innovation

25 Jul, 2012

It Comes Down to Accountability … Again

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:49+00:00July 25th, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Accountability and the execution that accompanies it explain why the smartest or most talented people don’t always experience the greatest levels of success. If accountability didn’t matter, the company with the best product or service would dominate the marketplace. And, every government agency would deliver amazing value. Talent, time, experience, and resources do matter. As we enter the 2012 Summer Olympics, the country of Monaco is a safe bet to continue its string of 26 Olympiads (both summer and winter) without winning a single medal. So if you are the USA Men’s Basketball Team competing against Monaco go ahead and take the day off from accountability. I am guessing that you will survive. But that’s not your reality. You don’t hire all the smart people while your competitors hire dunces. You aren’t running the most up-to-date computer systems while your competitors are using Commodore 64’s. Accountability is – more times than not – the difference between achieving your goals and getting beat in the marketplace.

21 Jun, 2012

7 Deadly Sins of Business Success Today

By Randy Pennington|2014-10-19T22:19:44+00:00June 21st, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Our sins, as we learn from religious teaching, corrupt our character and cloud our sense of what is right and wrong. Most important, they form a habit pattern that leads to our downfall. It works that way for organizations, too. Here are the seven deadly sins for business success today:

1 May, 2012

It’s Not Complicated – It’s Hard

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:50+00:00May 1st, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Leadership, Results|

There are only a handful of things at which you must be excellent to be successful in business. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are in, your model is not that complicated. But, it is hard. Really hard in fact.

26 Mar, 2012

The Only Leadership Principle You Will Ever Need

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:50+00:00March 26th, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

It is time to stop thinking about new management initiatives and start embracing leadership principles. Programs and initiatives come and go. Principles never end. There is only one leadership principle you will ever need if your goal is a culture where everyone is committed to consistent results, strong working relationships, and volunteered accountability.

12 Mar, 2012

Performance Reviews Would Be Great If…

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:51+00:00March 12th, 2012|Accountability, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Complete this sentence: Performance Reviews would be great if …. I asked participants in a series of workshops that question last week, and their answers were surprising and inspiring. There were the usual responses thrown in for comedic effect such as performance reviews would be if I always received top reviews and the maximum pay raise. But, most of the responses suggest that performance reviews could be valuable tools to provide feedback, encourage improvement, and enable results.

10 Dec, 2011

Delivering Results in the New Abnormal

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:51+00:00December 10th, 2011|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Results|

So here’s a scary thought: What if the turbulence that we’ve seen in the past three years is the new normal? This is an exciting time to be in the business of building a team, a department, and an entire organization. It is not for the faint of heart, however. The legendary brands of the future are being created today by leaders and organizations who relish the opportunity to compete and master life in the new abnormal.

8 Nov, 2011

If Time Were Really Money

By Randy Pennington|2014-10-19T22:29:06+00:00November 8th, 2011|Accountability, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Would you pay two hours of your life for a bus ride? Would you choose to sleep late if you had less than one day to live? Would you work harder to deliver results if [...]

31 Oct, 2011

The Only Culture That Matters

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:52+00:00October 31st, 2011|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Results|

“Culture” is becoming the catch word for virtually every new business book, training program, or speech. There are people out there who want to help you develop a culture of accountability, service, innovation, celebration, learning, listening, sustainability, trust, recognition, teamwork, engagement, and change. The only culture that matters is the one that helps you and your organization achieve your desired results.

22 Oct, 2011

Three Questions Determine Your Value

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:52+00:00October 22nd, 2011|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Leadership, Results|

The reality of today’s market-driven world is brutal. We are all better at some things than others. Most of us are actually excellent – or at least better than average – at some aspects of our business or personal performance. And, that doesn’t matter unless what we do well adds value to the customer.

11 Oct, 2011

It’s the Culture, Stupid!

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:52+00:00October 11th, 2011|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Leadership, Results|

What separates the marketplace heroes in every industry from the has-beens and wanna-bes? It can’t be just products, services, or price. Your competitors don’t hire all geniuses and leave you with the dunces. Their computer systems, compensation, and operational processes are not dramatically better than yours. When they discuss strategy, the words on their flip charts are not significantly more insightful than yours. The difference is an intangible. It is a culture where every person at every level is focused on and committed to delivering results that are critical for success.

30 Sep, 2011

Want Growth? Part IV: Try Some Confidence

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00September 30th, 2011|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Personal Development|

The numbers are in, and people lack confidence. Not all people, but enough of them to slow consumer spending and business investment. Lack of confidence changes behavior. Confident consumers spend more money because they believe the future will be positive. Confident sales people make more sales because they trust their ability and the value of their product. Confident companies invest in innovation, talent development, and new equipment because they believe that they will be rewarded for their investment.

22 Sep, 2011

Want Growth? Part III: Raise the Talent Level

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00September 22nd, 2011|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Personal Development|

Your value in the marketplace is in direct proportion to the importance and complexity of the problems you can solve and solutions you can provide to your customers. Put another way, you can’t earn a brain surgeon’s salary with a talent level that qualifies you to be a convenience store clerk.

13 Sep, 2011

Want Growth? Part II: Show Me the Incentive

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00September 13th, 2011|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Personal Development|

“People do things for their own reasons, not for our reasons.” – William Marston My seat mate on a recent flight owns a successful small business. It is growing in a down economy because he [...]

6 Sep, 2011

Want Growth? Part I: Start With Trust

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00September 6th, 2011|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development|

The U.S. economy is in a self-fulfilling death spiral propelled by mistrust. There is a good chance that the same thing can be said of your industry, your employer, and your career. Growth requires investment, and that requires confidence. You can’t cut your way to sustainable growth. When trust is absent, people naturally protect their immediate self-interest. This will occur even if it leads to their long-term individual and collective undoing.

17 Aug, 2011

Let’s Be Honest About Dishonesty

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:53+00:00August 17th, 2011|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development|

Dishonesty is not new, but let’s be honest—our society has raised the rationalization of dishonesty to an art form. When it comes to the truth, we embellish, expand, enrich, soften, shave, stretch, and withhold. We misspeak, pretend, bend, and improve. We are guilty of mistakes, misjudgment, and truthful hyperbole. We exaggerate, spin, filter, and inflate. However, we rarely—or perhaps even never—believe that we are guilty of dishonesty.

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