Great organizations know the best plans can go awry

You don't get to pick how you'll be remembered | Great organizations know the best plans can go awry | Zero-based budgeting is back Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version] January 31, 2017 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Google+] [SmartBrief on Leadership] [SmartBrief on Leadership] Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP] ⋅ [FORWARD] Leading Edge [You don't get to pick how you'll be remembered] Trying to craft your legacy can be futile because it likely won't withstand the test of time anyway, writes James daSilva. Instead of acting with an eye toward posterity, he argues, try doing what needs to be done "to do better for yourself and others." [SmartBrief/Leadership] (1/30) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Great organizations know the best plans can go awry] Don't look at organizational planning as an arduous chore or as something that simply incrementally builds upon the previous year's results, Brian MacNeice and James Bowen say in this interview. Their research looks at what separates high-performance organizations from the rest, starting with the idea that planning is a dynamic process. [Skip Prichard blog] (1/30) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [5 Best Practices to I.D. Potential Leaders] Do you REALLY know potential when you see it? What if you could pinpoint the conditions that produce successful leaders? Explore [5 Best Practices for Identifying Potential Leaders], an interactive guide to transforming your leadership potential program. ADVERTISEMENT Strategic Management [Zero-based budgeting is back] North American companies are returning to the use of zero-based budgeting, which departs from the practice of budgeting with the previous year's budget as the default. ZBB can help with cost-cutting measures but can lead companies to stop reinvesting in new products and growth. [Reuters] (1/30) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [How to go international] Companies looking to sell internationally should start with the basics of determining whether the new market will bear the product price and your expenses, writes ACM Logistics & Consulting CEO John Heimsath. From there, consider transportation issues, the supply chain timeline and what you'll do if something goes wrong. [TexasCEOMagazine.com] (1/28) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [10 More Ways to Wow Your Hire] When it comes to engaging your new recruits, there is always more you can do. The best onboarding initiatives start from "day zero" to make the new hire experience a positive, straightforward and empowering one. Harness the tools and technology your workforce needs to make them say "wow!". [Read More] ADVERTISEMENT Smarter Communication [Gravitas can be taught] You can learn how to have more influence when speaking, writes Chad McAllister. His advice includes making sure you enter the conversation grounded and calm, listening closely and considering the mutual goals of the participants. [InnovationExcellence.com] (1/30) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [The surprising R&D machine of family business] Despite popular belief, [research suggests] that family-run companies are successful at innovation, write Nadine Kammerlander and Marc van Essen. Specifically, the study found that "for every dollar invested in R&D, they get more innovative output, measured by number of patents, number of new products, or revenues generated with new products." [Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model)] (1/25) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] SmartPulse How rigorous is your approach to pricing your products or services? Very -- we're pretty analytical and rigorous about it 57.72% Somewhat -- we do some analysis and occasionally focus on it 30.20% Not very -- we infrequently analyze and focus on pricing 8.05% Not at all -- we slap a price tag on it and sell, sell, sell! 4.03% The power of pricing. An occasional focus on pricing isn't enough. It's perhaps one of the biggest improvement levers you have at your disposal. For traditional businesses, a 1% pricing improvement can yield a 10% profit improvement. How can you afford not to be rigorous about pricing? Not only should you evaluate how much you're pricing -- you should also [consider your pricing model]. The way you price your products could be less than effective. Invest the time in looking at your pricing model and the actual prices themselves. You (and your shareholders) will be happy you did! -- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of [thoughtLEADERS]. Before launching his own company, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He's the author of three leadership books: "[One Piece of Paper]," "[Lead Inside the Box]," and "[The Elegant Pitch]." What do you believe is the most effective form of growth? [Vote] [Organic] [Vote] [Acquisition] [Vote] [Geographic expansion] [Vote] [New-product introduction] [Vote] [Other] In Their Own Words [CEO: Be yourself, not what you think people expect] Sheryl Palmer, CEO of the home-building company Taylor Morrison, takes her shoes off whenever she can because it makes her feel more authentic and accessible in her working life. "As silly as that sounds, that's who I am, and the day that I have to change who I am to do my job will be the day I really don't want to do it anymore," she says. [The New York Times (free-article access for SmartBrief readers)] (1/27) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Daily Diversion [How can animals navigate so well?] Animals' navigation habits provide insights into how cognitive maps work, writes Kate Jeffery. "[N]eurons in the hippocampus form a memory of the animal's environment, so that when the animal goes to a particular place, neurons representing that place become active, as if reminded about that place," she writes. [Aeon Magazine (U.K.)] (1/25) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] We accumulate our opinions at an age when our understanding is at its weakest. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, scientist [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Sign Up] [SmartBrief offers 200+ newsletters] [Advertise] [Learn more about the SmartBrief audience] Subscriber Tools: [Manage Subscriptions] [Update Your Profile] [Unsubscribe] [Send Feedback] [Archive] [Search] Contact Us: Jobs Contact - [jobhelp@smartbrief.com] Advertising - [Laura Thompson] Editor - [James daSilva] Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2017 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy policy] | [Legal Information] Â