Why Gardner & Associates Consulting?

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” which is offered to help companies thrive!

This week’s focus: why I’m in business

I get up every morning to share this truth with executives globally…

in this moment, anything is possible.

For my clients, this means…

• Ease and simplicity replace frustration and complexity.
• People, processes and systems seamlessly and tightly connect my clients and their teams to their customers and partners.
• They become sought after by prospects, customers, potential employees and investors.
• Revenues and profits soar.
• Business is exciting again.

The reality is simple: Your future really is right now.

Gardner & Associates Consulting. Anything is possible.
__

If you focus your messaging and business simply around what you do and how you do it (something 99% of companies do!), you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Read more about that opportunity to correct that here. And, then contact me to get help.

Thought for the week:

“There will NEVER be a military solution to terrorism, or to Iran or Palestine-Israel . It’s time to sow a new seed for a new crop.” – Deepak Chopra via Twitter

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

___

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Uncovering Your “Why” To Better Connect With Your Marketplace

Did you know customers don’t care as much about the “what” and “how” of your business nearly as much as the “why?”

Most companies do a good job of explaining what they do and how they do it. However, like their competitors, they haven’t created and shared a compelling “why” they are in business:

• what get’s them up in the morning,
• what gets their juices flowing,
• what inspires and excites their employees,
• what inspires and excites customers about the relationship they enjoy with the company.

A compelling, inspiring “why” drives and accelerates buying and very favorably impacts your employees, customers and prospects. While it sounds trivial to come up with a “why,” it isn’t.

This missing “why” provides the foundational key to winning in your marketplace. This isn’t just a linguistic exercise. A well-crafted “why” drives a biological response that drives buying behavior. Once you understand how this works, a light bulb will go on for you, your team and your customers.

Our firm will drive a process to support the creation of your unique “why” which will provide the impetus for increasing the velocity of your success. This process will include:

• Facilitating one or more meetings–including a proprietary seminar we’ve developed to introduce you to the concept of “why”–to kick off your discovery process.
• Review your current messaging and interview executives and employees in your organization and, perhaps, key customers.
• Help you define your “why.”

Additionally, we collaborate with your team to determine what is needed to support an across-the-board implementation of your powerful “why” to promote the proper representation of your brand.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

Who Cares That Microsoft Windows 8 Is Here?

On Friday, October 26th, Microsoft officially launches Windows 8.

This new operating system release:

• has been acknowledged for at least one year by Microsoft,
• is well understood by the marketplace,
• has OEMs like Dell and HP offering new products tailored to exploit the new capabilities in Windows 8.

Who, other than Microsoft and the OEMs, is really excited about this launch?  Who is chomping at the bit for this?

Is it a game-changer that the business world will quickly migrate to?  I don’t think so.

Are consumers anxiously awaiting the arrival of Windows 8?  I’m not hearing about it.

Will people be lined up outside Microsoft stores, Best Buy and other places to get this?  I would guess a few will–there are always people who want to be first.

If I upgrade to Windows 8 on an existing non-touch-enabled computer, will I be able to take advantage of the touch capabilities in Windows 8? No. Touch-enabled hardware is required.

I asked a colleague, Paul Mooney (@Moon on Twitter), who I know through our work on Dell’s Customer Advisory Panel, what he thinks about it:

I’ve been running Windows 8 for months and without touch it’s a pain in the butt.  I have not heard about any company rolling-out Win8 and if they did it would cost them thousands of hours in lost productivity.  I’ve been able to adapt to it by creating short-cuts, but it’s really intended for a Tablet.

Is this what Microsoft wants to hear? Certainly not. And, it certainly is what IT organizations can pretty quickly ascertain on their own.

Organizations aren’t going to throw out their hardware and software to take full advantage of the new technology just because it’s new.  If Windows 8 is not “must have,” it will be put on the back burner. There may be niches where this will be an invaluable solution. How big are those niches?

So, I have to ask: After all is said and done, is anyone going to really care? Not the people that matter. Not the people who will require adoption of this operating system in huge quantities.

I don’t expect this to be a blockbuster product for Microsoft and its OEM partners over the next 12 months. Organizations won’t be clamoring for it.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Dave Gardner All Rights Reserved

American Airlines–What Is To Trust?

For many years, my preferred airline has been American Airlines.  I have privileges with them for life after having accumulated in excess of 1 million miles. I’ve always had great service and can recall only one flight cancellation with them after hundreds of flights.

This past weekend, I needed to book a trip to Austin, Texas, in December. I was asked what airline I prefer. I could not say American Airlines–not now, not in light of all the flight cancellations that make business travel with American Airlines a real crap shoot.  I’ll be flying on Southwest Airlines, an airline I have a lot of respect for in terms of “doing what they say they are going to do” and being business-friendly.

I can’t afford to take a bet on whether I’ll make it to Austin or not.  It’s a big enough crap shoot to travel by air anyway with all the packed flights and few alternatives if you miss a flight or a connection. American Airlines has, as of late, made business travel an even riskier bet.

American Airline is in bankruptcy. For most airlines that have gone through bankruptcy, this has been little more than a minor blip on the radar in terms of passenger impact. American has set a new standard–not one they should have aspired to.

I understand there are issues with the unions. But, do the unions and management not see that the American Airlines brand is being trashed because of all the nonsense?  Do they not see that people who can’t have a reasonable expectation of getting  from Point A to Point B won’t book travel with them?

I’m going to need to hear that these problems are a thing of the past before I’ll want to book any flight with American Airlines.  And, perhaps you should to before booking a flight with American Airlines.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

Closing business execution gaps

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: business execution

There are so many things that we take for granted:

• Being able to pay with a credit card
• A light coming on when we flip the switch
• Being able to flush a toilet and have running water to wash our hands
• Traffic signals never putting vehicles on a collision course
• Aircraft not colliding in the skies

Yet there are many things that don’t happen as we had expected in our businesses:

• Delivering a fantastic customer experience across all touch points in your business
• Getting new products into the marketplace on time that “wow” customers
• Deploying new IT systems on time and within budget that are widely and rapidly adopted by those who rely on those systems to get their work done
• Aligning resources with demand (people, inventory, supplies, etc.)
• Meeting financial goals for revenues and/or profitability
• Ensuring that people do what is expected of them–even when we aren’t watching

The first grouping’s success occurs as a result of superb business execution. The second grouping’s success is far less predictable.

What actions do you and your business need to take to ensure your business execution is as superb for the second grouping as the first?

Thought for the week:

“Live dangerously; takes things as they come; dread naught, all will be well.” – Sir Winston Churchill 1932

__

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

___

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Assigning blame is the wrong approach

I just stumbled across this question on a website:

The San Diego Chargers blew a 24-0 halftime lead over the Denver Broncos on Monday night, getting outscored 35-0 after the break. Who is most to blame in San Diego today: Quarterback Philip Rivers, head coach Norv Turner or general manager A.J. Smith?

This question of “who is most to blame” is asked all too often. Who can we blame a result on? Who is ultimately responsible for what didn’t happen? Where does the buck stop?

I can think of better questions than “who is most to blame?”  How about:

• What can we learn from what happened?
• Where were the causes of the business execution failures?
• How do we correct the causes of the business execution failures and ensure they don’t reoccur?

Pointing the finger to assign blame accomplishes nothing.

As the Dalai Lama teaches, “When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.”

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

Assessing The Current State of Business Execution & Collaboration

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: business execution

As a business owner or department head, you undoubtedly think you know about everything going on. And, for the most part, you probably have a pretty good handle on the important matters. But, do you know everything that you need to know? Probably not.

The best practice is to have an independent, third-party conduct an assessment to help you better understand where things stand.

• Your team members will say things to an independent third-party that they would be reluctant or hesitant to say to you.
• You’ll get confirmation on things you may suspect are issues and you’ll likely learn some new things.

Whether your business has suffered a downturn and reduced headcount or you’ve grown in recent months or years, it’s critical that you take some time to figure out where you stand.

Your team will really appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback. This is a great, first step in turbocharging your business execution as it helps identify the logical and critical next-steps. This will help you and your company thrive.

Thought for the week:

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

__

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

___

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Gringos At The Gate Film Review

Last evening, I had the great pleasure to attend a Santa Clara University screening of Gringos at the Gate, an independent film about the rich soccer history and rivalry between the U.S. and Mexico. I walked to my car with only one word repeating in my mind: Wow!

One of the producers is Michael Whalen, Associate Professor of Communications at Santa Clara University. He teaches film and television production and history. Based on what I saw last night, he’s a tremendous exemplar to his students and other professionals.

This is a remarkable production.  Every aspect of it: writing, music, editing, sound, etc., was first rate.

The story was compelling and was told by soccer players, fans on both sides, coaches, sports writers, educators and others who could add historical perspective.  The film helped me understand:

• What it means to be a Mexican playing soccer in Mexico
• What it means to be a Mexican-American playing soccer in the U.S.
• What it means to be a Mexican-American playing soccer against Mexico
• How soccer is THE only professional sport in Mexico–it means everything to the people of Mexico
• What it means to Mexico to be beaten by the U.S. and to beat the U.S.
• How the U.S. soccer program has evolved to match and meet Mexico on the world stage
• The tug Mexican-American fans have over whether to root for the U.S. or Mexico during matches–this isn’t a trivial issue for individuals, their families and other Mexican-Americans

Imagine the soccer Super Bowl being played in Mexico between the U.S. and Mexico with over 100,00 fans at the game. Further imagine that only 300 of the fans attending were from the U.S. Not a typo. 300. It happened!

This documentary film was filmed in 3 locations and had a total production cost of $40,000. The film’s value far exceeds the production cost. Kickstarter was a key part of helping to obtain funding for the project. Santa Clara University contributed post-production facilities and resources.

I’ve vacationed in Mexico and know the Mexican people to be proud of their country and their heritage.  And, now I understand why they are so fiercely loyal to their soccer team. After seeing this film, I’ll never watch soccer the same way again. I have a much better understanding of the real story as a consequence of this film.

This is a fantastic documentary: compelling, rich, deep, colorful and exciting to watch. Congratulations to all  involved in producing this wonderful film.

There are more details about the film and awards it has won on the website. The film is also available for purchase on the website.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

[Full disclosure:  I am a graduate of Santa Clara University (MBA) and a member of the Leadership Board for the College of Arts and Sciences.]

3 Key Business Execution Military Lessons

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: business execution

Speaking at Dreamforce 2012 in San Francisco, Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE, offered 3 key things he’s learned from military:

• be purposeful
• always work on what’s important
• adaptability

These 3 things will help you and your company thrive.

__

I’m delighted to introduce our new Business Execution Turbocharge. Read about it here.

__

Thought for the week:

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” – Steve Jobs

__

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

___

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

HP Reeling from Oct12 Shareholder/Analyst Call

Wall Street and analysts are reeling from HP’s Shareholder/Analyst call yesterday. The stock hit a 9-year low yesterday. Meg Whitman and HP are signaling it’s going to be another couple of years before the company is back on track. That’s astounding.

I have to ask at what point in the last decade was HP truly “on track?” What does “on track” look like?  I don’t think HP really knows.  HP simply knows it’s off track.

One quote stood out yesterday:

 When Todd Bradley took over the Printing and Personal Systems business, he was surprised to find that we made more than 2,100 laser printers. In every business, we’re going to benefit from focusing on a smaller number of offerings that we can invest in and really make matter. By the way, we have plans to cut those laser printer SKUs by about — by nearly 50% in 2013.

Cut it in half in 2013?  I can’t imagine the lack of economies and negative supply chain implication of having 2100 laser printer SKUs. This is an incredible number.  To think that they will have to continue with that number for the better part of another year is puzzling. And, to think they hope to only cut it in half in 2013 means they’ll still have over 1,000.

How about cutting it by 75-80% from the current 2100.  How about looking at a strategy to reduce the number of SKUs by modularizing the products?  This would mitigate supply chain and channel distribution issues.

There’s more that’s troubling.

• For one, a “year” doesn’t need to be the smallest time unit for change to occur. In many businesses, a month or a quarter is sufficient to get a lot accomplished if people are motivated. HP needs to tighten up its timelines dramatically.
• The longer it takes to make critical changes in a business, the less likely the things essential to moving the needle on the business  will occur. Where is the sense of urgency?
•  HP leadership doesn’t have 2-3 years to ease into the changes. Investors won’t tolerate slow, steady progress. We’ll get another regime change and be right back talking about what needs to happen.
• There is really no proof that HP knows what the right things to do are and has a plan to execute.
• Cutting and downsizing–while necessary–won’t improve morale or the culture at HP. What is the plan to energize the team, customer, channel partners and the marketplace?

For too long, HP has just been going through the motions. What I heard yesterday is that will continue albeit with slightly more urgency.

Something’s got to give. I don’t think HP knows what that is yet. Where will HP be in a year?  Still stuck?

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

Announcing Gardner & Associates Consulting’s Business Execution Turbocharge

Ask yourself these questions:

• Are you truly excited about your business?
• Are you full-on engaged with your business?
• Are your team members excited and engaged with your business?
• Does your business lift you up or weigh you down?
• Can you take weeks off and know your business will run just as well without you?
• Is your business stuck in high gear, low gear or just idling?

Did any of these questions strike a nerve? The discomfort indicates something is not right. The discomfort indicates it’s time for a change. Albert Einstein offered, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”

There’s been periods in my life when I haven’t been as excited as I am now. That’s changed. Here’s why I get up early, raring to go everyday:

I get up every morning to share this truth with executives globally…

in this moment, anything is possible.

For my clients, this means…

• Ease and simplicity replace frustration and complexity.
• People, processes and systems seamlessly and tightly connect my clients and their teams to their customers and partners.
• They become sought after by prospects, customers, potential employees and investors.
• Revenues and profits soar.
• Business is exciting again.

The reality is simple: Your future really is right now.

Gardner & Associates Consulting. Anything is possible.

So, what do you do if your business isn’t everything you want it to be? What do you do if there is a gap between where your business is and where you want it to be? I invite you to take a closer look at our Business Execution Turbocharge.

The Business Execution Turbocharge is a modular suite of options that help you raise the bar on your business. Each option is available a la carte based on your needs and priorities.

We typically start by assessing the current state of your business execution and collaboration. After this assessment, you decide which of the following options are needed:

• Uncovering Your “Why” To Better Connect with Your Marketplace
• Assess How Your Company Is Doing Within Your Marketplace
• Define Mission, Operating Principles & Values
• Define Requirements For and Implement Business Systems and Processes

There’s going to be a number of posts here about our new Business Execution Turbocharge.  There’s a category that you can select to get you to any and all posts related to this offering.

I’m really excited about what this can do for you and your company. Are you ready to take your company to the next level?  Are you ready to turbocharge your business execution?  Call me.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

How Verizon Wireless Can Improve Customer Service

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: customer service

I’ve had a terrific customer experience with everyone I have worked with at Verizon Wireless going back to 2004. The products, services and people have been great. I never cringe at the thought of interacting with this company. That’s not to say they can’t get better!

Here are my recommendations for improving the customer experience relative to a technical problem I’ve been chasing for a few weeks:

• Never close a trouble ticket without confirming with the customer that the problem is resolved via the proposed solution. More than one ticket was closed when I still had the same problem meaning no one was working on it!
• When you tell a customer you are going to call them back, call them back. Not hard. Yet, 3 different people promised to call me back and didn’t.
• Never transfer a customer to one of your supplier’s technical support organizations without (a) informing the customer that that is what you are going to do, and (b) getting the customer’s permission. It’s quite a shock to suddenly find out you aren’t dealing with Verizon Wireless in the middle of a long call.
• When departments that need to be working together to get to the bottom of an issue aren’t collaborating, escalate the issue within your organization to management and senior management to get them talking. It’s not okay for an organization to be unapproachable when it comes to dealing with a customer issue.

Do these things and I’ll be a happier customer. If you have a customer service organization, avoid the mistakes I’ve identified above and you and your customers will thrive.

Thought for the week:

“If your stakeholders are in the social space, they are talking about your brand — so either engage and be part of the conversation or be left behind.” – Karen Quintos, Dell CMO

__

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

___

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.