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6 Steps to a Strategy that Works

By Lori McNeill

I recently worked with a client regarding their strategy for the upcoming year. I started by asking them to share their current year’s strategy, goals and outcomes. We reviewed the data and although there had been progress, they had faced challenges along the way and struggled to accomplish all that they originally set out to do. After a bit of probing, we were able to identify what went wrong in the process, and discovered a number of mistakes that could have been avoided. The CEO and executive team members said that if they would have utilized the six-step framework outlined below, they would have progressed even further and could have avoided some of those mistakes that cost them time, money and wasted resources.

The ability to develop a winning strategy is a critical success factor for all organizations. First, let’s define what a “winning” strategy is and is not. Strategy does not equal goals. It is very important to make that distinction. Goals are what a leader wants to achieve and strategy is how the leader plans to accomplish those goals.

Why “Culture Starts at the Top” Is Not Enough

By Holly Mitchell & Jaime Lisk

You have likely heard the phrase, “Culture starts at the top.” While there is certainly merit to this statement, it’s not the full story. Organizational culture is shaped by shared patterns of values and behaviors that define the social and psychological environment within a group. You see “culture” everywhere—within your family, friends, fitness studio, department, and certainly in your company overall. The first step is acknowledging the culture. Then you must decide: Is this our desired culture or is there work to be done?

As a leader, it’s important to understand the sphere of influence you have over shaping the culture of your organization. Top-level leadership has the most influential, long-term impact on workplace culture. The decisions you make, behaviors you choose to ignore, and the way you walk, talk, and dress all impact the culture. When leaders are working in sync and living out the tenants of the desired culture, it won’t go unnoticed by the rest of the organization.

Three Questions to Sharpen Your Vision

By Dr. Jeremy Graves

Vision. Even the word can seem overwhelming to some. What is our vision? How will I know if my vision is in alignment with my organizational needs? How do I ensure clarity throughout my organization around vision? Do those within my organization even understand the vision? These are the types of questions that keep many leaders awake at night.

The need for vision clarity is paramount for any organization, leader, or team. But how do you go about creating a vision that is sticky and moves beyond words on a paper to behaviors that can ultimately transform your organization?

It Begins with Clarity
How detailed is your vision? Vision is most powerful when it is both specific and engaging. It comes alive in an organization when it connects people to something bigger than themselves. If it doesn’t, the vision is not shaping the company culture, but rather is in danger of being shaped by the loudest voice in the room—and sometimes that voice is not the voice you want shaping the vision. So how do you ensure clarity? Here are three questions to consider when determining your vision.

What do you REALLY want?

The ONE Thing That Can Change Everything…

By Patrick Ensign

What do you want most for your business, your family…and you? How do all of these wants align with the actual work you do and the decisions you are making for your company?

Asking yourself these questions is the first step to gaining clarity. When you have clarity about what you are working towards, you are able to both prioritize and naturally align with those life/business practices that are effective in achieving your goal.

Whether you are a business owner, leader or professional at any level, you have heard the stats by Forbes:

40% of people are planning on switching jobs next year.
69% of employees are searching for a new position while on the clock with your organization.

Does it sound like these employees are effectively serving customers, crushing company goals, or engaged in the organization’s culture? Seeing that people are the single greatest factor in the success or decline of an organization, it would seem there is a big problem.

The Complete Guide on How to Receive Feedback

Receiving critical feedback is one of the most difficult aspects of leadership.

For years, I’ve been working to become a better receiver of feedback. Even after hundreds of tough conversations, I still cringe when someone starts sharing a tough message with me.

My heart rate still races. My first impulse is still to defend myself.

I’m convinced that receiving feedback will never be easy, but — with effort — I’ve found that it can become much easier.

My goal with this article is to share what I’ve learned about feedback from years of leadership, countless books I’ve read, several trainings I’ve given on the topic, and numerous tips I’ve gleaned from friends along the way.

In my research, I’ve discovered that three key factors block us from accepting and acting upon feedback. One is biological, and two are psychological.

First, we’ll talk about these three feedback blockers, then we’ll dive into practical tips for how to overcome them.

Looking Back on 15 Years of Price Associates

This year Price Associates celebrated 15 years of serving customers and helping leaders grow and change their worlds. Founded by Ron Price in 2004, the company has grown and evolved as seasoned advisors joined the team—and brought their expertise to clients.

We sat down with Ron to talk about the early years and some of his favorite memories.

How did Price Associates start?
In January of 2004, Tim Eckstrom and I attended the TTI Success Insights Conference. We wanted to learn more about TTI, their assessment products, and to see if we identified with their people. At that conference, we were inspired to start the business. When we incorporated in March 2004, we thought it was going to be a coaching business. Of course, business coaching was not very common in the Treasure Valley in 2004. We quickly learned that people wanted much more from us: strategic planning, all things HR, leadership development, innovation, systems and process improvement, and more. We spent a lot of time in those early days listening to customers and developing solutions for their needs.

Jeremy Graves Joins Price Associates Team

And talks to us about rock stars, hockey, and generations in the workplace

Price Associates is pleased to announce that Dr. Jeremy Graves has joined the team at its Boise office.

Jeremy is a generational strategist, professor, author, speaker, and leadership coach. He believes that encouraging leaders to feel comfortable in their own skin is the first step in developing healthy, wholistic leaders and teams.

Jeremy has spent the last 25 years in leadership positions both in the business and not-for-profit communities. His expertise around culture and generational synchronicity give him a unique perspective on leadership development. Jeremy has developed leaders in many different industries but specializes in emerging and entrepreneurial organizations who are in the midst of growing pains and desire to improve organizational effectiveness. He offers individual coaching, team development, generational strategies for healthy teams, and authentic leadership principles for those desiring to develop personally in their authenticity as a leader. Jeremy is also a facilitator and coach for The Complete Leader Program.

Greatness Starts with Optimism

By Mindy Bortness

When I was working in the marketing department of The San Diego Union-Tribune, a job I loved from the moment I stepped in and sparked a love for hiring intelligence, I used to sign my name with a smiley face.

Every memo, email or handwritten thank you note, I always signed:

Thanks,
Mindy

This little act of cheer was an extension of one of my core beliefs: optimism. It was, and still is, very important to me to extend optimism with every new interaction, client or project I’m working on.

To me, being optimistic is all about energy. When I approach a new situation with optimism, I’m bringing a lighter, more open energy into the interaction. This intention then becomes the focus. Despite what energy exists prior, or any somber facts that lead up to a current difficult situation, the infusion of optimism is always an energy reset for forward momentum and results.

Using Assessments to Motivate Your Sales Team

By Holly Mitchell

When I owned my small business in Boise, Idaho, I decided to run an incentive program amongst my sales team to help them be more goal oriented and to drive sales. I told them that the first person to reach sales of $25,000 for the month would be celebrated with a spa day provided by the company. I encouraged the team members to text the group every time they made a big sale, in the hopes of motivating everyone to compete.

This was a tactic that had worked for me in my own sales career over the years. As a highly self-motivated person, I am always energized by others’ success. What I didn’t realize at the time is that this tactic doesn’t work for everyone. In fact, it did the exact opposite for one of my employees. She didn’t say anything for quite some time and even participated in the group text. However, one afternoon she came into my office completely in tears. She told me that the contest wasn’t helping her. It made her feel inadequate and had even decreased her motivation. Read More

Agility and Experimentation: An Innovator’s Advantage Academy Update

By Dale Dixon,

“The number-one threat to old and big brands is the lack of agility. We must react at the speed of market, or faster.” Dr. Evans Baiya

Jennifer Didonna has worked at Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific for two months as the marketing coordinator. In mid-October, she experienced a day with the Innovator’s Advantage Academy. “I loved the immediate collaboration on everything,” Jennifer said.

“Everyone was open and offered constructive feedback. I loved the process and understanding of the process. It was really cool to collaborate with different personality types, leveraging strengths, and cultivating native genius.”

That’s just one day!

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