Fish

I always chuckle when I hear local economic types are putting all of their chips on bringing in an office for a Fortune 50, with, say, 100 jobs.

Yet for the same effort and no travel, they could help 10 local companies add 100 jobs total, jobs that are hard to lure away with lower taxes or cheaper labor or other such carrots.

Businesses often put lots of effort into bringing in the new client, while taking their current clients for granted. The low hanging fruit can be harvested, or at least nurtured, with a phone call.

Start close, then work out.

Peter

Focus

A friend once worked for a brilliant Big Picture Boss. BPB had a new genius idea every three days, and would excitedly explain it to the staff, expecting it to be implemented into the current product ASAP.

The result was near chaos. Initiatives were begun and quickly shelved to make room for The New Idea. Staff never knew which way they were headed, and never committed much effort to The New Idea, suspecting that it would be dropped before they got it up to speed.

Eventually BPB was managed out of the company because his product wasn't developing in the way management had expected. His lack of focus doomed his career.

Idea generation is great- but it must be contained. Limit the new projects to a Skunk Works within the group, and don't let the New Idea derail the products that pay the bills.

Most importantly, have a sense for which ideas will add value and which would just be nice to have.

Lack of focus can kill a vision.

Peter