Tag Archives: Mission

How Do You Change the Culture of a Company? Five Points

Situation: A newly hired CEO finds that the company is struggling. Employees are not responsive to customer queries. Calls aren’t being returned on a timely basis. Employees are reactive instead of proactive. There is a “just getting by” mentality. How do you change the culture of a company?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • The CEO is the culture of the company.
    • Bring the company together – show them the numbers. Let them know what’s going on. Ask for their help after sharing information.
    • Bring a vision for the company – what it can be – and put it on the table.
    • Daily, walk around with a cup of coffee. Talk to people. Ask questions and encourage their input.
  • The CEO must set the vision / mission for the company and be the evangelist supporting this vision.
    • Until this is done, employees have no reason to change.
    • It is critical to build a strong culture that people want to be a part of.
    • Culture change may require replacement of some of the staff – over time.
  • The cultural problems that are being described are symptomatic of a deeper problem.
    • The current situation grew from the values of the founder. The founder hired people who supported his vision. Fortunately, he hired people who created much of the unique value that is in the company today. Something was being done right. The challenge is to shift the culture without losing that value.
  • Consider “divisionalizing” the company.
    • Create an R&D division under the Founder / CTO. This will give him his own sandbox and may enable the company to save what was being done right.
    • At the same time, protect the rest of the company from day-to-day interference.
    • Dividing the company into divisions under strong leaders can help to shield the rest of the company from the source of the issues.
  • Another CEO was in the same place that is being described. He had a vision that he thought was shared by the company. In reality there was none. Establishing a vision and enlisting the company in the vision takes work. The CEO as evangelist must continually repeat the message of the vision.
  • Change in a manufacturing environment starts from the floor. Get the operators and technicians involved in the process of changing the culture. Look for “secret champions” who are responsive to these efforts. Create teams (with the secret champions as leaders or key players) and let them champion improvements.

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How Do You Pursue a Market Expansion Opportunity? Three Points

Situation: A CEO is considering expanding market reach to include an additional specialty niche in the market currently served. He sees the opportunity to diversify the current offering, to make significant money, and to grow the company. The principal challenge is finding a person to build this capacity. How do you pursue a market expansion opportunity?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Without a leader to build the new capacity, an individual who already knows both the technology and the market, it will be difficult to build the new capability.
    • Bring in a heavy hitter with a proven track record in the market to develop the new capability. Someone who can build a team to offer the same quality / delivery package that has been the source of the company’s success.
  • Once this individual has been identified and is onboard, gather top management and develop clarity on the company and its values – why the company is in its current as well as the new business and what the company does for itself and its clients.
    • From this exercise develop or update the values statement and a vision / mission statement.
    • Consider hiring a consultant with proven experience in the market to help develop the value statement, mission, and some of the strategic and planning capacity that the company has not yet developed on its own.
    • Communicate these openly and reinforce them frequently with staff. This will help them understand the company culture as well as the vision for the company. It will also help them to understand the decisions made to guide the company.
  • Is there another firm – or an independent consultant – with proven expertise in in the new field to work with the company on the proposals that are being submitted for the new market?
    • This will help to evaluate the market and to get a taste of what is involved in this work before making a major investment to support the new capability.
    • It will also speed the development of expertise to address the new opportunity. If it goes well, the company can consider either a deeper joint venture, hiring the consultant, developing its own capability with internal resources, or a combination of these options.
    • In the short term, this will impact cost and margin but will substantially reduce risk.

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How Do You Monetize a New Venture? Eleven Suggestions

Situation: An entrepreneur has created a new business offering a critical service but struggles with how to monetize it. The primary clients don’t have the resources to fund it viably. What alternative sources of funds or revenue can be found? How do you monetize a new venture?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • The venture’s brand name must carry the message – the name must describe the mission.
  • One of the core messages is reciprocity. Reinforce this theme all over the site.
  • Testimonials are critical. Testimonial videos of real users personalize the experience. These drive participant acquisition and contributions.
  • Make participants feel like they are a part of a community.
    • Consider a variety of landing pages – same database but different doors of entry.
    • Encourage even more communication within specific target communities.
  • Look at MySpace vs. Facebook to guide the model:
    • MySpace was already big when Facebook launched.
    • Facebook exploded by making itself a more closed community – all exclusive colleges and Universities.
    • Monetize via donation or advertising vs. subscription. Fees could kill the opportunity. Too many other resources are available for free.
  • The key appeal is enabling people to do something that makes them feel good.
    • Post stories from those who have succeeded as a result of the platform, as well as those who have helped on the site. This will inspire others to participate.
  • How do you recruit new participants?
    • Some CEOs joined LinkedIn because of peer pressure – after enough people asked them to join, they did.
    • Install a template to encourage people to invite new participants – allow new participants to tell their story and the need that the service fulfills for them.
  • Consider adding premium content to the site, but only for those who have made contributions – monetary or in-kind.
  • Consider Fremium to Premium. In the Fremium model include a banner ad for users, like a university Training Institute.
  • Consider creating an advice network. Post questions and ask for answers from the community. Include an option to click to become a contributing participant.
  • Online there are eyeballs vs. action – the action is what matters.

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How Do You Fund an Early Stage Venture? Four Suggestions

Situation: An early stage venture which focuses on a humanitarian mission needs funding. The founder is more interested in providing a peer-driven platform and service than in producing profits. She envisions most of the funding coming from donations rather than investors, at least near term.  How do you fund an early stage venture?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Given that the venture is focused on building a peer-driven software platform, it is possible that it may be of significant value if the venture was to be sold for its technology or audience. Facebook and similar platforms could have a distinct interest as the venture attracts a significant audience. Is this a potential conflict with the original vision? The answer to this question will impact funding choices going forward.
  • There are several resources available to assist in fund raising:
    • Look for local groups that assist with fund raising.
    • The Foundation Center (www.foundationcenter.org) specializes in helping organizations to secure funding for non-profit ventures from foundations. They have online facilities as well as locations in New York, Boston, San Francisco and other major cities. They also provide training in raising funds from foundations.
  • Us the founder’s network to find people with an interest and contacts in fundraising.
  • Connect with local churches and synagogues which also excel in fund raising. The congregations may be smaller than the mega-churches, but the members are often very connected. Because of the humanitarian nature of the new venture, churches and synagogues may be natural partners.

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How Do You Create a Family Charter? Four Guidelines

Situation: The spouse of a CEO works in the business but has conflicts with other employees. This creates personal tension for the CEO. The CEO wants to explore a different role for the spouse, and also wants to create more balance at home. The CEO believes that working with the spouse to create a simple family charter with common values, vision and mission will help the two of them to find common needs and goals both at work and at home. How do you create a family charter?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • As you build a family charter, consider both your individual and your common views. Once you have established common ground with your spouse, you can bring children into the process to reinforce values and share creation of the vision.
    • In preparation for this discussion, both you and your spouse should start by thinking about what you each want. Once you have done this, compare notes and look for commonalities where you agree on what is important. These commonalities will form the core of your shared values, vision and mission.
  • Have lunch with your spouse once a month, just the two of you. Why? Because you are telling your spouse that they take precedence over your second spouse – your job, and you are taking time and attention from work to spend time one-on-one with your spouse. Do this monthly, but not always on the same day – make it more spontaneous and special.
  • Reinforce your family charter with regular family or one-on-one meetings with your spouse and children.
  • When having a conversation, focus on listening and don’t try to “fix” things.

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What Do You Do When A Strategic Partner Changes The Game? Two Options

Situation: A membership association’s revenue is largely tied to its annual conference. The primary sponsor of the conference has decided to host their own annual conference. This will disrupt the association’s access to both conference attendees and vendors. The sponsor has offered terms of collaboration; however, the conditions are unfavorable to the association. What are the best alternatives available to the association and how should they pursue them?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Are the association’s mission and vision are tied to or independent of the sponsor? If there is an ongoing reason for the association to continue without the sponsor then it is reasonable to pursue alternatives.
  • There are at least two options available to the association:
    • Accept the partner’s offer of collaboration, provided that this can be done under conditions that will allow the association to survive short-term. If the partner stumbles hosting its own conference this may allow the association to recover ownership of the annual conference. The danger is that this may lead to a slow death if the sponsor further cuts revenue to the association or a fast death if the sponsor decides to abandon the association.
    • Shift the focus of the conference and ancillary services under a new branding scheme. A survey of the membership indicates that the majority favor a mixed-platform solution, and may welcome a mixed-platform approach. You may need to rethink and rework your model but this may offer the best chance for ongoing survival.
  • What steps should be taken to pursue the second option?
    • Conduct a second survey of the membership to evaluate their preferences on platform focus, what they want to see in a multi-platform conference, and what platforms should be included.
    • Shift focus of the association to multi-platform as a response to members’ priorities and desires. Court the majority of the membership that favor a mixed-platform focus and de-emphasize those who favor the single platform solution.
    • Develop an alternate roster of sponsors including all competitive platforms. If this model succeeds, your current primary sponsor may find participation imperative.

Key Words: Association, Conference, Sponsor, Conflict, Conditions, Collaborate, Vision, Mission, Participation, Competitor, Single, Mixed, Platform, Survey, Focus

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What Have You Done to Manage Rapid Growth? Five Foci

Situation: A company has experienced rapid growth. This is creating stress for the staff and CEO, who finds it difficult to break away from the day to day to focus on strategy. Employees are not keeping pace with the evolving needs of the company and turnover has increased. What have you done to manage rapid growth?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • The first task is to improve forecasting of business growth, and the infrastructure needed to support this growth. This includes:
    • Regularly updating your sales and production forecasts.
    • Updating staff and training plans to meet growth forecasts.
    • Updating infrastructure and support plans.
    • Without these, the organization will whipsaw in response to market demands.
  • Take a critical look at your staff development plans and staff training.
    • Look at those areas that are most impacted by business growth. Determine whether you have the right managers and support in place.
    • Evaluate whether you have the right people and whether they have the skills to handle new demands of their positions.
  • Critically evaluate each now job that you take on. Assure that you have the staff and infrastructure to meet client demands.
    • Always assure that you deliver on your company’s integrity, reputation and core values.
  • In addition to addressing immediate needs, look at long-term plans strategically. Ask where you will be in 10 years. Articulate this vision in detail, and drive plans down through the organization. Make sure that everyone is on the same page, aligned with the same values, aiming at the same targets.
  • Also differentiate your vision from your mission:
    • You vision is a 10 year time frame, not one year.
    • Your mission is what you will be doing this year and in 5 years – the activities you will undertake to realize your longer term vision.
    • Fine tune your vision and mission and drive these through the organization. This will give you clarity on how you wish to do business and will help you to make hard choices as you handle rapid growth.

Key Words: Growth, Rapid, Stress, Focus, Turnover, Forecast, Infrastructure, Training, Support, Values, Staff, Development, Skill, Plan, Align, Vision, Mission

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