I get quizzed a lot by friends and colleagues now that I've opened up my own consulting practice. And, the primary question I get is "what's the biggest difference from working in an environment with lots of people?"
The answer is simple - I now have time to do the work.
Meetings are the bane of corporate life. There's the misguided behavior of believing that meetings equal productivity. And, who among us doesn't know the work colleague who seems to take pride in saying "I'm sorry, I can't see you today - I'm in meetings all day." Really!? What business self-help book ever said that was the way to be productive?
I know that meetings are necessary, and I of course still participate in meetings with my clients and business prospects. Keep the following basic suggestions in mind and, who knows - perhaps then you'll be able to have time to do the work.
- The more people, the less effective the meeting. There is a rule of seven - beyond that number, the odds of coming to a quick and effective decision are lowered by 10 percent for every person added to the invitee list of a meeting. Don't invite anyone who can't meaningfully contribute to the decisions that need to be made in the meeting.
- Have a stated purpose, agenda and time limit. In my Sprint days, every meeting had to have this P.A.L. It was interesting to see how meeting effectiveness improved with this meeting mandatory. (Be sure to send the agenda in advance of the meeting.)
- Do a plus/delta at the end of the meeting. Give your meeting attendees the opportunity to provide feedback on the effectiveness and efficiency of the meeting by conducting a quick what worked/what needs improvement discussion during the final two minutes of any meeting. Take that feedback into consideration for your next/future meetings.
- Provide pre-read materials. Providing background information in advance of the meeting usually improves the outcomes and ability to make decisions...as long as the materials are read.
- 30 minute meetings. Discipline yourself, and your company, to have 30 minute meetings as the new normal. Make an hour-long meeting the exception, not the rule.
There are plenty of other meeting tips. Implementing these five, though, will immediately impact meeting effectiveness and, I would bet, your personal productivity as a result.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Monday, May 8, 2017
The Garth experience
I sat in a sold out Sprint Center last night in amazement. I looked around this ten-year old facility and saw nothing but delighted faces who were willing Garth Brooks on and on as they experienced what arguably may be the best musical performer alive today. Brooks was on his fifth sold-out concert in two-and-half days and was giving it his all. But, he was clearly spent from approximately 12 hours worth of hard charging country and rock and roll since his first show Friday night at 8:00 p.m.
I've seen Brooks twice - first in 2007 when he sold out nine shows at Sprint Center in the arena's inaugural year in Kansas City. (As Brooks stated frequently last night, "We opened this frickin' building!") And, I attended last night with about 17,000 of my friends from low places, all of who could not get enough of this marquee performer.
What struck me sitting there was the experience of a Garth Brooks concert. I've seen Bruce Springsteen, U2, and the Rolling Stones in their prime - all multiple times. Only the Boss comes close to replicating what Brooks can do live - draw in an audience, guide them and own the attendee experience.
Brooks' genuine sincerity is his genius. The audience feels it, the audience knows it, and they repay that sincerity with their devotion to performer and music. There is no other concert that I've attended where the audience sings along, with abandon, to every word of every verse of every song - even those who weren't hit singles. Only the Boss comes close, which is why I tweeted last night that there is the Boss, and Garth...and everyone else is playing for third place.
Brands would be wise to study Brooks and follow his lead. He's genuine. He's sincere. He understands his audience. He prices his experience in a way that it's affordable to everyman/everywoman. And, he gives his absolute all to every concert-goer at every show. In return, you feel like you are the most important person at his show whenever you see him in concert.
Garth Brooks is a showman. He's also a brand that understands who he is, what he delivers, and revels in the relationship that he's created with his devotees.
If there is a case study for the consumer experience worth emulating, it is this. Seven sold out shows over two weekends are proof enough of what his consumers think of the experience.
Editor's note: Garth Brooks played shows on Friday night, May 5; Saturday afternoon and evening, May 6; and Sunday afternoon and evening, May 7. He will return to play concerts at Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO, on Friday night, May 12 and Saturday night, May 13. His wife, Trisha Yearwood, shares the stage with him for a portion of each show.
I've seen Brooks twice - first in 2007 when he sold out nine shows at Sprint Center in the arena's inaugural year in Kansas City. (As Brooks stated frequently last night, "We opened this frickin' building!") And, I attended last night with about 17,000 of my friends from low places, all of who could not get enough of this marquee performer.
What struck me sitting there was the experience of a Garth Brooks concert. I've seen Bruce Springsteen, U2, and the Rolling Stones in their prime - all multiple times. Only the Boss comes close to replicating what Brooks can do live - draw in an audience, guide them and own the attendee experience.
Brooks' genuine sincerity is his genius. The audience feels it, the audience knows it, and they repay that sincerity with their devotion to performer and music. There is no other concert that I've attended where the audience sings along, with abandon, to every word of every verse of every song - even those who weren't hit singles. Only the Boss comes close, which is why I tweeted last night that there is the Boss, and Garth...and everyone else is playing for third place.
Brands would be wise to study Brooks and follow his lead. He's genuine. He's sincere. He understands his audience. He prices his experience in a way that it's affordable to everyman/everywoman. And, he gives his absolute all to every concert-goer at every show. In return, you feel like you are the most important person at his show whenever you see him in concert.
Garth Brooks is a showman. He's also a brand that understands who he is, what he delivers, and revels in the relationship that he's created with his devotees.
If there is a case study for the consumer experience worth emulating, it is this. Seven sold out shows over two weekends are proof enough of what his consumers think of the experience.
Editor's note: Garth Brooks played shows on Friday night, May 5; Saturday afternoon and evening, May 6; and Sunday afternoon and evening, May 7. He will return to play concerts at Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO, on Friday night, May 12 and Saturday night, May 13. His wife, Trisha Yearwood, shares the stage with him for a portion of each show.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
What do our favorite brands say about us?
Did you see it? Morning Consult Intelligence released its annual list of Most Loved Brands today based upon their research of 200,000 Americans. The list contained many of the usual suspects but had more than its share of surprises.
The top 10 Most Loved Brands are:
1. Amazon
2. Google
3. UPS
4. Hershey
5. FedEx
6. Campbell Soup
7. YouTube
8. Sony
9. Home Depot
10. Lowe's
Now, I don't know about you but what is it about the delivery category that is so intriguing? I mean, UPS and FedEx are terrific companies but I'd be hard-pressed to name either as a favorite brand of mine.
So too was the head scratching mention of two DIY category brands cracking the top ten. Again, let's give it up for the Depot and Lowe's but neither gets me excited like brands not mentioned in the top ten - notably, Dove (Unilever), Starbucks, and Harley Davidson, among others.
It's interesting that Hershey's made it all the way to #4 given that company's past year of battling a takeover attempt by Mondelez, a CMO departure, and very public expense reductions in marketing.
More than 500 companies across a variety of sectors were ranked via an online survey. Respondents indicated whether they had a favorable or unfavorable view of each, which is why some of these surprises may have occurred. A positive favorability rating is hardly a proxy for purchase behavior, brand loyalty and/or brand advocacy.
Do you want to see the full list by sector? You can find the information here:
https://morningconsultintelligence.com/featured/top-brands#overall
The top 10 Most Loved Brands are:
1. Amazon
2. Google
3. UPS
4. Hershey
5. FedEx
6. Campbell Soup
7. YouTube
8. Sony
9. Home Depot
10. Lowe's
Now, I don't know about you but what is it about the delivery category that is so intriguing? I mean, UPS and FedEx are terrific companies but I'd be hard-pressed to name either as a favorite brand of mine.
So too was the head scratching mention of two DIY category brands cracking the top ten. Again, let's give it up for the Depot and Lowe's but neither gets me excited like brands not mentioned in the top ten - notably, Dove (Unilever), Starbucks, and Harley Davidson, among others.
It's interesting that Hershey's made it all the way to #4 given that company's past year of battling a takeover attempt by Mondelez, a CMO departure, and very public expense reductions in marketing.
More than 500 companies across a variety of sectors were ranked via an online survey. Respondents indicated whether they had a favorable or unfavorable view of each, which is why some of these surprises may have occurred. A positive favorability rating is hardly a proxy for purchase behavior, brand loyalty and/or brand advocacy.
Do you want to see the full list by sector? You can find the information here:
https://morningconsultintelligence.com/featured/top-brands#overall
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