By Dick Mitchell, President Dick Mitchell & Associates Once upon a time there were two companies. Both made whirlpool spas, and both were experiencing less than desired growth that was forcing them to re-envision their [...]
By the year 2020, your customer’s experience will be more important than your product or service in the decision to do business with you. That conclusion by Walker, a customer experience consulting firm, suggests that [...]
By Dick Mitchell, President Dick Mitchell & Associates The simple truth is a brand is a simple truth. That’s it. That’s what I’ve learned from over 40 years of brand development. Many people – including [...]
The “William Tell Overture” starts, and a masked rider on a white horse races across the screen. “Hi-yo, Silver!” he yells. If you are of a certain age (like me) or an old west TV [...]
In the early days of the personal computer and internet, there were those who understood the tremendous promise that was to come as technology caught up with imagination. Most regular people, on the other hand, [...]
The President claims that Amazon is—in no particular order—ripping off the U.S. Postal Service, not paying taxes to state and local governments, and putting local retailers out of business. The facts, however, are not on [...]
It’s common for clients to identify challenges and opportunities that they want to see addressed when I present to their group. A group of municipal government leaders recently asked that I provide tips about leading [...]
Disruption is everywhere, and everyone is in danger of being relegated to the junk heap of irrelevance. At least that’s the impression you receive from the articles, books, and speeches that dominate business education. While [...]
A strong, vibrant culture is the accelerator that gives your company a sustainable competitive advantage. It can also be an anchor that holds you back and sabotages your success. So which is it for you? [...]
Back in June 2017, CNBC’s Jim Kramer predicted that Amazon, with its purchase of Whole Foods, would dominate the grocery industry in two years. At that time, I wrote that Amazon’s eventual domination wasn’t necessarily [...]
Sandra (not her real name) was baffled and a little disconcerted. The team that had performed so admirably just a few years ago was now struggling. They still executed the routine tasks and assignments with [...]
Companies are rendered irrelevant by their scarcity of new thinking not the introduction of new technologies. They stop asking two crucial questions: What else can we do to enhance the customer experience, and what’s next [...]
Leading thinkers believe that AI will solve climate change, prevent all traffic accidents, and turn everyone into superhuman cyborgs. Then again, there are those who believe that AI could put almost everyone out of work, [...]
Empowering employees to voluntarily help your company succeed should be, to borrow a phrase from Tom Peters, a “blinding flash of the obvious.” The metrics about engaging and utilizing your staff to share positive messages [...]
Distance might make the heart grow fonder in matters of personal relationships. In workplaces, distance – actual or perceived – can create silos and subcultures that undermine productivity, efficiency, and collaboration. That’s why leading companies [...]