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Flywheels

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If you’ve seen business or marketing plan decks, chances are you’ve encountered the Flywheel concept first hand. Maybe you even use the term yourself. The flywheel is a great concept. If you can develop one, you’ve really got something. The challenge, in my experience, is getting it right. What is a flywheel? Like any good business term, this one originated elsewhere. It’s actual definition is: Aside from “momentum”, there’s not much to this definition that helps us understand the flywheel’s current usage in business. What we’re looking for is the term coined Jim Collins, author of Good to Great . Here’s a better explanation: Source: Best From the Brightest: Jim Collins's Flywheel (Inc.com)   The relevant words are: “a self-reinforcing loop made up of a few key initiatives.” Emphasis on “few” (more on this below). To put it simply, a flywheel consists of different initiatives that feed one another. One feeds another, that feeds another, and eventually they lead back to the start....
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I Don't Know

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Have you ever met someone who seems to have the an answer to everything? I have. I find a lot of people* are like this. Here’s how a typical conversation goes with one of these types *: The conversation starts with a question. Their answer, right or wrong, is presented with confidence. Not a problem. Test the waters by asking them something else. Do they confidently blurt out an answer? Ask them another question, this time about something they seemingly aren’t an expert of. If you get another assertive answer, no matter what the subject is or their experience with it, you might be dealing with the poster child of this blog post. Keep going and you’ll probably end up with two things: 1) a lot of dubious answers and 2) no unanswered questions.  How can they know so much?  Chances are they don’t. Chances are they don’t know when to say “I don’t know.” Knowledge is power! I think for whatever reason, people are encouraged to know things. That makes sense. But the side effect is...
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Everything, everywhere is always moving.

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HBO’s Succession is a great show. Man if you’re not already watching it, you need to give it a try. It’s one of those shows where I rewatch each episode. Twice! I’ve been hyping it to my friends and family since season one. I think it’s the next Game of Thrones: all the main characters are trying to kill each other to sit on the throne  atop an American media empire. I love the premise. It’s unique and new. The writing isn't just good, it's great. The writers know the business world and it comes through in both the plot and dialogue. I think it’s the best show on TV right now. This week’s episode, “Lion in the Meadow”, was a continuation of the ongoing hostile takeover storyline. And as usual, everyone was jockeying for position while the vultures circle. The head of the family and CEO of Waystar Royco, Logan Roy, doesn’t always tip his hand or reveal what he’s thinking. It's undoubtedly part of his character’s strategy. He says as little as is needed, and listens for the...
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Accountability is the engine of improvement

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I had some digestive-health issues this year. Perhaps a culmination of issues from years past. This time it was scary. I’ll spare you the details.  I knew I needed to do something but had no idea what. It was severe, so I saw a doctor. He couldn’t offer me any conclusive answers, which was disappointing. Although I understand he did everything he could. Someday science will have all the answers. But not today. In the meantime, I’ve got two options: either make some changes or take some chances . I decided change was in order, and I did the only thing I knew for a fact is an effective preventative measure: diet and exercise.  What do I know Nothing. Not a thing about medicine. I’m not a doctor, or anything resembling one. I’ve never been mistaken for one. I just want you to know: this is not medical advice. In my career so far, I’ve spent nearly 15 years in the health and wellness industry doing marketing work for companies who provide alternative and natural health (read: ...
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Old Tom vs New Tom

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Have we met? If so, you've met Old Tom. Old Tom is me prior to now. New Tom is the current version (and author of this post). Why the distinction? "Old Tom" is a label I've used in reference to myself in conversations with people I've had lasting relationships with. Friends, family, employers. Talking About My (old) Self I occasionally find myself talking about the "Old Tom" version of myself to convey a point about how I've changed. Yeah, I actually use the words "Old Tom". I think it's kinda funny to third-person myself like that. I've dug up Old Tom a few times recently with my boss. Earlier in my career, I think most who knew me would agree I was laser-focused on upward mobility. I've known my current boss for almost 7 years now, and he knows about my ambitions well. While my ambitions are still important to me today, I'm in less of a rush than I was before. In the heyday of Old Tom, career growth was practically all ...
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Setting SMART Goals (Plus: Mistakes to Avoid)

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Along with the rest of humanity, the new year got me thinking about fitness goals. Again. I've been thinking them for a while, and hadn't gotten around to putting anything concrete down on paper.  Not to say I wasn't exercising. But I hadn't pushed myself. Because I had no goal. Remembering how SMART goals have helped me in business, I decided to make a fitness goal and make it SMART. (Find out how I did below) A SMART goal is a tried and true concept in the good old white collar business world. If you haven't used it lately, here's a refresher, with my best tips... What's a SMART Goal? Like all good business concepts, SMART Goals come with an easy-to-remember acronym. The letters stand for the parameters to which your goal must adhere: specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time-bound. S specific ...
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The Ends or the Means?

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A friend texted me the other day about a problem he was having with an employee: How do you tell someone to stop being stubborn? I just tell my kids to stop being idiots. But I don't think that works as a manager. I don't have kids so I'll have to take his word on the first part. But I have 10 years of management experience. What stubbornness was Friend describing? He gave the employee an assignment, and the employee wanted to do it their own way .  Friend didn't like that, and so they had some back and forth about it. They each made their cases. Employee sent supporting documentation, showed stats supporting it. But Friend stood his ground.  Ultimately, they couldn't agree, and Employee went on to do it their own way. Friend thought his employee was being stubborn and didn't know what to do about it. So he sent me a text. Who was wrong? Let's examine the motives of each: Friend's Motives:  He sought ways to get them to use his method. His method p...
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Intro

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First time blogger, long time reader. I'm 40 now, and I recently quit my job. More about that soon. In the nearly 3 months since, I've been doing stuff. In my new "slow pace" life, I've had time to get some stuff done, and get my whirlwind of ideas under control. I'll spare you the details, just know there was a lot of chicken or the egg type stuff going on, and notes scattered through countless google docs & spreadsheets.  But no more! Further, my career pause has afforded me time to workout more, explore Florida, gather my thoughts and make plans. One thing I've always had rattling around my head were takeaways from career. Which I enjoy talking to others about. What makes a 20-year career different from a 1-year career? Time. And experience. Twenty years in, and I'm ready to start talking authoritatively (by nature I've been relatively guarded) on topics I feel knowledgeable on. This all follows my final year of work (so far), one in which ...
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