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Dear ScaleUps,
Hope itâs been a productive and purposeful week. Here are some insights/opportunities to help you outlearn/outthink the competition.
Soul of a ScaleUp - 3 Keys --
This July HBR article by Harvard Prof Ranjay Gulati, though titled for startups, captures perfectly the three things his research found drive the âsoulâ of an organization:
Though these might not seem novel, I really like how Gulati frames each in the article â using plain language (like voice and choice) and examples. Itâs worth 2-minutes to read and then ask âare we doing these three simple thingsâ in our company?
How the Organizationâs Soul Dies --
Gulati goes on to detail how a vibrant soul ends up dying inside the organization. He acknowledges that as companies scale they need to add discipline and systems. However, if not done carefullyâ¦
â¦there is a danger that added bureaucracy and ânew bloodâ will cause workers to feel stifled, customers to feel disconnected, and an organizationâs entrepreneurial flair to disappear. I interviewed several seasoned âgrowth stageâ CEOs whoâd been brought in to replace the founders of companies and who, despite the best of intentions, quickly squelched the spirit of those enterprises. |
Gulati concludes by sharing how to âPreserve the Soulâ with concrete ways Warby Parker (using âWarbersâ) and Netflix did just this. Itâs a well written article worth the time to read. Thank you to Susan Packard, founder of HGTV and author of Fully Human (keynoted our last Summit), for alerting me to this article.
Customers, not Technologies, Disrupt Markets --
Iâm jumping up and down -- I love when a book/article discerns a key insight different from the norm. In this HBR article, Thales S. Teixeira, author of Unlocking the Customer Value Chain, shares a fantastic insight:
Disruptive startups enter markets not by stealing customers from incumbents, but by stealing a select few customer activities (emphasis added). And the activities disruptors choose to take away from incumbents are precisely the ones that customers are not satisfied with. |
Please read that paragraph again and again â itâs at the âactivityâ level (where Michael Porter says differentiation happens) that disruption occurs. Find out what activities within an industry/service are driving customers crazy and fix those!!! Please read this article for the extensive list of examples. Thank you, Steve Hall, for sharing.
9 Best Biz Dev Books --
This is a little dated (May 2019), but I like both Benzingaâs list of top business development books and how this online publication summarizes each below the list. And several are industry focused â biz dev for law firms, biz dev for professional service firms, etc.
Most Interesting Obscure/Insightful âFactâ for the Weekend --
Things are not always as they appear. Why do most Egyptian sculptures have broken noses? Seems they were damaged on purpose. Sculptures were not art; they were representative of a specific person/tribe. What every part was damaged indicated what power they wanted to take from that personâs spirit i.e. grave robbers would break off the nose of the sculpture (representing breath) to âkillâ the spirit so it wouldnât haunt them. If the left arm was broken off, that prevented the spirit from giving; and if the right hand was broken off that prevented the spirit from receiving alms. This article provides more details, but now you know!!
Want Positive Attention in Your Industry? --
Involved in your trade association? I enjoy keynoting these industry-driven events and having you introduce me on stage. I generally rate highly and Iâm able to incorporate one of your best practices in my presentation - giving you broader visibility (and kudos) among your peers. Email me verne@scalingup.com if I can help.
CEO-BOOTCAMP: spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 6 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. Aug 20 - 23, 2019 (Sold Out); Jan 14 - 17; Jan 21 - 24; Mar 10 - 13, 2020.
EDUCATION:
ScaleUp Summit Fall 2019
Anaheim, CA - Oct 15-16, 2019
Scaling Up User Conference Fall 2019
Anaheim, CA - Oct 17, 2019
Verne in London - Sep 24, 2019
Shannon, Ireland - Sep 26, 2019
Scaling Up Business Growth Workshops
Canberra, ACT, Australia - Aug 13, 2019
Brisbane, Australia - Aug. 21 & 22, 2019 (2 Day Masterclass)
Sydney, Australia - Aug 27, 2019
Melbourne, Australia - Aug 28, 2019
Grand Rapids MI - Aug 29, 2019
Adelaide, Australia - Sep 4 & 5, 2019 (2 Day Masterclass)
Scottsdale, AZ - Sep 5, 2019
Portland, OR - Sep 10, 2019
San Francisco, CA - Sep 12, 2019
Atlanta, GA - Sep 12, 2019
Los Angeles, CA - Sep 12, 2019
Sydney, Australia - Sep 17, 2019
Woburn, MA - Sep 24, 2019
Brisbane, Australia - Sep 25, 2019
Oklahoma City, OK - Sep 27, 2019
Niagara-On-the-Lake, Ontario â Sept. 27, 2019
Boca Raton, FL - Oct 1, 2019
Ann Arbor, MI - Oct 2, 2019
Costa Mesa, CA - Oct 8, 2019
Sydney, Australia - Oct 9 & 10, 2019 (2 Day Masterclass)
Waltham, MA â October 10, 2019
Dallas, TX - Oct 24, 2019
Lancaster, PA - Oct 29, 2019
Oklahoma City, OK - Nov 7, 2019
Los Angeles, CA - Nov 12, 2019
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 26, 2019
Sydney, Australia - Dec 3, 2019
San Diego, CA - Dec 10, 2019
Waltham, MA â January 16, 2020
COACHING:
Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? The Scaling Up team is prepared to support you. We have helped 40,000 other organizations over the past 30+ years, in scaling up their organizations through coaching, workshops, online training and more.
We would like to offer you a complimentary, personal follow-up from our Scaling Up team to share how we can support you in scaling your organization.
YES! I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COACHING& RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY FOLLOW-UP(CLICK HERE)
For questions or more information contact us at coaching@scalingup.com
TECHNOLOGY:
Create Accountability - Drive Execution with Align, cloud-based software designed to scale up your Rockefeller Habits implementation. www.alignwithscalingup.com - on your computer, tablet or phone. Click here to watch an introductory video.
Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.
Growth Institute Online Executive Education:
Master of Business Dynamics
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Exponential Organizations Master Business Course
Topgrading Master Business Course
Did you miss previous insights? - read here
Read Verne's Insights on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SX13YI
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