1: The year was 1992. Republican pollster Frank Luntz was running a focus group in Detroit to test television ads. Frank was looking at tactics to undermine support for Ross Perot, an Independent presidential candidate. Frank showed the first focus group a series of three ads: a biography about Ross Perot and his rise from poverty through entrepreneurship to becoming one of the world’s wealthiest people, then one of the candidate’s speeches, and finally, … continue reading
1: As leaders, one of our most important responsibilities is communicating new, sometimes complex ideas and inspiring action to implement change.
What’s the best tool we have to accomplish this critical objective? We tell a “springboard story,” writes author Stephen Denning in The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative.
In past RiseWithDrew posts, we’ve looked at key elements of this specific type of … continue reading
1: What are the two most important words in the brief story below?
“In 2019 in Paris, the head partner of a law firm noticed that the staff of the IT department became markedly more productive when they arranged the work in self-organizing teams that worked in short cycles and delivered value to their clients at the end of each cycle.
“He then introduced the approach to the paralegal staff … continue reading
Getting better at getting better is what Rise With Drew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
What is the #1 strategy to create a great place to work?
Articulate the organization’s values and then do our very best to live by those values.
One question … continue reading
1: “We need more heat,” Priya Parker‘s client nervously whispered into her ear, she shares in her book The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters.
An architecture firm had hired Priya to facilitate a discussion about the firm’s long-term vision: “Did they want to remain a bricks-and-mortar architecture firm,” Priya writes, “or did they want to morph into an experience-design firm?”
The problem? While … continue reading
Getting better at getting better is what Rise With Drew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
1: Two Fridays ago, we looked at why companies that strive to be great places to work regularly outperform their competition. It’s a simple formula: Happy associates = … continue reading
The short answer? Yes, writes The Lean Startup author Eric Ries.
1: Asking potential customers what they want doesn’t work because many times, customers don’t know what they want.
A much better strategy, Eric suggests, is to build a simple product, a “minimum viable product” or MVP, and then watch what actual customers actually do. “The minimum viable product lacks many features that may prove essential later on,” Eric … continue reading
Getting better at getting better is what Rise With Drew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
In 2004, Tiger Woods was the #1 ranked golfer in the world. He had won eight major championships. He was the most dominant player in golf.
And, he decided … continue reading
1: “Do you know the concept of proprioception, of how you know where you are and where you’re oriented?” film director Harold Ramis asked.
Harold was reflecting “on the reasons behind the fading career of Chevy Chase, one of the stars of [Harold’s movie] Caddyshack, writes Marshall Goldsmith in What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful.
“Chevy lost his sense of … continue reading
1: The CEO had a problem.
“Marshall, I’ve got this guy running a big division who delivers his numbers and more every quarter,” said the CEO. “He’s a young, smart, dedicated, ethical, motivated, hard-working, entrepreneurial, creative, charismatic, arrogant, stubborn, know-it-all jerk.”
The first nine traits all sound great. The last three? Not so much.
“Trouble is, we’re a company built on team values, and no one thinks he’s a team … continue reading
