers from 10 different countries.

As I sat through the sessions, I was reflecting on some tips for individuals to become better presenters in front of groups – whether you aspire to be a professional speaker and trainer like me, or just want to be better making presentations at work or in front of clients, here are some tips the pros use to be the best:

1. What do you want you audience to think, feel and do? You may want to get across some key information, then create some motivation for them to act and finally take action on what you said.

2. Prepare and practice: People often look at Robin Williams, the comedian and think he is winging it on stage because he seems to go from one random thought to the next. In reality everything you see has been written and practiced before. He still can improvide, however the core of his act will be similar from night to night. If you have an important presentation, write down your key points and practice it until you become comfortable. The goal is not to memorize – because then you could lose track of where you are – instead practice will allow you to speak from a list of bullet points and sound more natural.

3. Stories create emotion – even if you are presenting dry information, think about how to use a story to illustrate a point – people remember stories – and the subconscious automatically causes people to insert themselves into the story. The best stories are personal ones.

4. Avoid distracting the audience – be aware of any annoying ums, ahs, jingling your pockets, rocking back and forth. Move deliberately – and plant yourself for greater effect. Be natural (this comes with practice). People can tell if people are authentic or faking it – so be real and be confident.

5. Go for it – when you have the opportunity to get up and speak – say YES, and that way you will be on your way to mastering a skill that few people posess. It can help you get a promotion at work and get others to buy into your ideas.

My latest article has just been published in InBusinessWindsor. For more information about my training and speaking services, Please visit www.LeadershipWizard.com.

We have now visited amusement parks and other sites in Cincinnati Ohio, Williamsburg Virginia, Washington DC, and currently New York City and I want to talk about customer service.

If you are in customer service or you manage an organization that deals with customers, here are some ideas to become more customer focused.

1. View each customer experience as if your job depended on it – one thing that irks a customer is when a staff member treats customer service as a chore – remember – no customers, no business, no job. There is a place called ESPN Zone in Washington and near where I am standing in Times Square New York. When we were leaving the restaurant in Washington we mentioned that we were headed to Baltimore on our way to New York – without asking a staff member went on Google and printed out directions. It was an added touch. We liked it so much – the kids wanted to go there two nights later when we got to New York.

2. View serving others is an honor and priviledge – many people say that New Yorkers are rude and pushy – there may be a little truth to that because everything is so fast paced.There is a small diner across from our hotel on 8th Avenue – it’s not fancy – the food was excellent – the service was very fast, friendly and courteous. There was no bad attitude.

3. Doing it right beats an apology. Most customers want to get what they need quickly with a minimum of waiting, hassle and aggravation. In the rare cases something does go wrong – take care of it quickly and well – remember a lifetime customer relationship is at stake.

For more info, visit http://www.leadershipwizard.com/.