Category: Recommended Reading | Page 9

January 31, 2014 / Articles We Like

On "Customer Experience: How To Manage What You Don’t Own"

This article by Erik Long & Will Carter resonates because many businesses today rely on a complex web of external partnerships to deliver value for the customer. While external partnerships are often not within an organization’s direct control, certainly they can be influenced – and they must be – as they are part of the ecosystem delivering on the organization’s brand promise.

The CMO.com article Customer Experience: How to Manage What You Don’t Own shares insights and tips that leaders can apply across all aspects of business, from marketing to human resources, to improve the customer experience. Read it now.

What actions are you taking to identify and influence your company’s unowned touch points? What tools have you used like journey mapping? What other tools do you use to capture and understand your customers’ experience?

Comment below! Or pose a question via Ask Mariposa.

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January 31st, 2014|Categories: Articles We Like|Tags: ask mariposa, business leadership, CMO, customer experience, executive coaching, external partnerships, human resources, influence, Mariposa Leadership|

January 30, 2014 / Book Reviews

Book Review | The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas

The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas

By: David Burkus

Head: (4 out of 5)
Heart: (3 out of 5)
Leadership Applicability: (5 out of 5)

Creativity is often thought of as a mystery, a divine gift bestowed on just a few. In other words, creativity comes from an outside source. In reality, we all possess the talent inside to generate innovative ideas.

Drawing on research on creative individuals and innovative organizations to expose the four components influencing creativity, the author helps us see creativity-related processes can be learned. Given the right conditions, great ideas can emerge for anyone! And still, myths persist about creativity, which hold us back from creating and innovating.

In this book, David Burke uses an artful blend of data and story to debunk 10 creativity myths, including The Eureka Myth, The Breed Myth and The Expert Myth and explains how belief in them hinders our creative potential.

Leaders tasked with developing novel, useful ideas that will keep their organizations competitive, will want to read this book. Buy it now.

For more tips from David Burkus, join us for our free monthly teleconference, WiseTalk, on February 20, 11am PT/2pm ET. David will discuss the link between creativity and the customer experience. Sign up now!

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January 30th, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews|

January 2, 2014 / Book Reviews

Book Review | Solving Problems with Design Thinking: Ten Stories of What Works

Solving Problems with Design Thinking: Ten Stories of What Works
By Jeanne Liedtka, Andrew King & Kevin Bennett

Head: (5 out of 5)
Heart: (4 out of 5)
Leadership Applicability: (5 out of 5)

Design thinking is a creative problem solving method, which emphasizes the importance of discovery before solution using user-driven, empathetic market research approaches and real-world experiments. This method expands the boundaries of problem definition and solution generation, making it a novel approach for organizations to use for solving business problems. However, outside of the design environment, where design thinking is the norm, most leaders need an understanding of how to apply it to problems that are not product-focused.

The ten stories featured in this book showcase how design thinking works to produce innovative solutions to challenges such as internal process redesign, deepening customer engagement and addressing social issues. As a blueprint, these stories illustrate processes and tools used. The authors build on the work of Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie’s Designing for Growth, to offer a clear path for implementation.

Leaders interested in using more innovative methods to solve sticky business problems will want to read this book. Buy it now.

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January 2nd, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: design thinking, executive coaching, innovative solutions, Jeanne Liedtka, Mariposa Leadership, problem-solving, user-driven, wise talk|

December 21, 2013 / Articles We Like

On: "4 Essential Ingredients in Consumer Storytelling"

We share this article by Diane Hessan because businesses that use narrative to communicate consumer stories can create real meaning for employees and decision makers, inspiring them to action by altering perceptions and assumptions. Storytelling is a synthesis of all sources of customer information, not just one person’s account, however inspiring, and offers insights to help businesses move in the right direction.

In the inc. article, “4 Essential Ingredients in Consumer Storytelling,” the author outlines four key ingredients for creating consumer stories that resonate:

Get personal and build relationships.
Plan deliberately and explore from different angles.
Use human intuition to find the story that matters.
Evoke emotions that inspire action.

Read more about these ingredients now.

What actions have you been inspired to take as a result of consumer narratives?

Comment below! Or pose a question via Ask Mariposa.

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December 21st, 2013|Categories: Articles We Like|Tags: business leadership, consumer experience, consumer storytelling, customer experience, customer narrative, diane hessan, effective management, executive coaching, inc magazine, leadership, Mariposa Leadership|

December 20, 2013 / Articles We Like

On: "The Role of Talent in Your Customer Experience"

We share this article by Jorie Basque because it links talent management processes with the customer experience, and describes steps HR and talent management leaders can take to directly impact their company’s customer service climate.

In the CX Journey article, “The Role of Talent in Your Customer Experience”, the author outlines steps for reviewing talent selection, training, management and rewards to ensure a strong connection to the customer experience. Read it now.

What are you doing to connect talent management processes to your company’s customer experience?

Comment below! Or pose a question via Ask Mariposa.

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December 20th, 2013|Categories: Articles We Like|Tags: customer experience, CX Journey, HR leader, HR management, Jorie Basque, leadership, talent management, talent selection, training|

December 2, 2013 / Book Reviews

Book Review | Making Meaning: How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Customer Experiences

Making Meaning: How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Customer Experiences
By: Steve Diller, Nathan Shedroff and Darrel Rhea

Head: (4 out of 5)
Heart: (4 out of 5)
Leadership Applicability: (5 out of 5)

In the past, companies could reach customers by focusing on the features and benefits of a product or service. In today’s marketplace, consumers are looking for meaning and companies that can provide it through experiences can drive demand for their product. When meaning can be attributed to a product or service, it taps into what customers value, creating a personal connection with their experience of that product, service or brand. That connection, in turn, leads to loyalty and business growth.

However, designing meaningful experiences is not just a task for marketing or design. The authors argue it is a company-wide strategic imperative. Innovation emerges from the design of meaningful customer experiences and creates competitive advantage.

This book offers practical strategies for turning your business into a “meaning business.” The authors share examples of other meaning businesses and provide a framework for identifying, designing, delivering and maintaining deep and rich experiences for customers.

Leaders interested in a business strategy that will work in today’s globalized marketplace will want to read this book. Buy it now.

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December 2nd, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|

November 26, 2013 / Articles We Like

On: "A New Model for Innovation in Big Companies"

We share this article by Beth Altringer because research shows internal innovation models in global companies fail between 70%-90% of the time. Getting new ideas off the ground is challenging when those best suited for championing those ideas are strapped for time. Outsourcing innovation, while costly, can bring in fresh ideas but large companies tend to bump up against availability of internal resources to see those ideas through.

In the Harvard Business Review article, “A New Model for Innovation in Big Companies,” the author explores a new form of organizational collaboration that uses entrepreneurs to stimulate and sustain innovation in large companies.

Read it now.

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November 26th, 2013|Categories: Articles We Like|Tags: beth altringer, big companies, entrepreneurs, Harvard Business Review, HBR, innovation, organizational collaboration|

November 25, 2013 / Articles We Like

On: "15 Innovative Strategic Planning Questions to Prepare for 2014"

We share this article by Mike Brown, founder of The Brainzooming^TM Group, and author of its popular blog on strategy, creativity and innovation, because the executives we work with want to make a strategic impact in the year ahead. Mike Brown delivers 15 unique strategic thinking questions executives can use to gain a fresh perspective on these thorny strategic planning topics:

fostering innovative, disruptive ideas
identifying innovative strategic opportunities
creating competitive advantage
prioritizing market strategy opportunities
addressing professional development

Read it now.

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November 25th, 2013|Categories: Articles We Like|Tags: Brainzooming, competitive advantage, creativity, innovation, Mike Brown, professional development, strategic planning, Strategy|

November 13, 2013 / Articles We Like

Infographic: Generational Differences in America 101

I’ve written a lot about the different generations, and find understanding the root of their differing behavior and corresponding attitudes to be both a fascinating topic and a valuable management tool. As with everything in management, increasing the understanding between team members helps build positive and productive relationships. Also, with this understanding, it is easier to identify and focus on complimentary strengths, and opportunities for growth.

The infographic below is specific to America. It identifies the life shaping events of each generation, how those events lead to specific characteristics, and how to speak to those characteristics as a manager. Learn the language of each generation to increase employee engagement, and help your employees grow and develop. Read more.

About the author:

Anne Loehr is the President of Anne Loehr and Associates, co-founder of Safaris for the Soul, and an Executive Leadership Coach for Mariposa Leadership, Inc. For more good reads, visit Anne Loehr’s personal blog at: www.anneloehr.com/blog/.

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November 13th, 2013|Categories: Articles We Like|Tags: Anne Loehr, baby boomers, employee engagement, generation x, generational differences, growth, management, millenials, productive relationships|

November 1, 2013 / Book Reviews

Book Review: The Collaboration Economy: How to Meet Business, Social and Environmental Needs and Gain Competitive Advantage

Head: (4 out of 5)
Heart: (4 out of 5)
Leadership Applicability: (5 out of 5)

The world today faces numerous complex environmental, economic and social challenges which have created a Waste Economy. The challenges are vast and a single solution does not exist. However, companies can fill the global leadership gap and create urgency in addressing these problems through collaboration. Collaboration is the new economic mindset and according to the author, Eric Lowitt, it’s already underway.

In a Collaboration Economy, the private, public and civil sectors work together for their own as well as collective good, making profit, growth and sustainability possible. Companies that establish the right collaborative partnerships – such as what Unilever, Coca-Cola, GE, and Nike, leaders of the Collaborative Economy are doing already – are able to gain competitive advantage and create prosperity in perpetuity.

The Collaboration Economy offers a plan, easy to use frameworks and tools for collaboration and equips companies of any size with adjustments that can be made in three areas: company strategy, corporate culture and operations. Other content includes:

How and why the transition from Waste to Collaboration Economy is occurring, the roadblocks that must be cleared, and a replicable framework readers can use to nurture cross-sector coalitions.
Systems of the global economy – energy, recycling, food, shipbreaking, individual consumption and water – and the challenge each must resolve to sustain over the long term.
CEO leadership traits and lessons learned; specific tactics companies are employing to integrate social dimensions in their strategies, culture and business operations.

Leaders who want to align growth and sustainable development will want to read this book. Buy it now.

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November 1st, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: eric lowitt, the collaboration economy|