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"I Am Jack!"
by Steve Vaught
 For the second year in a row, White Rabbit Group was invited to kick off the Iowa Association of Business and Industry's "Taking Care of Business Conference". This year we asked one of our clients, Kreg Tool, to share the stage with us and show how they have installed the vision in their organization.
CEO, Todd Sommerfeld, lead us through the history of Kreg Tool, from their first woodworking tool built by his father in their garage to the present day operation employing over 100 people and selling world-wide. While they were a successful company, they were pointed in many different directions. With their skilled staff they could make any kind of too - and they...
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Leadership Challenge:
Are your employees reluctant to make decisions?
To deliver remarkable customer experiences, your organization must make decisions in alignment with your vision. Employees can't be afraid to bring ideas to the table or make a decision because they don't know what you want. Building an organization of good decision-makers is an important step to installing your vision and reaching your potential.
In your next meeting if attendees are not contributing, seemingly
waiting to be given the "right" answer, try these tips:
- Embrace the silence - Do not be tempted to give them your answer to break an uncomfortable silence. Encourage them to come up with ideas.
- Use questions - Open-ended questions, where there is no "right" answer, are a great tool to start a dialogue on how to proceed.
- Praise progress - Just because an answer isn't 100% the way you would do it doesn't mean it is wrong. Praise what is right about the answer and redirect, if necessary.
It will feel slow, at first, to teach others how to make better decisions, but in the long run it will speed up your organization's ability to achieve your vision.
Ask the Rabbit
Q: I'm starting to understand the concept of Sweet-Spot Customer, but why do you insist we give our ideal customer a name?
A: Giving your list of ideal customer characteristics a name is a powerful tool in installing the vision into the hearts and minds of your entire organization. Personification makes your customer more real - not just an idea/concept.
Giving your Sweet-Spot Customer a name also acts as "shorthand" when referring to them during decision-making, leading marketing efforts, even holding meetings. See this issue's main article on how one company uses the name of their "customer" to guide everything they do. |
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Coming soon to White Rabbit Live will be a monthly video about growing your organization by installing your vision throughout the company.
We want to hear from you the topics you would like us to address in these videos. Click the link below to submit a topic or ask us a question.
Submit a Topic >
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6/2: American Marketing Association - Iowa Chapter
6/3: Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute
6/8: Saxton, Inc.
6/9: ABI Taking Care of Business Conference - Ames
6/16: Iowa Chapter of AIGA
6/22: Vistage - Omaha
6/22: Grand View University
6/23: Cornelius Seed
6/24: Latham Hi-Tech Seeds
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The Surprising Science of Motivation (video)
by Dan Pink
 Business thinker and author Dan Pink reveals surprising facts about what motivates us - especially in the workplace. Be prepared to re-evaluate the "well-known facts" about how to motivate your workforce. More money? More benefits? Think again.
This 19-minute video is presented by the web site Ted: Ideas worth spreading.
Find out more >
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