In most businesses, there’s a huge disconnect between sales and marketing. Because sales teams usually exist as an island, content marketing teams have no way to influence sales. And then apart from sending leads to the conversion funnel, marketing never knows what happens to those leads once they’re sent.
A lack of alignment typically leads to a raft of unintended consequences that pop up throughout the organization—not unlike a game of whack-a-mole. Engaging cross-functional teams to solve problems will significantly reduce the unintended consequences and further drive alignment into the organization.
Whether you place emphasis on teamwork or individual performance, it’s essential to research which method will work best for you.
Your personality at work will determine your opportunities and longevity as a business leader. Is yours the perfect blend or a recipe for disaster?
Few topics have received more attention in talent management than motivation, defined as the deliberate attempt to influence employees’ behaviors with the goal of enhancing their performance, and in turn their organizational effectiveness. Indeed, other than talent, motivation is the key driver of job performance, for it determines the level of effort and persistence employees will exert. It is also clear that top performers tend to stand out as much for their motivation as for their talents.
For many executives, the concept of organization design is an oxymoron. They are so consumed by working in the organization that they lack the patience to work on the organization. They don’t do the intricate, complex work of configuring their organization to execute strategy. Instead, they shift boxes on an organization chart, bolt on more resources that were lobbied for by a zealous executive, or cut costs across the board. They focus on communicating messages more inclusively or reassigning stronger leaders to troubled departments.
Smart leaders understand that their job requires them to identify trade-offs, choosing what not to do as much as what to do. Grading the importance of various initiatives in an environment of finite resources is a primary test of leadership.
Republished from Entrepreneur, Feb 2, 2017
Strategize, build an army and make sure you do all your homework.
Okay. So you’ve spent a few months and thousands of dollars on a new marketing campaign, but you aren’t seeing any meaningful results. Your top marketing advisors insist that this is only because you haven’t spent enough time to get to the strategy’s true potential, but you’re worried that investing more will result in an even greater loss. It’s true that most marketing strategies pay off more with long-term investment and planning, but you can’t keep dumping money into a strategy that isn’t doing you any good.
At what point do you cut your losses?
Republished from INC, Feb 1, 2017
Use this simple four-point test to see if your company has what it takes to grow into an established startup.
