Tag Archives: Leadership

Mixed marketing metaphors.

I have a mate who is an academic economist, a really smart guy used to arguing a point of view, and with a box of stats on call to support any contention he makes, alternatively to pull down anything that … Continue reading

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6 reasons you might be “engaged”.

Many put forward the notion of “Engagement” as the objective of Social Media and web based activity, it crops up with the regularity of a hot dog seller at a big football game. However, I have yet to see a … Continue reading

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6 strategies to be successful, in everything

  In life, and all its aspects, business, social , relationships, there are no shortcuts, just easier and simpler ways of doing things. It is just that it takes time and effort to find the easier, more productive, and value … Continue reading

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6 ingredients for SME success

The post on the 2 tools SME’s need  in early August  led to a comment that, whilst the headlines of focus and discipline made sense, the challenge is in implementation. Fair comment. So, how do you build the needed focus … Continue reading

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12 key success factors for SME’s

Small businesses make up the vast majority of business numbers, make a huge contribution to economic activity and health, but most do not last 5 years. Over  20 years of observing small businesses as a contractor and consultant, I have … Continue reading

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Design doing

Steve Blank is one of the real thinkers in the innovation space who gets out there into the weeds and gets stuff done. The illustration at the top of this post is one from a recent post on his blog … Continue reading

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Flying pigs and the carbon tax.

Last night (July 29) I watched Rod Simms (ACCC chairman) interviewed on the ABC about the price reductions consumers can expect from the removal of the carbon tax. He was assuring us that consumers will receive these benefits because in … Continue reading

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SME Marketing capability gap

  Marketing technology is rapidly taking over from the hit and miss, ad hoc research, customer and prospect management, and  performance measurement practices that  have dominated to date. This is a particularly critical evolution for  small businesses who are generally … Continue reading

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Managing complexity.

I am not a car nut, but as a young bloke, I used to fix my own cars. There was  not much you could not do without a reasonable set of Sidchromes, a block and tackle, mechanical manual, and a … Continue reading

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7 ways to argue constructively

  Debate and argument fills a vital role in all parts of our lives, it is what makes us human, this capacity to be able to think and communicate, rather than just react. For an extended period with two different … Continue reading

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Sporting analogies don’t always work.

Tonight is the first Origin game of 2014, and so  I expect to hear lots of people using sporting analogies  over the next few weeks, particularly football. Sporting analogies abound in business, “A team of champions does not make a … Continue reading

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FMCG conga line rides again

Years ago I worked as a junior marketing bloke for Allied Mills, which became Meadow Lea Foods, then Goodman Fielder. I returned  25 years later as a contractor running a specialist unit of the ingredients  division in a pre-sale “polish-up” … Continue reading

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6 Steps in Managing Serendipity

“Serendipity” .  Luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for. Websters Dictionary. My old Dad used to say “Son, the harder I work, the luckier I get” and it has usually worked … Continue reading

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Data, context and lies

As great an advocate of analytics as I am, it remains a truth that data without a context is useless. It is in the articulation of  the context that data is given meaning, and it is at this point that … Continue reading

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4 point strategic rural reality check

There is plenty in the press about the role agriculture will play in the post mining boom era. “Asia’s foodbowl” and other such optimistic clichés get front page coverage. I have been sitting in Armidale (NSW) for a few days, … Continue reading

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8 ways to build a hypothesis testing mind set.

The most successful people I have seen over 40 years of business share one crucial characteristic. Curiosity. The successful are insatiably  curious, it spans all aspects of their lives, not just the parts that are spent working at what pays … Continue reading

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Organised serendipity

At first sight, “Organised” and “Serendipity” are at opposite ends of the scale, almost mutually exclusive. Serendipity occurs by chance, when the stars align, the unexpected happens and not by any organised process, or so we are led to believe. … Continue reading

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3 core questions of strategy.

Often I find myself engaged in conversations with those running small businesses who believe they have discovered the next  big thing, the idea that will change the world, or at  least their business. It can be  as simple as a … Continue reading

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The corruption sideshow

The joint is in a mess. Every time you look at the news, there is another “revelation” of dodgy morality, insider dealings, political duck-shoving and just plain corruption. Greed has become the magnet in our moral compass, and to compete, … Continue reading

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Where is the ‘Why”

For 35 years as a corporate  manager and consultant I have been an advocate of, amongst other things, personal accountability, marketing ROI, extensive use of data in decision-making but without eliminating the wisdom of individuals who have “been there, done … Continue reading

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