I push in just one direction, not in every direction. Rita Levi-Montalcini, Scientist The high-impact project is the gem … the nugget … the fundamental atomic particle from which the new white collar world will be constructed and/or reconstructed. Tom Peters I find the great thing in this world is, not where we stand, as …
Scott Adams, the Dilbert creator, calls project work ‘free agent work’ or ‘boss diversification.’ Adams says: “the worst risk you can face is to have one boss, somebody who can make your life miserable and who can decide when it is time for you to go.” By diversifying work, we lower the risk of working …
Again, information and knowledge change the rules. A function, title, or position was once the source of authority and power. But, is this the case when an organization is flatter and may be virtual. What’s the source of authority and power? Is it the team leader, facilitator, or coach? Does authority rotate among Brand U’s …
In the last ten years, the prevailing business model was to acquire, merge and diversify to increase profits. The model said that size matters because ‘economies of scale’ would result in lower costs. The result was huge companies that became global conglomerates with many unrelated core processes and products. There are many examples. Westinghouse went …
Commit yourself to never-ending education and training Decide what you are now and what you want your value-add to be Devise a self investment strategy that balances expertise with flexibility Become an expert, totally focused Become a generalist, staying flexible Develop yourself as an economic resource; choose a mix of hard and soft skills Develop …
Brand U companies, even global corporations, have discovered they can’t be all things to all people. The problem started when companies tried to please different customers with a large variety of products, problems arose. Resources were spread too thin so a company could only do certain things moderately well. The wise decision was to focus …
Do you see yourself as a Brand U product and if so in what ways? Or, are you offended by this idea? And if you are in what ways? Can a career, even yours perhaps, be managed like a product brand? What has been your career and work lifecycle? What products or services have …
An important role of middle management and first level supervision was to organize people and control activities. Do this that way by this time. But, Brand U self managed teams and individuals more often are responsible for these activities. So what does Brand U management do now? They manage relationships between processes, projects, and teams …
David Andrusia and Rick Haskins in Brand Yourself make the case for personal branding: “Branding is such a powerful tool in selling a product that it makes perfect sense that we as individuals should brand ourselves – thereby creating a strong, positive sense of ourselves (the product) and our services that is different and better …
Have one conversation at a time Build upon the ideas of others Defer judgment Encourage wild ideas Stay focused on the topic[i] [i] “Wanna Be More Creative? Follow the Rules, Damn It!” Inc., May, 1998, p. 10.