We are often asked by our clients or potential clients how can help their businesses grow or become better marketers. We more often than not have suggestions or solutions, but for the times that the answers are not so clearly present, critical thinking may be the solution necessary.
Paul Schoenmaker shares some key insights on how the great critical thinkers solve complex problems.
The best problem solvers see a complex problem through multiple lenses. Here’s how to become a better strategic thinker and leader yourself.
In 2009, J D Wetherspoon, a chain of more than 800 pubs in the UK, was facing declining sales. Demand for beer had been down for five years. In addition, pricing pressure from super market chains was intense, and higher alcohol taxes further squeezed its already tight margins.
What would you say is the company’s real business problem?
We’ve heard rumors that Google was working on “augmented reality” eyeglasses that would display information relevant to wearers as they go through their daily routine. Now Google itself has confirmed this as Project Glass, complete with a video of what they might be able to do.
Pretty amazing stuff especially relating to the future of marketing trends!
What does a real-life CEO have in common with the central figures of a fictitious Mafia crime family in The Godfather? According to Justin Moore, CEO and founder of Axcient, plenty.
Here are five essential leadership lessons from “The Godfather”.
1. Build a powerful community.
Someday, and that day may never come, I’ll call upon you to do a service for me. ~Vito Corleone
Uttered in the iconic rasp of Marlon Brando, the words of Vito Corleone illustrate how he creates a loyal community among those he has helped. Moore says, “By granting these favors and helping people with their problems, Vito Corleone is building a network of influence–relationships that may or may not deliver a specific or quantifiable return, but all which serve to strengthen his power base and which have the potential to be reciprocal in the long run.”
Moore says building strategic partnerships enables companies to work through challenging markets and fast-track overall success. “As a CEO, I see it as part of my job to be a super connector, networking with the technology and investment community without an expectation of reciprocation. Partnerships forged through time, trust, and mutual benefit–such as those Axcient has built with HP, Ingram-Micro, and a vast network of service providers and resellers–are the types of community relationships that bring about the greatest returns.”
We are often asked by our clients or potential clients how can help their businesses grow or become better marketers. We more often than not have suggestions or solutions, but for the times that the answers are not so clearly present, critical thinking may be the solution necessary.