Author Archive - Jane Adamson
You know the saying about assumptions. Why are you still making them?
Posted by Jane Adamson on March 2nd, 2010
Assumption testing has always been important in organizations. Right now, however, it’s more critical than ever. Markets are evolving so fast that the wrong assumptions can be fatal.
Worse yet, an organization’s inability to routinely identify and test assumptions is a cultural defect that can be very difficult to correct.
Rick and I often see this problem when we participate in leadership meetings held by our clients. During these meetings, we frequently hear executives mistakenly state assumptions as if they were facts.
The Cost of Chaos
Posted by Jane Adamson on February 2nd, 2010
During the first week of the new year, when we tend to gaze optimistically at the road ahead, a headline from the Associated Press announced “Americans’ job satisfaction lowest in 22 years.”
The article then went on to say “That is the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board research group in over 22 years of studying the issue. If the job satisfaction trend is not reversed, economists say, it could stifle innovation and hurt America’s competitiveness and productivity. It also could make unhappy older workers less inclined to take the time to share their knowledge and skills with younger workers.”
Well, that got my attention! Of course there are many reasons for the decline, including the worst recession since the 1930s and the fact that downsizing has created more work and more demands on the workers who’ve survived the cuts. That doesn’t change the fact, however, that such a decline has somber implications for businesses, and executive teams need to address this issue in their organizations.
Have the Courage to Create a Brand!
Posted by Jane Adamson on December 1st, 2009
Branding is a tricky subject to discuss with small to mid-size companies. It’s a concept that’s more easily associated with consumer products, packaged goods, or the Fortune 500. Branding books use examples like Starbucks, Apple or Dell – examples that don’t resonate with midsize service companies, B2B companies, or industrial product companies.
Many of these types of businesses think of a brand their logo, the look & feel of their web site, or their slogan. Unfortunately, a brand is none of those things. Instead, we define a brand as the combination of what you sell, how you sell it, and to whom. The result is an experience that your customers trust, and it can create substantial value because the right customers will be willing to pay a premium for that experience.
How to Survive an Investor’s Due Diligence
Posted by Jane Adamson on October 6th, 2009
This isn’t a good time to raise capital for your company. But surprisingly, it may be a good time to sell. An August 2009 New York Times article (“As Deal-Making Returns, Midsize Companies Are Seen as Prime Targets” by Brent Bowers) proclaimed “The United States is ripe for a boom in acquisitions of privately held companies.” But can your company survive an investor’s due diligence?
