Survey of Innovation and Business Strategy, 2012

Survey of Innovation and Business Strategy, 2012

In 2012, sales and income growth was the most common performance indicator used by Canadian enterprises to monitor their long-term strategic objectives (76.7% of enterprises), followed by gross margin and operating margin growth (60.2%). As for strategic focus, enterprises directed their efforts toward maintaining or optimizing their existing business activities rather than on introducing new or significantly improved products or practices.

Transitioning the Role of the President

Transitioning the Role of the President

As a company matures, the needs of the organization change. The role of the president must evolve if the organization is going to grow in revenue, territory and influence. In order to successfully navigate this transition, the leader must be able to pull back from daily functions and take on a more strategic role with a heavy emphasis on personnel structure and development. While I am not suggesting that this notion is either new or revolutionary, it is often easier said than done. If growth is going to occur, the leader must fight the urge to fall back into a direct managerial stance. 

What Does ‘Building Relationships’ Really Mean?

What Does ‘Building Relationships’ Really Mean?

We all know that the ultimate sign of traditional ‘relationship-building’ with your customers is being invited to their daughter’s wedding; but I would argue that kind of relationship is not about building relationships, but rather about “buddy relationships”. I think we spend too much time on “buddy” and not enough time on building strategic relationships.