Business Success
 

Moving with Speed:

Fast to Market

Launching a Crusade

Moving Your Organization from 'What Is' towards 'What You Want'

By: Vadim Kotelnikov

Founder, Ten3 Business e-Coach – Inspiration and Innovation Unlimited!

 

"People will work hard for money but will give their life for meaning." ~ Dave Pottruck

Eight Criteria for a Cause Big Enough for a Crusade

By: Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton1

  1. Causes are never goals: Goals can be achieved, and when it finally happens, the enthusiasm wanes

  2. Causes come from the heart, not from the mind: Causes appeal to the emotional man

  3. Causes are big, bold, and aspirational: If you want to move organization from 'what is' towards 'what you want', the cause should be able to attract the kind of great talents who want to move fast

  4. Causes are inclusive: They speak to and include everyone in the organization

  5. Causes aren't just about money: Money can make people work harder, but will not ignite them

  6. Causes have an Aha! effect: A crusade cannot be built around a cause that requires lengthy explanation

  7. A cause needn't be credible to the outside world: It needs to be believed by the people inside the organization

  8. Causes are expressed in few words: Simple words go straight to the heart.

 

Cause – the Real Reason Your Business Exists

Cause is that which gives rise to an action, a motive, a principle, a belief and purpose. A cause is the real reason your business exists, it answers the question "Why we are really doing this?". "

 

A cause provides a feeling of belonging, a sense of purpose and loyalty, peer pressure to perform, and a catalyst for action."1

Examples of Winning Causes

  • Walt Disney's: "To build a place to make people happy"

  • Ten3 Business e-Coach: "To create an environment inspiring entrepreneurial creativity and innovation"

  • Fun4Biz: "To develop an enjoyable entrepreneurial environment inspiring innovation, creative exchanges, and fun-driven competition and helping creative achievers grow and shine."... More

  • Charles Schwab's: "To be the most ethical and useful financial services company in the world"

  • AOL's: "To build a global medium as central to people's lives as the telephone or television, only more useful"

  • Hotmail's: "To democratize communications and change the world"

  • Telepizza's: "To create a world of Telepizza citizens"

  • Wal-Mart's: "To build stores where the common person could buy the same stuff as rich people"

10 Commandments of Innovation

Inspire your team. Communicate your strategic intent and launch a crusade... More

Strategic Motivation

Without strategic motivation, without the organization's enthusiastic involvement and participation of inspired employees, it is impossible to implement any strategic plan... More

6 Attributes of Successful CEOs

  • Rally the troops. Given the complexity of doing business on today's global playing field, the ability to marshal focus around a clear vision is critical. Can you successfully rally an organization around a common cause?... More

Creating a Culture of Innovation: 8-Step Process

1. Whet the Appetite.

Stimulate your workforce’s innate hunger to innovate.

  • Invite people already inspired to innovate to be part of your core team.

  • Communicate and celebrate all in-house innovation successes.

  • Lead a series of senior team “innovation strategy & alignment” sessions.

  • Create a business case for why innovation is so crucial to your company’s success. Then present it at a series of well-designed town meetings... More