Q1 Capital Partners

Last week, Mike Childs, CEO and sole salesman of The Mike Childs Company, went on a business trip to visit prospective customers. The flight he wanted at the last moment was officially filled, and he didn't have a reservation, nor was he a frequent flyer on this airline. At the ticket counter, he asked the agent, "Do you have kids at home?" After receiving the affirmative answer, Mike reached into his carry-on and pulled out a gift. It was one of his company's products, a little plant-growing starter kit (more on this shortly) that kids, and parents, find irresistible....

Like CEOs, marketers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists, lawyers tell their own specialized tales....

In a manner of speaking, I’m running out of lies to tell. So far I’ve taken care of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, engineers, and marketers. The target of this posting is “corporate partners.” (You might find a previous posting, “The Art of Partnering” interesting.)

Market research is useful if you're interested in getting a quick snapshot of today's market realities: like how consumers feel about an existing product, or how the demographics of a region break down. But as a basis for strategic formulation, it's myopic at best, treacherous at worst.

I recently gave a keynote speech at a corporate meeting that was being held in a place we'll call Hotel X. I was extremely impressed with Hotel X. The architectural layout was lovely, the locale was pristine, and most important, the courtesy, friendliness, responsiveness and the personal caring of the staff were exceptional. I mean truly exceptional, regardless of whether I was dealing with....

If you want to lead your organization to new heights of performance and competitive advantage, employ what I call the "EMBER" model. From now on, as you weigh the pros and cons of any important management decision or course of action, ask yourself five simple questions......