Time Management Part 1

Are you controlled by your Blackberry or Iphone?   Are you governed by your meeting manager?  Are you feeling productive?  Do you work in an open environment?  Do you feel you life is out of control? Most of us these days are really controlled by ou

Making a Message Stick The Shreddies Example

Shreddies had a problem.  Many people still liked their product but they were losing market share in the competitive world of breakfast cereal.  How to freshen up the message?  Somebody decided that they could re-market the squares as diamonds.  They test marke

Making a Message Stick Part 2 Keep it Simple

Do you recall the expression "Keep It Simple Stupid,"  the KISS principle.  One thing that all messages that stick have in common is that they are simple and easy to understand.  A sticky message is something we can understand quickly.  When you

Making a Message Stick Part 1

Do you know why you can complete the phrase "A stitch in time —————-" ?  Why does that saying stick?  Harvey Gellman used a phrase that everybody who worked with him will recall "The Client is King." One that sticks for me

Customer Care

The last 5 months have been a complete blur to me as we have gone through some growth and are working on a fantastic couple of engagements.  I have been a lot more present than normal hoping to ensure client success and satisfaction. This week though my Apple Macbook Pro was giv

Building Trust in an Existing Team

I have been thinking about my blog on building trust on a team and the techniques really work for a new team or group.  How about a team that has been working together for some time but some issues of trust exist?  What kind of a process would work with a team that is very

The Mushroom Farm

A friend of mine was describing the experience of her son who was an intern to one of the senior people in government.  It was a great experience for the person and he was included in many meetings and activities that regular employees would never get a chance to experience. 

Planning – Issues Oriented Approach

One approach to planning that I like is an issues oriented approach which includes the ideas of readiness and rapid results.  Let us imagine we have been asked by a management group to lead them in a planning process.  The first step is to interview each of the participants

Outside the Box is NOT Outside the Corporate Structure

Thinking or acting outside of the box can sometimes be perceived as rash or brazen behaviour in some organiztions.  I was in an internal meeting yesterday where I was the client and I was reminded about the challenge that process and outside the box thinking often have, so though

CoffeeCAST – #51 – Teradata Partners 2007 – Wednesday Part 2 and Thursday

Welcome to the 51st CoffeeCAST with Stephen Hayward of Project X Ltd. Live from Las Vegas. Hello again from Vegas – baby.  We are coming close to covering the end of a great week at the Teradata 2007 Partners event.  This is a recap of Part 2 of the Wednesday sessions along with