He Finally Did It; Hyper Sales Growth; Webgreeters; 25th April 2pm ET Frontline Hiring
April 22, 2014Turkel’s Branding; Zuckerberg’s Next Decade; Investor’s Advice to Airbnb Team
May 1, 2014Inflation 9%; 5 Ways to Beat Costs; A Bigger Prize; Tony Hsieh 30th April; Amsterdam and Barcelona
"…keeping you great"
HEADLINES:
Zappos CEO, 30th April 2pm (anywhere) — tune-in to the free screening of Tony Hsieh's 55 minute presentation on Delivering Happiness. More details below, but first…
Inflation 9% — not sure about other countries, but the economists I trust say real inflation was 9% in the US the past 12 months vs. the 1.6% reported (yes, governments hide the truth). And a recent check on prices I've been paying around the world confirms these numbers, including the recent increase in taxi charges to get from my home to the Barcelona airport – up 9%. Creeping inflation of this magnitude can erode margins quickly, so stay on top of the situation.
5 Ways to Stay Ahead of Rising Costs — my latest Venture column in FORTUNE addresses this situation and offers 5 ways to stay ahead of these rising costs:
- Share the Responsibility
- Reveal the Price
- Monitor the Use of Items (get this device!)
- Spend Wisely to Win
- Raise Your Prices
Please take 2 minutes to glean the details from the column – and pass around.
Ford's Ruthlessly Efficient Weekly Meetings — Ford has a new CEO, Mark Field, and he plans to continue the meeting rhythm Alan Mulally implemented that is credited with turning around the company. Read about the six core elements of their essential weekly meeting (vs. the monthly Mulally inherited) which includes simple red/yellow/green indicators of progress and my favorite, point #6:
- Focus is important. Side conversations and looking at one's phone aren't permitted. "If someone has a side conversation, we just stop and we just look at them, and it's amazing how it doesn't happen again," Mulally told the Wall Street Journal (paywall)
This is what Pat Lencioni, author of Five Dysfunctions of a Team, is talking about when he emphasizes the importance of holding people accountable – even to things like paying attention in meetings. The article is worth 2 minutes.
A Bigger Prize — this is the title of serial entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan's fourth book just released. Subtitled How We Can Do Better Than the Competition, Heffernan makes a case for collaboration vs. competition. Go right to Chapter 7 entitled "Clone Wars" and then Chapter 11 for her conclusions. Did you know about Auto-Tune? I didn't. And then come hear Heffernan rock the audience in Orlando at the Leadership Summit May 13 – 14. She's been the #1 or #2 rated speaker at our other global Summits. She's brilliant. GazellesPro and book club members will receive a copy of her book next week.
10 Best Founding Teams — it's a quick 10 slide infographic FORTUNE posted. And it does underpin the importance of having co-founders vs. the lone ranger!! A fun walk through the past but not essential reading – enjoy this weekend.
Barcelona 29 April; Amsterdam 30 April — join us next week for two Growth Summits featuring:
- The "father of sales" Neil Rackham – includes his latest research on who should really get sales commissions!
- Hostage negotiator Prof. George Kohlrieser and author of one of my three favorite leadership books Care to Dare. We all feel held hostage at times – by partners, customers, investors, suppliers, etc.
- #1 execution book author David Marquis, Turn the Ship Around – one of the few spontaneous standing ovations in the history of the Summits.
For more info — see you in Barcelona and Amsterdam.
Verne Harnish and Yanik Silver — next Thursday (1st May, 2pm ET) join serial entrepreneur Yanik Silver and me as we discuss how he's implemented the Rockefeller Habits – part of an ongoing one-hour interview series where I share practical examples of the Rock Habits in action – and answer your questions.
Tony Hsieh, 30 April 2pm — Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh shares the different lessons he has learned in business and life, from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business, through Link Exchange, Zappos, and more. Fast-paced and down-to-earth, Delivering Happiness shows how a very different kind of corporate culture is a powerful model for achieving success — and how by concentrating on the happiness of those around you, you can dramatically increase your own happiness. Register here to save $99 by watching the free screening on Wednesday, 30th April at 2PM your local time. This is a one-time offer to take advantage of this free learning opportunity.
COACHING:
