From the category archives:

Current Event Commentary

What the “Avengers” can teach us about business…

0 comments May 14, 2012

Frankly, it shouldn’t matter if it’s a movie about superheros or a new tech device you just have to own…ANY product or service that can attract over ONE BILLION DOLLARS in sales over its first couple of weeks in the marketplace can probably teach us something or two we could learn about improving our own [...]

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Too “good” to be true?

0 comments May 10, 2012

My wife and I laughed about it — even though, I guess, when you really think about it, the story wasn’t funny. Perhaps, it was because it is just so darned strange. Did you see it? A guy, Marek Olszewski, breaks up in Poland with his girlfriend, Anna Maćkowiak…he just unexpectedly dumps her for another [...]

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A customer’s perception determines their evaluation of you…

May 2, 2012

In a recent interview, New York Times columnist David Brooks remarked he was disappointed with President Obama — and with his own decision to vote for Obama in the election four years ago. Conversely, he also mentioned his good friend, the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne, was excited by Obama, and happy in how he had [...]

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Opening the Valve to a distinctive organization

1 comment April 30, 2012

Seth Godin recently posted a link to the employee handbook of Valve — the company famous for video games such as “Left 4 Dead,” “Half Life,” “Day of Defeat,” and many others. Founded by former Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington in 1996, the handbook is so incredibly powerful it could be the source [...]

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What are you doing to provide what people remember?

April 27, 2012

Immediately after I finish a presentation — as I did yesterday in New York for Stop & Shop, for example — I receive comments on implementing the Ultimate Customer Experience ® and on creating organizational distinction. Give it a month, however, and people remember Taxi Terry, our small-town grocery store, and my wreck in a [...]

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Success…versus popularity

April 24, 2012

More now than perhaps any other time in history, there is a huge gulf between what is momentarily popular, and what is an enduring success. And — again, perhaps now more than ever — it’s pretty important which one you choose. “Popular” means well-liked, fashionable, and trendy. (Of course, since “trendy” basically means the rage [...]

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Intense caring creates customer cravings

April 20, 2012

“This is the second largest stage in America,” Elton John told the soldout crowd last night in Caesar’s Palace at the Coliseum. “In fact, the stage is so big, when Cher was here, one of her faces fell off and it took days to find it.” The audience laughed — but, some groaned at the [...]

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Are you willing to be contemporary?

1 comment April 17, 2012

Noticed this morning a Pew Research report that TWENTY PERCENT of adults in the United States will not use the Internet. Consider that for a moment…one in five are not online at ALL. The main reason? Well, they just don’t WANT TO… That’s right. There’s “no good reason” to go online, 48 percent of respondents [...]

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In praise of common sense…

1 comment April 11, 2012

In the interest of full disclosure, you should know I’m writing this post about a client of mine. I have worked for them, I admire them professionally, and like their leadership very much on a personal basis. The company’s name is CoBank, based in Denver. You probably haven’t heard of them, because the “Co” in [...]

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What could you disrupt…to make BETTER?

April 11, 2012

I’ve often mentioned my favorite blogger, Bob Lefsetz, here — and, a recent post of his really has me thinking… Here’s what he said that has my mind in twisted knots: “Neil Young was the biggest act in America, he recorded the album “Harvest”, a soft rock masterpiece. Then he went on the road with [...]

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