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David Carter Articles

Written by: David Carter

Who Has the D? Unclog Decision-Making Bottlenecks - Click To Read Article
Making good decisions and making them quickly is a differentiator of high-performing companies. And the key to outperforming competitors is the quality, speed, and execution of your decisions. Yet in many companies, decisions routinely stall. One culprit? Ambiguity for who is accountable for which decisions. Here is a tool to help clarify your strategic decisions: Think RAPID.

You Take Golf Lessons -- So Why Not Strategy Lessons? - Click To Read Article
People tend to assume that strategic thinking comes naturally, but nothing could be further from the truth. Strategy only looks easy with hindsight. So, just as you'd take lessons in golf or tennis, you should seek to actively educate and train yourself to think more strategically.

What Leaders Can Learn from "The King's Speech" - Click To Read Article
Accepting support isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of courage and strength. Only strong, self-aware leaders can analyze a situation and see, realistically, what they can or cannot face alone.

Start Strong in 2012! - Click To Read Article
I have observed over and over again that that the difference in our success or failure is not chance, but choice. Because whatever the challenge or adversity, it's not what happens that will determine our destiny; it's how we react to what happens. That's what Start Strong is all about! When you combine "start" and "strong" you create a powerful platform for action that can be the driving force in all that you do. Here are some actions to reinforce, encourage, and motivate you to move forward and Start Strong in 2012.

The Bozo Explosion - Click To Read Article
It's worth 4 minutes to read Guy Kawasaki's "What I learned from Steve Jobs." He lists 12 lessons not to be lost or forgotten -- worthy, because unlike other such articles, Guy has been inside the tent and experienced first hand what it was like to work with Jobs (he was the chief evangelist of Apple). I particularly like lesson #9 -- A players hire A+ players. This is precisely why hiring the right people is still your most important leadership skill.

Seven Hurdles to Successful Growth for Companies - Click To Read Article
Professor Roure (IESE Faculty, Stanford educated, Founder of Angel Investor Network in Spain) recently shared his research and experience on 7 Key Hurdles that growth companies must overcome to be successful to grow. Use this list as the basis for a thought provoking exercise for your leadership team.

Frame Shift and Outthink Your Competition - Click To Read Article
According to Kaihan Krippendorff, author of Art of the Advantage, successful leaders can shift their perspectives more often and draw from a more diverse set of experiences, than the rest of us. They are able to handle more complexity and ambiguity because they recognize more patterns. More successful leaders are better able to change their perspectives than less successful leaders. Krippendorff calls this ability "frame shifting."

Develop 7-10 Times Competitive Advantage - Click To Read Article
Why do some companies excel and others do not? What makes some companies successful while other struggle? We are all looking for that competitive advantage. Companies that have found such advantage usually have identified their X-Factor. Your X-Factor comes from creative innovation and dynamic brainstorming designed to help your company develop a 7-10 times advantage over the other competitors in your industry.

Are You Drunk with Possibilities? - Click To Read Article
Every company I have worked with has developed their own methods for determining priorities. The problem is that most are not disciplined enough to limit their number of priorities. "Too many" generally equals "not accomplished."

Does your company have a coherent strategy? - Click To Read Article
"Coherence" is important, Booz & Company found. A simple, but not surprising conclusion of this study finds that companies with greater "coherence" -- that is, with strategy, capabilities and product offerings in sync -- performed better overall, whatever their industry.

16 Rules for Business and Life Success - Click To Read Article
I have worked with many companies to discover and live their culture and values. One set of rules that I have found to be particularly powerful and challenging are those of Bob Parsons, founder of the number one domain registration firm, GoDaddy.com (recently sold for $2.25 billion). Although you may have seen them before, they are always worth the 3 minutes it takes to run down the list - they'll give you a huge boost of enthusiasm with all the talk of doom and gloom.

12 Questions About Your Sales Process - Click To Read Article
A sales process is defined as a customized, formal process including the sequence of steps, to-do's, milestones and goals that must be achieved during your sales cycle. And your sales cycle is one of four cycles in your business that impacts cash flow (the other cycles: make/prepare to deliver, deliver, billing and collections).

Do Systems Run Your Business? - Click To Read Article
Do these issues look familiar in your business: Staff turnover, can’t hire good people, missed due dates, reactive environment, poor cash flow, long and hard hours, poor customer retention, confusion, duplicative effort? If so, what do you think is the common cause? The answer is lack of systems in your business. Here is wisdom! Your business is your product; it’s what you are building, and it’s where you are ultimately going to make your profit when you sell it. And, systems are the foundation of your business.

How Can I Increase Referrals? - Click To Read Article
Referrals are one of the most powerful lead generators in the world. We all know that referrals cost you very little and usually (if a good client has referred them) the new client is of relative good quality. Ask any business owner where the vast majority of new clients come from and they say "Word of Mouth" or "Referrals." The $64,000 question is "what systems do you have in place to make sure the referral happens?"

Prime Your Marketing Engines - Click To Read Article
Are you struggling to attract more new customers to your business? Do you see your competitors growing and wonder what they are doing to be so successful (even though you know their product or service isn’t nearly as good as yours)? Chances are you may be making these costly mistakes in your business.

What Drives Your Economic Engine? - Click To Read Article
Are you struggling to attract more new customers to your business? Do you see your competitors growing and wonder what they are doing to be so successful (even though you know their product or service isn’t nearly as good as yours)? Chances are you may be making these costly mistakes in your business.

The Power of Priorities - Click To Read Article
Leadership trainer and author, John Maxwell, says, “Thinking ahead and prioritizing responsibilities marks the major differences between a leader and a follower.” Therefore, when it comes to your priorities, 20% of your priorities will give you 80% of your production.

Create Your 10x10 Marketing Program - Click To Read Article
An effective principle to follow in creating a marketing program is “massive action equals massive results!” Too many businesses depend on too few marketing activities to develop leads, new customers, and repeat customers. In other words, they put all their eggs (expectations of results) in one or two marketing baskets. To generate massive results, I recommend the Rule of 10 x 10.

Develop Your Business Leadership KnowHow - Click To Read Article
Being a business leader is not a matter of charisma, presence, or motivational skills. It is about making good decisions and taking sound actions. Know-how is the substance of business leadership, and many leaders are failing for lack of it.

Your One Sustainable Competitive Advantage - Click To Read Article
In today’s volatile environment, team is the one sustainable competitive advantage you have! It's not ever changing and fleeting technology, it's not time sensitive trade secrets, and it's not the newest product. Team is the key to sustained growth and competitiveness.

Define Your Uniqueness - Click To Read Article
So many business owners beat their heads against the wall, wondering why their business isn’t working. They try everything - new sales scripts, better ads, and new products to no avail. In most cases the reason things are not working is simple - there is not always enough business in the marketplace and very little reason for anyone to give it to you and not your competitors. What about your business? When you started, did you begin with a uniqueness – a real point of difference, or did you just start as a “me too” competitor? If you are a “me too” business you will have a tough time.

Realizing Your Inner Strength - Click To Read Article
Many people I talk with today are focused on operational strategies and tactics for their company to survive in today’s economic downturn. While this is very important, I would like to focus on the “other side of the coin.” And that is the side that your leadership skills and energy reside on. Whether you are an owner or senior team member, are you achieving your inner strength for all those in your company who need your leadership? How do you as a leader motivate yourself? Here are some key guides I have learned and observed.

Powerful Ideas to Solidify Repeat Customers - Click To Read Article
All relationships change over time. They require work and nurturing on both ends to strengthen and grow. The following strategies will help solidify ongoing relationships and build customer loyalty. From asking for negative feedback to reassuring your customer’s decision to do business with you, these seven strategies will insure that you make your customers the priority!

Profit Per X - Click To Read Article
Is your business giving you what you want out of life? Is your business growing, maximizing profits and creating free time for you to achieve your personal objectives? To help achieve this, ask yourself the ultimate question: What drives your economic engine with the greatest and most sustainable impact? Let’s focus on the understanding of what drives your economic engine by determining the best way for you to analyze profits in your business. We want to decide on what is your profit per "x".

Send the Jerks (C Players) Packing - Click To Read Article
Frequently, companies are created out of the ideas of a partnership or a group. So, it's quite natural to expect that entrepreneurs will need to work well with partners, teams, and employees. What amazes me though is how many entrepreneurs are willing to work with “C” Players! If you have been hanging on to your marginal performers, now is the time to free them. The question to ask yourself is this: “Would I enthusiastically hire this person today?” If you cannot answer “yes,” you probably don't have an “A” player. Now is the time to create your “A” team.

Sales Are Probably Down if You're Doing These Three Things - Click To Read Article
Today is not business as usual. Many markets are not growing. Are you holding your breath and hoping? This is not the right strategy. What is left to do? You have reviewed each and every expense line; renegotiated with suppliers and your bank; cut back where you can; and generally focused inwardly. The highest impact activity that you have left is to SELL. And, if you are doing these three things, I would be shocked if your sales aren't down. Now is the time, more than ever, to take a critical look at your current sales playbook.

Recession-Proof Your Business - Click To Read Article
In a recession you face one of two decisions. Do you stay the course "as is" or do you make a big change? Can you reinvent your business and focus squarely on ideas on how to drive revenue? Victor Cheng, author of The Recession-Proof Business, analyzed the last 12 recessions going back 136 years in US economic history. He was looking for examples of companies that had begun as small businesses during a recession, depression or economic panic and generated significant sales in a down economy. He discovered dozens of such cases, and Cheng developed four crucial guidelines to reinvent and recession-proof your business.

Mental Toughness=Profits and Success Today - Click To Read Article
All sizes and shapes of companies are focused on survival in what Tom Peters calls our “Looney” times today. And, I have focused a lot on survival strategies with my clients. However, strategies, tactics, methods, and techniques are not the total answer. My thinking about survival in our recession has been profoundly influenced by a book called "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why" by Laurence Gonzales. It's a book that chronicles incredible stories of survival in plane crashes, getting lost at sea, surviving in Arctic temperatures for weeks, etc. And one theme comes through like a beacon. It is not the physically strong that survive. Surviving [and profiting from this recession] all starts with a single decision.

It's Time for Zero Based Thinking - Click To Read Article
Zero Based Thinking asks: "Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently, start, or eliminate in your life (or business)?" Use this question to help address issues about business strategy, employees, new business ventures, existing relationships, existing customer groups, existing investments, existing businesses and much more.

The Power of Full Engagement - Click To Read Article
We live in digital time. Our pace is rushed, rapid fire, and relentless. We cram as much as possible into every day. Time management is no longer a viable solution. Managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance, as well as to health, happiness and life balance.

Why Do Business Strategies Fail? - Click To Read Article
A survey of senior executives at 197 companies showed that firms achieve only 63% of the expected results of their strategic plans. The key reason – they don’t know how to execute effectively. Without effective execution, no business strategy can succeed. Unfortunately, many managers know far more about developing strategy than about executing it …

How Good is 99 Percent? - Click To Read Article
How many times have you heard the expression: "good enough for government work?" Too often I am sure. Sometimes it may even apply to your business or other activities. Of course, that is not your standard of excellence. Most of the time you strive for better than 90 percent perfection, don't you? What if we strived for 99 percent? Sounds good, doesn't it? No more than one error in a hundred. But how good is that really?

Your Success Requires the Rights Who's - Click To Read Article
How do I know I have the right people? I get this question from clients, alliances, and many of my relationships. “People” is a key decision area you and your company must get right to succeed and grow. Jim Collins states adamantly “who first;” you must make sure you have the right people in your organization before you focus on the “what, where and how” of growth. Here are five keys to knowing you have the right people …

Hyperfocus - Control Cash - Write! - Pulse Faster - Click To Read Article
Fast growth companies continue to hire even as our economy struggles to recover. What makes these companies tick? How do they continue to prosper and grow in these economic times? Here are our ‘Final Four” timeless strategies for doing just that. And successful executive teams gather once a week vs. annually to get some talk time around the strategies I've outlined for growing your business. It's about having a bias for action …

Six Foolproof Ways to Make Sure Your Company Thrives - Click To Read Article
Fast growth companies continue to hire even as our economy struggles to recover. What makes these companies tick? How do they continue to prosper and grow in these economic times? Here are six timeless strategies for doing just that, courtesy of Verne Harnish, creator of MIT's Birthing of Giants program, and founder of Gazelles, Inc. Whether you run a small or midsize business or manage a department in a larger company, these strategies will work for you ...

Refresh Your Competitive Advantage - Click To Read Article
"Evolution requires us to continually refresh our competitive advantage ... always with some part of our business portfolio at risk and in play. To innovate forever ... it is not a strategy; it is requirement." (Geoffrey Moore). Whoever learns faster-and-acts- wins! Don't fall behind -- Out-Read, Out-Learn Your Competition and Customers ...

Do You Own a Phrase? - Click To Read Article
Fast growth companies continue to hire even as our economy struggles to recover. What makes these companies tick? How do they continue to prosper and grow in these economic times? Here are six timeless strategies for doing just that, courtesy of Verne Harnish, creator of MIT's Birthing of Giants program, and founder of Gazelles, Inc. This week's focus is on a strategy to highlight and communicate your brand. Do you own a phrase?

Andre Agassi Had the Wrong Big Goal - Click To Read Article
Critics are calling Andre Agassi's autobiography, entitled Open: An Autobiography, the best sports biography ever written given Agassi's candor. He has always hated tennis, lied about his drug use, wore a wig when he had long hair, etc. A major turning point in his career was when he realized he was pursuing the wrong long-term goal (BHAG) for himself …





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