BIZBUZZ – M. Goldsmith What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

This is episode 2 of my version of BIZBUZZ.

I stimulate conversations that challenge business owners to consider new possibilities and to act boldly.

This video highlights those insights from Marshall Goldsmith that made the greatest impact on me.

Hi, I’m Gary Brown a FocalPoint business coach.

Welcome to BIZBUZZ.

I’ve chosen to comment on Michael Goldsmith’s book entitled What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

This is a book about behaviour and it contains some interesting suggestions.

I’d like to comment on three of them.

The most compelling suggestion is that the higher one rises in his or her organization the more your problems are behaviour based.  Is this something that you have experienced?  If so, what did you do about it?

The second point that I’d like to comment on is the list of twenty habits that will hold you back from reaching the top. Goldsmith indicates that they are:

1. Winning too much

2. Adding too much value

3. Passing judgement

4. Making destructive comments

5. Starting with ‘no’, ‘but’ or ‘however’

6. Telling the world how smart you are

7. Speaking when angry

8. Negativity or ‘let me explain why that won’t work’

9. Withholding information

10. Failing to give proper recognition

11. Claiming credit that we don’t deserve

12. Making excuses

13. Clinging to the past

14. Playing favourites

15. Refusing to express regret

16. Not listening

17. Failing to express gratitude

18. Punishing the messenger

19. Passing the buck

20. An excessive need to be ‘me’

I’d suggest that if you’re at the top already, which is likely the case if you are a business owner, then this same list of habits can impact your leadership ability.  Do any of these sound all too familiar with you?

Finally, my third choice is the power of 360 degree evaluations. They are a very impactful way of affecting behaviour change. Why not try it?

That’s it for What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.
Thanks for your interest.
Your comments are always welcome.
Stay tuned for more BIZBUZZ.

BIZBUZZ – S. Godin, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

This is episode 1 of my version of BIZBUZZ.  I stimulate conversations that challenge business owners to consider new possibilities and to act boldly.

This video highlights some of my selections of the most significant comments made by Seth Godin in his book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable.

Hi, I’m Gary Brown a FocalPoint business coach.

Welcome to BIZBUZZ.  This is my attempt to help you generate some buzz in your business.

I’ve chosen to comment on Seth Godin’s book entitled Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

I really enjoyed reading this book and I found a number of very thought provoking ideas and suggestions.

I’d like to comment on three of them.

The first is the overall emphasis on differentiation.  Godin says this OUT LOUD when he claims that the opposite of remarkable is very good.  This bears repeating … the opposite of remarkable is very good!  If you think of a scale that has remarkable at one end and say, mediocre on the other end, how many of us would have placed our business on the wrong side of very good?

My second take-away is that it is safer to be risky than to play it safe.  In a crowded marketplace, Seth Godin suggests that playing it safe, or fitting in, frequently leads to failure.  Are we prepared to exchange safety for riskiness?

Finally, my third choice is the suggestion that your marketing message needs to be targeted towards the innovators and early adopters in the marketplace for your product or service.  Godin describes your message as an ‘ideavirus’ and your task is to find the early adopters who are most likely to ‘sneeze’ your message onwards.  Consequently, he strongly suggests that you avoid a marketing message that is aimed at the general marketplace.  It’s a waste of your resources.

That’s it for the Purple Cow and for me.

Let me know if this produces any insights for you.

BIZ BUZZ Introduction

I am a FocalPoint business coach and I’d like to welcome you to the introduction of BIZ BUZZ.

BIZ what?  Let me explain.

A long time ago, my father used to carry me on his shoulders as he took me to the local barber shop for a hair cut.  Apparently, I would pepper him with questions, as he walked (remember, I rode).  So, I’m a “question asker”.  I’m also aware that as I practice a habit of life long learning, I ask better questions.  So, as part of my coaching journey, I augment my experience with on-going learning and add to my question bank.

So, back to BIZ BUZZ.  I decided to produce a series of videos that will allow me to share the key insights that I’ve gained from the books that I’ve read or the workshops that I’ve attended.  My interest is to stimulate conversations with business owners that challenge them to consider new possibilities.  I’m calling these presentations – wait for it – BIZ BUZZ.

BIZ BUZZ is intended to pique your curiosity.  BIZ BUZZ is intended to provide you with a small jolt that might just indicate that you and your business would benefit from a change.  They might even generate some BUZZ in your workplace.

Since I’m a business coach, the subject matter of BIZ BUZZ will always relate to business.  That is not to say that other areas of your life can’t or won’t benefit.  It is just that my primary area of interest is on the business side of things.

The videos will be quick and as I get more comfortable in front of the camera, perhaps my sense of humour will occasionally appear.

Stay tuned.