Results Only Happen Outside the Organization

A friend’s company has opportunities for ridiculous growth. For years, she has been reorganizing, tinkering with technology, planning and strategizing, yet her company’s results are flat. She seems to always be on the verge of a breakthrough, “right after” she finishes or fixes the next thing.  She spends her time and resources on internal projects that are seemingly important, but are generally “shiny coins” that steal her attention.  This leaves sales and marketing as an underserved byproduct.

This is a common problem for entrepreneurs.

We are busy fixing problems, delivering, fulfilling, and servicing: stuck in a mindset that is internally focused and myopic. We have little ability to seize opportunities with a myopic mindset.

A few years ago, I was in a strategy session with an executive who had a plan to address the subpar results his company was experiencing. The “big” plan was to step into a new segment of the market to capture a wider customer base.   When I asked how his plan would address a need or want in the market, his response was rather typical:  “Customers don’t know what they want.” He had put together and focused his attention on a plan without considering how it would help or serve a customer; he was internally focused and myopic. Not surprising, the company continues producing subpar results.

A professional services company had been growing at a rapid clip for 4 years and hit a speed bump. They found themselves all knotted up internally and ignoring what the customer was experiencing.  In this situation, they were not meeting customer expectations and customers were quietly looking for alternatives. Somehow, they had become oblivious to what was needed and faced serious threats.

The decisions vary and the distractions are always pressing, but the mindset is the same.  As entrepreneurs, we must remember the obvious, the purpose of the organization is to create and retain a customer. The only result that matters is when a customer decides to buy, and this only happens outside the organization. (Drucker)

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Your Story is Your Light

By Robert Wuflestad | Jan 10, 2018 |

Client: AppZocial Timeframe: Summer 2017 Category: Brand story, responsive web design   Who is AppZocial? AppZocial is a Seattle-based startup that provides secure social networking applications for private communities, allowing their customers to fully control their digital platform. After receiving funding from some of Seattle’s most respected leaders, AppZocial was primed for expansion.   How…

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Purpose Starts with Who

By Robert Wuflestad | Dec 16, 2017 | Comments Off on Purpose Starts with Who

  Simon Sinek’s video “Start with Why” is entertaining and does a great job of highlighting the importance of mission and a purpose-driven organization. In his example, he states that Apple’s “why” is to “challenge the status quo and to think differently” What if nobody cares?  There are a bunch of companies out there that…

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Leaders are the Founders of the Feast

By Robert Wuflestad | Dec 16, 2017 |
Founder of the Feast

  While the Cratchit family feasted on Christmas dinner, a toast was given: “Mr. Scrooge!” said Bob; “I’ll give you Mr. Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!” “The Founder of the Feast indeed!” cried Mrs. Cratchit, reddening. “I wish I had him here. I’d give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope he’d…

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Decision Making:  Peter Drucker’s Framework

By Robert Wuflestad | Nov 13, 2017 | Comments Off on Decision Making:  Peter Drucker’s Framework
Decision Making Framework

Successful business owners and leaders make effective decisions.  We face decisions every day, some of them are routine, and some of them require strategy. I often see leaders or groups struggling with a decision because they don’t have a framework with which to operate. The 7 decision questions that I learned from Peter Drucker. If…

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Sales Managers need to do 3 Fundamental Things

By Robert Wuflestad | Nov 3, 2017 |
Sales Managers need to do 3 things

Sales Managers have a critical role in creating results in a business.  They are the lever in the organization.  That is the goal, anyway.  Often, however, they have management meetings, or customer service issues, or maybe a sales quota themselves. When this happens, the urgent torpedoes their abilities.  In a previous blog, we discussed that…

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Small Business Needs 3 Things

By Robert Wuflestad | Nov 1, 2017 |
3 things small business needs.

Small Business is hard work.  You don’t have the resources of the enterprise and you have the same needs.  I often have conversations with small business owners/CEOs and these conversations often go the same way.  That is, the owner is overworked and the team is working hard, but they aren’t as profitable as they should…

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Design and Story Improve your Brand

By Robert Wuflestad | Oct 13, 2017 | Comments Off on Design and Story Improve your Brand
Deric Jones on Story and Design

Improve your Brand with Story and Design Deric Jones explains why visual expectations can shape our experience.  Story and Design can be powerful tools to build trust and set the right kind of expectations with your audience. He looks at restaurant menus and analyzes how the story affects the design and causing expectations to increase…

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Learn Management & Leadership Differently

By Robert Wuflestad | Sep 12, 2017 | Comments Off on Learn Management & Leadership Differently
Management and Leadership

    One of the great leadership lessons is found in the life of Cyrus. He was a brilliant military strategist, and was skilled in the art of relationships. What made him so unique is that once an enemy was conquered, he built relationships and alliances with them that created indebtedness to his leadership and…

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Results Only Happen Outside the Organization

By Robert Wuflestad | Aug 10, 2017 | Comments Off on Results Only Happen Outside the Organization
Results only happen outside the organization

A friend’s company has opportunities for ridiculous growth. For years, she has been reorganizing, tinkering with technology, planning and strategizing, yet her company’s results are flat. She seems to always be on the verge of a breakthrough, “right after” she finishes or fixes the next thing.  She spends her time and resources on internal projects…

Read More

Innovation Happens When You Think Like An Artist

By Robert Wuflestad | Sep 12, 2016 | Comments Off on Innovation Happens When You Think Like An Artist
Innovation as an Art

When a truly new innovation emerges, I find myself thinking, “why didn’t I think of that?” It seems so obvious, how did this innovation get overlooked until now? Someone could see an opportunity which hadn’t been seen before. Leonardo da Vinci thought sight was humankind’s most important sense and eyes the most important organ. He…

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