Never Slip Into Mediocrity

Achieving high performance in tough times, especially during a global pandemic, is a serious challenge small business owners face. The ultimate goal may be extraordinary business performance, but you can still get worried, comfortable and slip into mediocrity. 

For example, many people thought at the start of the pandemic - and this too shall pass.  So they waited.  And they waited.  And then they realized they would be waiting and basically doing nothing for nearly two years.

To obliterate status quo, do you have what it takes to become a high-performance leader even during the toughest times?  Ten traits characterize the people who do.  The key is to never slip into mediocrity and do nothing.

10 Questions to Ask (and Answer) to Achieve Bold Innovation

I have always felt that growth and profits come from some form of calculated risk.  You, too?

The essence of making revolutionary changes is taking risks. Bold risks produce bold innovation; they launch new products, services, and companies; they improve workplace conditions for employees; and they may even end up changing the world.

Here are 10 questions to ask (and answer) to help guide you and your organization to achieve bold innovation.  This is an article I [Laurel Delaney] wrote for American Express more than a decade ago and it still applies to today's world.

Don’t reinforce the old ways of doing things.  Continuing to take risks is an important part of achieving bold innovation.  

Think On Your Feet

To profit and prosper in any year, think on your feet, look for fresh conceptual insights all around you and practice a little spontaneous innovation (expression).  It can foster a climate in which we can make a difference and have an innovative impact within an organization. 

As we go forward in 2021, think carefully about your strategy for innovation in your business.  The genesis of every new product, business or service offering is a concept: an idea for something you believe people want and will buy at a price they can afford to pay you for the work needed to produce it.  Concepts can arise out of anything at any time.  I think of it as spontaneous innovation, which occurs in every aspect of our lives.  Some might refer to it as spontaneous expression, and it’s typically a moment that can’t be repeated easily.  

In this article I [Laurel Delaney] present four (4) examples.

March To Your Own Drum and Beat It With All Your Might

Innovation is such a personal, creative endeavor, but the influence of others plays a big role in helping us succeed. Here I share insights from some of those who’ve inspired me when it comes to developing innovative practices in my business. Perhaps they will have the same effect on you. If nothing else, this article will encourage you to take time out to reflect and work a little magic on the innovation front.

Oh, and at the end of each passage, there’s a lesson learned along with a big question to get a conversation going.

Happy Independence Day America and Happy 17th Anniversary EFCA!

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

We hope you are having liberty celebrations across America.  It's a chance to unite with family and friends and appreciate the moment when the Declaration of Independence was signed 245 years ago.  Your patriotism matters and is appreciated.

And at the same time, we celebrate with you the birth of Escape From Corporate America – some 17 years ago – on July 7, 2004.  Thank you for your readership.  Your engagement keeps me going.

16 Ways to Dodge the Post COVID-19 Crisis

Here's what I've heard many entrepreneurs and small business owners saying repeatedly about what they are doing to dodge a post COVID-19 or any economic crisis.  These tips will help you strengthen your business and the world.

Spice Things Up a Bit

While running your business through the global pandemic, how many times have you been told, "It's not working."  Really.  Think about it. 

Here are a couple of specific examples: You created a whole new way to pitch clients but haven't landed one new piece of business. You launched a new line of shoes and no one is buying them. You developed a brilliant method of allowing everyone in the world who has access to the Internet to connect on a platform to change the world, and only eleven people signed up.

Sound familiar?  Here are five signs that serve as early detectors of total business decay.  This is an article I [Laurel Delaney] wrote more than a decade ago yet it is still relevant to our times.

Bottom line:  Spice things up a bit and make some big bets.