Business Change Management

Over the last few years, we've been witnessing the early stages of a financial revolution sparked by Bitcoin. Industries and governments from around the globe are exploring the potential of digital currencies and trying to find ways to leverage blockchain technologies. Japan, Russia, Dubai and China are all developing state cryptocurrencies to supplement, or perhaps even replace, their fiat currencies.

At the same time, numerous industries are leveraging blockchain platforms and tokenized systems to lower costs, streamline operations, and explore new revenue possibilities.

To see (and hear) what I'm talking about, watch my On The Brink interview with Jared Tate below and see why you should "absolutely" join the blockchain revolution:

Great digital marketing campaigns are based upon, among other things, great content. As you might know, the role of content in SEO power is evolving. No longer are keywords central to the way you write your copy. Rather, Google is now looking for how well you answer the question in someone’s search query.

Changes in SEO are forcing us to adapt how we write content

At SAMC, we try to tell our story to the right audience, regardless of how they come up with their search question. Whether they ask Alexa to find them a great business consulting firm or they type in "how to do a Blue Ocean Strategy," we need to be the first answer. This is getting even more challenging with Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) at the top of the first page of a search.

Furthermore, while great content will always be king, the delivery of that content has changed as well.

How to evaluate your online presence?

Let’s take a look at the SEO changes and how in response, you should look at your online presence with fresh eyes.

Want to read one of the best books on corporate innovation? Pick up mine!

I just got some great news that I wanted to share with you right away. Fupping.com has recently named my book "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights" to its list of 9 Best Books To Read On Corporate Innovation. "On the Brink" comes in at #7! 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as it's a book all about using the tools and methods of anthropology to step out and see your organization with fresh eyes, then turning these observations into innovations. And corporation innovation is the focus of Fupping's Top 9 list. Here's how Fupping describes it:

The phenomenally successful book, "Blue Ocean Strategy" by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, powerfully teaches business leaders of all stripes how to "go where the profits and growth are and the competition isn’t." Easier said than done, right? 

But even if you know what a Blue Ocean Strategy is, and also if you don't, how do you find this untapped market space where nobody else is? Where prospective customers with unmet needs are waiting for you to help solve their problems in innovative ways? These 10 blogs, podcasts and white papers will show you.

Hopefully they will also spark some Blue Ocean "a-ha" moments of your own and open your eyes to all the wonderful growth opportunities that might be right in front of you...if only you could see them. Enjoy.

Although it's becoming harder and harder to make serious financial returns in today’s retail world in the age of Amazon, there's still room for entrepreneurs to excel at retail and e-commerce. So how are some succeeding when so many are failing? By driving change. But to drive change—i.e., sustain growth in changing times—takes courage, stamina and ingenuity. And, dedication, persistence and a lot of hard work.

But even in today's harsh market demands and strong competitors, can young businesses still make it big and maybe even transform the world of retail? Yes!

As proof, take a look at this list of retail startups led by successful entrepreneurs that broke out of the pack in recent years, either through smart marketing, unique services or highly specific target markets. 

How many times has someone said to you, “That’s a great idea, you should really run with it and make it a reality”? And how many times have you successfully converted a brilliant idea into a successful innovation? If the answer to the second question is zero, you're not alone. Unfortunately, most potentially great ideas remain dormant. Why? Most people don’t have the resources, courage, time and/or money to take action.

As entrepreneurs, we at SAMC have been through the journey of discovery enough times to know the pain and the joy that comes with having a big idea and making it happen. 

But bringing an idea to life is really hard. As the saying goes, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” It's mostly a battle against time (competitors with the same idea are often right on your heels), so in the beginning, the crucial parts of your business strategy should be planning and research.

More like a marathon than a sprint, the process of converting an idea into something real is an ongoing one. To help you on your journey, here are a few things every entrepreneur should know.

Do you see what we see in the world of higher education? Is this the death of higher education institutions as we know them?

For the past 18 months, I have been blogging about higher education.

Part of our portfolio of assignments includes strategic work we have conducted for higher learning institutions. Challenging is the disconnect between the institution and the workplace. There appears to be a built-in bias against the needs of industry. This resistance has created a reluctance on the part of administrations and faculty to understand what their students will need to succeed after they leave the university. Why are colleges failing their students?

Our research among employers delivers a recurring theme: please, they say, you are sending us students with excellent technical skills but without the people skills that they need to communicate, coordinate, collaborate and creatively solve problems. Industry seems to be responsible for those softer skills that higher education should be instilling in their students.

I just finished leading another CEO workshop for Vistage, the very highly-regarded executive coaching organization. This was one of Chris Noonan’s groups in Denver, and I think it was my 386th Vistage workshop conducted over the past 11 years.

Next year, I am going to reduce the number of Vistage engagements, for a number of reasons. Yet as I finished this one, I realized why Vistage has been so meaningful to me as someone who likes to share what I know with others and help them grow, personally and with their business. To bring you into the experience, I'd like to share some of the magic of the three hours the CEOs and I spent together in Denver.

Vistage members: eager to learn, explore, dig deep and grow

During Chris's typical introduction, he asks each business leader to tell me about their company, themselves and the hot stuff they are working on. These particular folks were much like other Vistage members but different from our clients at SAMC. They come to these monthly sessions with an eager interest in learning something they can apply to their business in some way to bring about big changes and meaningful growth. 

Blue Ocean Strategy gets your business moving in new directions as you shift from competing to creating a new market space.

"From Siri to Alexa to Watson, we're living in an AI world," says Peter George, CEO of empow, a global cybersecurity firm. I couldn't agree more. From carrying on conversations with humans to propelling self-driving cars, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fast becoming an integral part of everyday life. And its influence in the world of business is no exception.

The vast capabilities of AI and how they are being used in business is the focus of a recent American Express OPEN Forum article which features the viewpoints and predictions of eleven business leaders, of which I was one. (Peter George was another.) 

Though we come from different industries, the eleven of us all recognize the enormous value of AI and how it can be used in business to complement, but not completely replace, humans. This is a big subject, and only getting bigger, which is why I'd like to share with you a sample of these leaders' statements, along with my own. Enjoy, learn and share. (You can access the article here.)