by admin | Apr 7, 2014 | Uncategorized
To many people innovation is seen as the key to getting the economy moving, creating jobs and solving the energy crisis. It’s harder to define exactly what innovation is, how it happens and whether it actually translates into economic growth. Last month I attended the EU’s flagshipInnovation Convention in Brussels , a huge event formally opened by José Manuel Barroso accompanied by the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, with the Commissioner Maire Geoghegan Quinn also in attendance. Read more about an effective way to innovate to drive economic growth...
by admin | Apr 7, 2014 | Innovation
Leaders are accountable to assemble teams and lead them to optimal performance outcomes. An effective leader recognizes the importance of embracing differences in people and knows how to connect the dots amongst those differences to get the best outcomes from the team. This is what cultivates a workplace environment of continuous improvements, innovation and initiative. Leaders must foster a commitment from the team to embrace an innovation mindset where each employee learns to apply the differences that exist in one another for their own success and that of the organization. Find out more about the different ways leaders can enable innovation in their teams...
by admin | Apr 4, 2014 | Concept development
When people find out that I have a background as a business consultant, they will often tell me that they would love to own a business, but have no clue what type. These are the tips that I give for coming up with a profitable small business concept. Even if you have a small business concept already, these tips will help fine tune it. Do What You Know Your small business concept should circulate around what you know. A former client of mine opened up a business that supplies products to car dealerships, and he came up with this idea after working at dealerships for 15 years. He went into a field that he knew and where people knew him. It has ensured his future growth. Read more of these tips about creating a profitable small business concept...
by admin | Apr 4, 2014 | Concept development
1. Your Appearance Matters When pitching your new start-up idea you should always be dressed in business formal clothes, with an appropriately professional haircut, and no distracting accessories. A business pitch is one of the most formal and important occasions in business and needs to be treated with care. Since your first impression will be based on appearance, it’s very important to make sure that this impression is a good one. However, you also need to be aware that business conventions do differ in different areas of the world, and there are even some industries such as the IT industry that are more casual than others. Read about the four other tips for pitching your business concept...
by admin | Apr 3, 2014 | Communication strategy
1. Plan ahead and be prepared A successful response to a business crisis typically demands making and effectively communicating far-reaching and emotionally difficult decisions while under pressure and perhaps lacking complete or fully accurate information. Proper crisis preparedness planning therefore inevitably calls for putting the necessary organizational structure, processes and tools in place before a crisis hits. Develop, implement and continuously improve a crisis communication strategy and matching crisis communication plan tailored to the company’s needs. Assign responsibilities and thoroughly train the designated employees and their back-ups. Put communicators on the corporate and, if applicable, the regional and local crisis management teams. Conduct vulnerability audits and use the findings to build realistic crisis scenarios upon which recurring media training and crisis management drills are based. Remember that effective employee communication is a crucial component of any comprehensive crisis management strategy and indispensable to minimizing crisis-related damage, seizing the opportunities a crisis may present and converting resulting organizational change into competitive advantages. Learn about the remaining nine points in this guide to effective employee communication during a company crisis...
