The Building Business Value newsletter has one purpose - to assist midmarket business leaders in their never-ending quest to build better companies. Whether you are the CEO of your own company, a senior manager of a business unit, or a leader in a company that serves those in the mid market, you will find something in each newsletter to help you serve your stakeholders. Each month we will cover a variety of topics, all focused on leading in the mid market.
We are very conscious that you spend much of your day buried in e-mail, so it is with your permission that we send this newsletter your way.
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Three Types of Speeches
It's all in the preparation!
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Recently I had the opportunity to speak to a group of business people in Pittsburg, PA. It was a speech I'd given a number of times before, but on this occasion the outcome was a bit different. I'd made the choice to leave very early in the morning and make the five hour drive to the home of the Steelers rather than head up the night before. I cut it a bit too close and was let down by my Google map directions (thank God for the Maps App on my iPhone). I arrived on time, but a bit frazzled.
That leads to the first of three types of speeches ... the one you plan to give. I'd given this speech plenty of times in the last six months. It's basically a quick synopsis of my book, "Building Business Value." I normally address the topic for about 90 minutes but for this audience, I had to deliver a similar message in a very tight 20 minute window. Well, it turns out I was well prepared for a 90 minute presentation, but somewhat unprepared to deliver the content in 20 minutes.
Now we arrive at the second of three types of speeches ... the one you give. Since I had to squeeze my 90 minutes of content into 20 minutes I missed the mark on my real key points. Since I toured the bowels of Pittsburg before arriving at the Green Tree Radisson, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to connect to my audience. And since I followed Pittsburg's version of Tony Robins to the podium, I may have also been trying to be someone I'm not. Needless to say, I was less than pleased with my delivery.
So what is the third type of speech?
Read More ....
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Good Reads
My Latest Favorites |  Mary Lore is a thankful person. Having risen through the corporate ranks and graced the cover of an industry magazine, she came crashing down after a number of personal and professional setbacks. What lead Mary through these huge roadblocks was her ability to Manage her Thoughts and she is very thankful for that ability. In her book, Managing Thought, Mary leads the reader through a journey of learning to look at your thoughts and managing them just as you would any other resource. Are your thoughts powerful and helpful as you wind your way toward your goals or are they negative and holding you back? Lore's book gives readers a series of tools and exercises that, if you are disciplined, will help you look at your thoughts in a profound new way. The tools will help you practice developing powerful word triggers, reject negative and weak thoughts and position you for more fulfilling relationships. I'll leave you with one of her exercises; try to eliminate the use of the word 'but' and replace it with 'and'! You'll be amazed at the difference.
Managing Thought
by Mary J. Lore
 Visit me on LinkedIn for more reviews
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| No Snowboards Means No Revenue
Know your shifting customer base!
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One Sunday afternoon before President's Day, my wife and I decided to take our two younger kids skiing at Elk Mountain in Northeast Pennsylvania. I grew up skiing on this hill and my family lives close so we spend a fair amount of time on these slopes each winter. My wife and I are still old school skiers but our kids have recently shifted over to snowboarding.
We pulled up to the 'mountain' (that's how the locals refer to Elk Mountain) about 12:30pm. Just in time for the afternoon lift tickets. To our surprise and disappointment, there were no boards for rent. Yikes, in the middle of the busiest ski weekend of the year, Elk runs out of boards! Of course I began calculating the lost revenue while the kids were coming up with plan B. Should we ski? Should we come back and see if there are boards for the evening session? Should we go visit grandpa and go for a hike instead? We chose hiking with an option to come back in the evening but of course that never happened because we were too tired from our hike.
So what is the business lesson?
Ream More ...
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As a business operator, I have been in a position to lead a company during troubled times. Concerns over the direction of the company, sleepless nights worrying about debt and cash flow, high anxiety over closing a deal or a transaction - the challenges seem endless. But I've also experienced the highs of leadership - the real joy of meeting client needs, the fulfillment of shaping a team, and the satisfaction of watching a vision become a reality. As tough as it can be, there is really nothing quite like being a leader in the midmarket.
It is my sincere desire that this newsletter will support leaders in the midmarket as they navigate their way to building stronger, more valuable companies. I welcome your comments.
Sincerely,
Marty
Martin O'Neill
Corsum Consulting, LLC
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A resource full of smart ideas to help educate and inspire decision-makers.
Each issue includes features, interviews, case studies, columns and other departments designed to help this region's CEOs face the daily challenge of running a business.
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The Alternative Board
| The Alternative Board provides a free business newsletter, Tips from the Top®. This business management newsletter will provide you with articles and tips with the knowledge you need to operate a profitable business. Tips from the Top® is written for those at the top by those as the top- business owners, presidents and CEOs.
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| | Marty O'Neill | Marty O'Neill founded Corsum Consulting, which focuses on one goal: helping companies build business value. He is a frequent speaker and consultant on leadership, corporate culture and building business value and is the author of The Power of an Internal Franchise (Third Bridge Press),
Building Business Value (Third Bridge Press) and the co-author of Act Like an Owner (Wiley). As a business operator, Marty started and sold a company, positioned another for an LBO, and helped a third sell for a significant premium. Marty lives on the Magothy River in Maryland with his wife and three children.
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 | | Luke Garwood | |
Luke Garwood has owned and operated technology-based businesses for the past 21 years. He has professional experience in leading Information Technology (IT), Systems Integration, and Construction companies. His specialization is in operational excellence. He has been heavily involved in start-up and high-growth companies for most of his career. He has extensive experience in the overall development and delivery of technology-based solutions, services, and products to the commercial, federal, state, and non-profit sectors. Luke has performed many functions across the companies he has been involved with to include general operations, service delivery, product management, sales, marketing, strategic planning, leadership development and vendor management.
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"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."
~ Colin Powell
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