Powerful Question (Parents and Leaders); Holiday gift enclosed; Sample One-Page Strategic Plan
December 18, 2014Interesting vs. Truth; Branson 3 Tips; Cuban’s Next Bubble; Jan 21 Negotiations
January 15, 2015Zuckerberg’s Focus; Starbuck’s Future; Fortune’s Predictions; Five Critical Questions for 2015
"…keeping you great"
HEADLINES:
Mark Zuckerberg's Focus for 2015 — each year Mark picks a personal development goal to pursue – more on this below. Have you chosen one thing to pursue in 2015?
Five Questions for 2015 — my latest Fortune column highlights five key questions to start 2015; #4 is my favorite (What 25 relationships do you need to nurture to double the size of the company?) and one my team will answer this weekend when we meet to plan our coming year. Take 1 minute to scan (and hours to answer) the other four questions.
The Day In the Life Of…— Chapter 5 of John DiJulius's new book (out today) titled The Customer Service Revolution is a must read – as is the rest of this very "how-to" book. DiJulius, one of the top 3 customer service thought leaders in the world, suggests that the first thing a company should do is create a "day-in-the-life of a customer" scenario. It's critical that your entire team walk in the shoes of a typical customer – not just in interacting with your firm, but understanding deeply the challenges, pains, and issues a typical customer faces day-to-day. Book club and GazellesPro members will receive a copy of John's book later this week.
DiJulius Interview — the first minute and 27 seconds of this Fortune interview has John detailing this important first step – and the balance of the 5 minutes highlights a few of his many other powerful techniques for upping your customer service game in 2015 – worth the time to watch during your marketing meeting. Then read his book.
Fortune Magazine Predictions for 2015 — unlike a lot of hacks making predictions, Fortune magazine takes this process serious. Here's a list of 29 predictions for 2015. China sputtering; solar power finally becoming cheaper than oil/gas; the instant gratification economy; and "there will (probably) not be a global recession" are just a few. Take 2 minutes to scan the list and pick one that will likely impact your industry/business and discuss at your weekly "council" meeting how you might respond.
Starbuck's Future — it's all about the experience – the customer experience – "the Willy Wonka of coffee" as CEO Howard Schultz calls it. Watch this 2 minute video to view the new Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room (WOW!). What are you doing to up your customer experience in 2015?
Future of Luxury Commuting — and revealed this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, Mercedes new "lounge on four wheels." Can't wait!! Take 10 seconds to view the Fortune photo of this beauty.
Zuckerberg's Focus – Start a Book Club! — Mark vows he will read one book every two weeks and wants all of us to join him — this Fortune article details his plans. His first book, The End of Power, is already sold out on Amazon (Elaine, thanks for gifting me this book). And if you want to start a book club inside your own firm, check out this easy to use SaaS offering called Better Book Club created by Arnie Malham for his own employees and now available for all of us to use. Go to www.betterbookclub.com.
COACHING:
