Impact Impression Blog

Do you know why many would be successful business owners (entrepreneurs) get stuck while making strategic plans and choices? It is because they considered Where to Play  without reference to How to Win. I’ve heard variants of this over and over. Although I have always emphasized that these five choices have to link together and reinforce each other, hence the arrows flowing back and forth between the boxes, it has become clear to me that I haven’t done a good enough job of making this point, especially as it relates to the choices of Where to Play and How to Win. Many people ask why Capabilities and Management Systems are part of strategy when they are really elements of execution. That is yet another manifestation of the widespread, artificial, and unhelpful attempt to distinguish between choices that are “strategic” and ones that are “executional” or “tactical.” Remember that, regardless of what name you give them, these choices are a critical part of the integrated set ...

Have you ever tried to wish things away or pretend a particular problem will go away if you just ignore it? I have; a considerable number of times. But do they go away? Most times, they don't. Let's take this scenario for an example: you visit a doctor for your regular check-up and the learned man advises you to watch your diet because you are becoming obese; or, your bank account radar tells you that you are on the fast lane to bankruptcy - if you continue in your loud lifestyle. Then what do you do? Relax and wish it away? I've heard many advice that sometimes, all you need to do is to give " that challenge"  some time - allow it slide - and things would get sort out (by itself). Most times, we declare, It will pass, give it time. But does every problem require this passive approach? No. Going back to the sited examples above, if you don't heed your doctor's advice by actively  watching your diet, you will end up obese and sick. And of course, ...

The best leaders are able to execute the core of their business while remaining open to trends in the market and adapting to meet them. Being strategic in this way requires that you balance two traits. The first is consistency: Work hard and show up on time. Set goals for yourself and your employees, and then achieve them.  You also need the second trait, agility: Be intellectually curious, ready to learn from others, communicative, and collaborative. But just as consistency can turn into rigidity, agility can become a lack of focus when it isn’t tempered. So aim for a balance. Have high-quality standards, but also be open to change and understand when old ways of working no longer serve you or your company. From: Harvard Business Review

"The lack of a silver spoon will set you on a certain path, but you needn't stay on it. If you are prepared to adapt and learn, you can transform." - Kingsmen: The Secret Service Let no one deceive you; everything they say does not matter, matters. But you have to choose the effect of this ' matter'  on your life - whether it be negative or positive. Motivational speakers always tell you that your background does not matter and also not a determinant to your future. I disagree. The wealth and affluence of a man may not guarantee the success of his son, but it does give the son a head start. Sometimes, the head start is all that makes the difference. Where you come from does matter. The information and environment you are exposed to matter. But  the result of a determinant is not fixed. Just like everything else, it's effect can be changed. What if you don't have this head start? Well, lots of people don't and it may or may not mar your futu...

Since most of us spend a great deal of our lives working, it is inevitable that work plays a key role in shaping our levels of happiness. In a recent chapter of the World Happiness Report — published annually to coincide with the United Nation’s International Day of Happiness — we look more closely at the relationship between work and happiness. We draw largely upon the Gallup World Poll, which has been surveying people in over 150 countries around the world since 2006. These efforts allow us to analyze data from hundreds of thousands of individuals across the globe and investigate the ways in which elements of people’s working lives drive their wellbeing. Subjective wellbeing – often loosely referred to as happiness – can be measured along multiple dimensions. We look primarily at how people evaluate the quality of their lives overall, something Gallup measures according to the Cantril Ladder, an 11-point scale where the top step is your best possible life and the bottom step is...

"Push Back When Your Team Is Given Unrealistic Targets" You might feel helpless when your superiors hand you an astronomically high target for your team. But don’t just surrender and agree to take it on. Instead, share your concerns with your manager. Calmly and rationally, explain why the target feels unattainable, and use numbers to back up your argument whenever possible. For example, you could say: “I saw the $2 million target for our team. That’s a 23% increase over last year. Each team member would have to improve their year-over-year performance by 38%, but the best improvement we’ve ever achieved is 11%. I’m concerned that attempting to achieve those targets will encourage short-term thinking that will hurt customer satisfaction and ultimately constrain our growth. Are there opportunities to revisit this target?” This kind of reasoning might not work, but you should try. Your team will be grateful that you’re advocating on their behalf.

Down here, very few care about the steps or strategies that you take to get something done. All they see and care about is the result (which must be physical). This world ain't your maths class where your teacher can award you points for every good step taken in your calculation. I repeat; this life is not a maths class where you can get marks even if you arrive at the wrong answer. Nope.