How To Be A Category King

"The most exciting companies create. They give us new ways of living, thinking, or doing business, many times solving a problem we didn't know we had -- or a problem we didn't pay attention to because we never thought there was another way," explain the four authors of the dynamic new book, Play Bigger.

They add that, "the most exciting companies sell us different. They introduce the world to a new category of product or service." And, they become category kings. Examples of category kings are Amazon, Salesforce, Uber and IKEA.

Play Bigger is all about the strategy that builds category kings. And, to be a category king you need to be good at category design:

• Category design is the discipline of creating and developing a new market category, and conditioning the market so it will demand your solution and crown your company as its king.
• Category design is the opposite of "build it and they will come."

Key traits of category design, explain the authors, are:

• A strategy that starts with your CEO and his/her leadership team identifying the right category to create.
• A combination of both product and ecosystem design. A product that provides the solution to an urgent and giant problem. And an environment around that product that wins loyalty and gratitude for that product and your company.
• Being sure your category design is part of your company culture.
• Creating a powerful and provocative story that causes customers or users to make a choice. A story that evokes something different from what came before, not just better.
• A combination of marketing, public relations, and advertising all focused on conditioning the market to desire and need whatever you're giving it.
• Ensuring all of the above components work together, in lockstep, feeding off each other.

"Category design is a process. One thing leads to another and it builds on itself," explain the authors.

Play Bigger provides you the playbook you need to learn how to become a category king. It's essential for entrepreneurs wanting to change the landscape. And, a must-read for CEO's who want to reimagine their businesses.

As you read the playbook, you'll learn:

• Why it takes courage to build a category.
• What makes category king companies enduring and attractive to investors.
• How category kings have changed the way Venture Capitalists invest in new companies.

And, you'll learn the answers to these questions:

• In what way does Apple work like the 165-year-old glass company, Corning?
• Why was Elvis not just the King, but a category king?

The authors of the book are: Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead and Kevin Maney.

Thank you to the book publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

How To Project A Professional Image

From Jay Miletsky's book, 101 Ways to Successfully Market Yourself, here 10 tips for projecting an effective professional image:

1. Discipline yourself to be positive and enthusiastic.
2. In tense situations choose positive responses by maintaining perspective and getting along well with others.
3. Acknowledge mistakes and shortcomings and learn how to correct them.
4. Develop a reputation for being a resourceful problems solver.
5. Leverage your strengths and expertise to have maximum impact on the decisions you make.
6. Be organized, efficient, flexible, and self-motivated.
7. Master your tasks and fully expand your area of expertise so that you can boost your output.
8. Keep up with the latest developments in your company and in your field.
9. Cultivate unique talents that give you a definite edge.
10. Gain visibility by taking the kind of action that will propel you into the right sights of management personnel.

The Difference Between A Mission And A Vision

Here's a good definition of the difference between a mission and a vision by leadership book authors George Bradt, Jayme A. Check and Jorge Pedraza:

• Mission - A mission guides what people do every day. It informs what roles need to exist in the organization.
• Vision - A vision is the picture of future success. It helps define areas where the organization needs to be best in class and helps keep everyone aware of the essence of the company.

Sixteen Trust-Building Tips

You can't lead if your employees, team or followers don't trust you.

Building trust takes energy, effort and constant attention to how you act.

To help build trust, follow these 16 tips, recommended by author Susan H. Shearouse:

1. Be honest
2. Keep commitments and keep your word
3. Avoid surprises
4. Be consistent with your mood
5. Be your best
6. Demonstrate respect
7. Listen
8. Communicate
9. Speak with a positive intent
10. Admit mistakes
11. Be willing to hear feedback
12. Maintain confidences
13. Get to know others
14. Practice empathy
15. Seek input from others
16. Say "thank you"

The Three Elements Of A Great Apology

The following great advice about how to apologize is from the new book, The Courage Solution, by Mindy Mackenzie. I'll be posting a full review of the book in a few days. In the meantime, Mackenzie recommends you include these three elements when you apologize:

1. Actually say "I'm sorry" out loud, while making eye contact, if possible.
2. Acknowledging your error by adding the phrase "I was wrong...but more importantly, you were right."
3. Asking humbly, "How can I fix this?" Keep in mind that an effective apology requires you to have actually begun working on a solution by the time you get to this step.

How To Reduce Employee Turnover

Knowing why an employee leaves your company can help you to reduce your employee turnover rate.

That's because you can use the reasons a departing employee provides to gather information about processes, people and departments that might need some redirection to correct situations that may have contributed to the employee's reasons for leaving.

So, do an exit interview whenever possible with each departing employee. Ask each person:

• Why they are leaving
• What they liked about their job
• What they would have changed about their job
• How they felt about the cooperation level among co-workers
• How they felt about communication and interaction with co-workers
• Whether they received the necessary training to do their job
• Whether they received frequent coaching and balanced feedback from their supervisor
• Would they recommend a friend apply for work at your company
• How they felt about their pay
• How they would describe the morale in the company and in their department
• What they would change about their department and the company
• Whether they received the necessary information to perform their job effectively

You can find other great advice about exit interviews in the book, The Essential HR Handbook, written by Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell. The book is a quick and handy resource for any leader, manager or Human Resource professional.

Brian Tracy On Motivation And The Friendship Factor

All you need is one hour to read Brian Tracy's pocket-sized guide for managers, Motivation.

"You cannot motivate other people," explains Tracy, "but you can remove the obstacles that stop them from motivating themselves.  All motivation is self-motivation.  As a manager, you can create an environment where this potential for self-motivation is released naturally and spontaneously."

In the book, Tracy presents chapter-by-chapter his 21 most reliable and powerful methods for increasing the effectiveness of any individual or group.

Each chapter includes a couple different action exercises.

Toward the end of the book, Tracy explains the importance of the Friendship Factor in motivating employees. "Every manager can tap into the power of friendship in everyday employee interactions by remembering the three Cs: Consideration, Caring and Courtesy.

• Practice consideration by expressing an interest in your employees as individuals.
• Express caring for your staff members by listening attentively and with compassion.
• Express courtesy toward employees by showing personal regard and respect for each person -- especially under stress, when a situation goes wrong, or when a worker makes a mistake.

"Your job as a manager is to make sure that you are getting along well with all of your employees and they are all getting along well with you," stresses Tracy.