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The Executive Connection SM
a publication of The Virtual Executive Coach SM
"Vision + Accountability = Success!"
In This Issue:
1. Preview
2. Executive Summary
3. Coaching Entrepreneurs: Reintroducing Entrepreurialism
4. Helpful Hints
1. Preview
The Executive Connection explores the creative and analytical process of business development, team-building, and executive development. We are an interactive community of executives and small business owners who desire to network with like-minded high-performance executives to enhance our knowledge, skills, and aptitudes in the competitive business world.
Published monthly, the Newsletter offers coaching suggestions around the topics of: business development, financing, marketing, networking, incorporations, mergers, human resources, governmental regulations, and tax laws.
Topics are presented from the perspective of Keith Barton and represent only his ideas on creating and running your business. Because we are an interactive community of executives and business owners, other viewpoints are welcomed and may be printed in future monthly newsletters with permission from Keith Barton.
2. Executive Summary
January, 2006
Dear Executive Connection Subscriber,
This month is the last of a six-part series on coaching entrepreneurs. The sixth challenge for entrepreneurs is reintroducing entrepreurialism.
3. Coaching Entrepreneurs: Reintroducing Entrepreurialism
The sixth and last part of our series in coaching entrepreneurs is reintroducing entrepreneurialism. In past newsletters we have covered: perceiving the need for change versus denial and isolation; moving toward commitment and planning versus indecision and procrastination; accepting the pace of change versus doubt and uncertainty, and working towards resolution versus fragmentation.
After introducing change organizations quickly attempt to move their “baby” from R&D to operations for purposes of efficiency and order. If the change is incorporated too quickly managers do not fully comprehend the reasons for the change and “go through the motions” in implementing the change as standard SOP (standard operating procedures). The important person to lead your change team should possess leadership skills rather than managerial skills. Enthusiasm and optimism is the order of the day and new products and services should be rolled out in a stepwise fashion at trade shows and critical consumer demand periods during the year. The movie industry is expert at packaging and marketing a new movie. Have you noticed that the blockbusters suddenly appear twice a year: around July 4th and the holiday season of November and December. The movie most likely sat in a can ready for distribution six months prior to the marketing campaign. Producers understand the movie-going public and that they have more money to spend during mid-summer (after income tax payments to Uncle Sam) and during the holidays. You’ve experienced this; you’re sitting in a movie theatre in August waiting for the main features and you are forced to sit through previews of movies “coming next spring, summer, and fall.” The emphasis here is to build demand where none exists. The movie industry has been losing patrons to DVDs and cable TV plus the fact that one cannot possibly produce one winner after another.
Organizations would do well to follow Hollywood in this one respect (I wouldn’t carry the comparison too far, however) and that is creating consumer demand for your product or service. Focus groups are important, planning, pacing, and integration within the company are all important ingredients in reinventing entrepreneurialism. Do not create management systems before your managers have an opportunity to exercise their skills and sell the change within your company by supplying vision and support from a charismatic leader.
Techniques to use in creating innovation include: “Blue Sky” sessions where team members visualize and brainstorm new ideas without critique or competitiveness. MentorCoach, LLC, offers an excellent Blue Sky course taught my Dr. Ben Dean, the founder of MentorCoach which encourages thinking outside the box. Innovation House, LLC, partnered by Dr. Randi Smith is another think tank that offers innovation and leadership skills to executives. You can reach either principal at ben@mentorcoach.com or randis8@earthlink.net.
In conclusion, sometimes change is forced on organizations to remain competitive; but your successful organizations (e.g. Dell) look for opportunities for change as evidenced by their bold move to supply printers and compete with HP for market share. Not every change or new product will be a winner. We will await the results of the XBOX360 to see if the buying public this past holiday season will remain intrigued with the power and breathe of this interactive video display. Preliminary reports were disappointing in that some products were delivered with “glitches” and the pricing is too high at $400, but the buying public will determine if this new upgrade is successful. Play Station 3 is due in 2006 and Nintendo Revolution is due soon to offer consumers more choices. Service and games inventories will ultimately determine the winner in this battle for Generation XY.
Helpful Hints:
- Notice how many “sales” retail stores have in a year and the number of people in the stores versus those at the cash registers.
- The past holiday season what were the big ticket items: look at pricing, marketing, packaging, and store displays. Again notice how many folks were buying electronics, especially IPODs, plasma TVs, digital cameras.
- Introduce a change within your own company that promotes enthusiasm without the immediate demand for accountability and profit. Employ a process group coach to lead your teams in a Blue Sky brainstorming session.
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With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue to fit your space requirements. Republication also is encouraged under other circumstances. However, the advance permission of A. Keith Barton, Ph.D. must be obtained in the event that changes in the text are desired.
The Executive Connection SM Mission:
The Executive Connection SM is dedicated to helping first-time business owners and executives to recognize resistance to change, while they create and manage their own businesses. My goal is to help you transform your vision into a successful business venture with the addition of accountability structures and silent partner.
The Executive Connection SM is a publication of The Virtual Executive Coach SM and Keith Barton, Ph.D.
We would like The Executive Connection SM to be as interactive as possible. If you have feedback, comments, topics you would like addressed, or can suggest additional resources to benefit us all, please email us at any time. Send your e-mail to
keith_barton@att.net
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Archives:
You can read previous issues of The Executive Connection SM in our archive section.
About Keith Barton, Ph.D
Dr. Barton received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a practicing therapist for over thirty years. He is a graduate of MentorCoach and is accepting new clients. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina, consultant to Fortune 500 companies in executive development, founded and managed Texas Community Living Ventures, Inc., in 1986 for providing group home services to persons with mental retardation, and has been running a clinical practice in Northwest Houston since 1990. He writes part-time with the goal of completing one novel a year. His desire to coach others derives from his passionate interest in helping others become attuned to their creative powers of storytelling.
Dr. Barton has training in coaching, cognitive and family therapy and health psychology. He has published articles, made presentations and conducted workshops about:
Small Business Development
Employee Wellness Programs
Anxiety and achievement
Stress management
Self-esteem
Communication skills
Leadership styles
Core values in the workplace
Executive Development
High-performance groups
Physician support groups
Writer support groups
© 2010
The Virtual Executive Coach SM and Keith Barton.
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