Earl R. Smith II's Blog, page 75
October 31, 2014
The Challenge of Cultivating Innovation – Part 3
Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com Inspired leadership plays a critical part in the cultivation of innovation. That part is not limited to making speeches about the need for innovation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the prior articles in this series, I focused on the general problems and some of the specific issues which come to fore [...]
The Challenge of Cultivating Innovation – Part 2
Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com Developing a culture of innovation is a team sport that requires participation from the entire range of people involved in any company. One faction can sharply reduce the chances of success while radically increasing the costs of failure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the first part of this series, I outlined [...]
October 23, 2014
Charting the Course – Crossing the Boundary
Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com A common weakness of almost all management theories is that they are an essentially static conception of a dynamic process. As such they cultivate ignorance rather than enlightenment and promote failure rather than success. A couple of years ago I began a coaching engagement with a CEO of [...]
Amazing Pace: Turbo-Charged Business Development
Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com A well constructed and professionally managed advisory board can bring amazing benefits to a company. A poorly designed and managed one is usually a colossal waste of resources. The difference often lies not so much in the idea of an advisory board, but in the execution of that [...]
Dysfunctional Advisory Boards – A Family of Problems
Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com A well designed, populated and managed Advisory Board can bring substantial benefits. This is particularly true when it comes to the process of business development. Such a Board can help senior management succeed beyond their wildest dreams. But there are reefs and shoals that need to be avoided. [...]
State of Affairs and Investors
Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Understanding where the other person is coming from radically increases the probability that you will understand what they are trying to say to you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I recently met with a young entrepreneur – let’s call him X – well, to be technically accurate, a wannabe entrepreneur – [...]
Red-Teaming: Improve Your Chances of Winning the Business
Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com Management sometimes misses the obvious. Nowhere is this mistake more serious than when it comes to testing responses to RFPs or bids that are being submitted. A simple but effective addition to the process can radically improve the chances of winning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The beginnings of a good idea [...]
Advisory Boards – Turbocharged Business Development
(From Business Development Turbo-Charged: Advisory Boards as Business Development Engines) Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com When I set out to write a book about how to turbo-charge business development, I met lots of people very interested in getting an advance copy. It made me realize that making business development work is one of [...]
Virtual Chairman
Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com Emerging companies face a challenge when it comes to attracting top-quality senior talent – particularly for the board of directors. Here is one way to meet that challenge. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When asked what I do I sometimes reply that I am a Virtual Chairman. That answer almost always generates [...]
October 22, 2014
Reason Why or Thinking How?
Dr. Earl R. Smith II DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com Some of my coaching engagements focus on the personal tendencies of my clients. Those journeys take us into very personal areas; many of which have been either avoided or ignored for many years. One of the most productive assaults centers around a tendency that is ubiquitous among humans [...]
