Challenging the Status Quo

by

Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449     Implementing standard procedures helps sustain the consistency and quality of work, usually boosting productivity. But the drive for conformity has a price. It increases bureaucracy which can inadvertently stifle the very creativity and initiative you ask your people to practice, potentially compromising innovation and improvement. The same conformity that delivers greater reliability, risk-proofing and safety can breed a fear of failure and a drift towards mediocrity. Since …

Read more

Leadership and Challenge

by

Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449      There are times when leaders must confront adversity that threatens their business. Other times, to improve performance, they disrupt the established order by challenging the status quo. Whether the challenge is external or internal, leaders make things happen. Leadership and challenge are inseparable. Business leaders you admire are likely remembered for launching an entrepreneurial venture, developing a novel product and service, transforming a failing business, or revolutionizing …

Read more

How Customers Assess Value

by

Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Whether you provide a product or a service, its value to your customers depends on their goals. Your success in earning their business depends on your ability to discover what your customer values and why. If the customer’s business is mature, then proposing solutions that reduce cost typically capture attention.  Cost reduction targets are easily identified and validated; they directly impact net profit. And, unfortunately, they make it easier …

Read more

3 Questions People Ask About You

by

Bob Schultek rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449     People take action because it benefits them. If you’re a leader or a salesperson trying to connect with others, your focus must be on them. It’s a simple truth that is often forgotten. Your target audience will ask themselves 3 questions to discover your intentions: 1. “Do you care about me?” Mutual interest is the impetus for establishing a connection. Trying to learn another person’s perspective regarding a shared goal or concern …

Read more

Your Life – Your Choice

by

Bob Schultek rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449    Life does not arbitrarily impose itself on you. Rather, you choose how you feel about the circumstances in your life and work. You’re making this choice every day, multiple times a day. Will you choose to be optimistic, to engage with or to encourage others? Will you choose to be curious, to inquire, or to challenge the status quo? Will you strive to make a difference? It may seem that …

Read more

Bob Schultek Releases New Book

by

Bob Schultek’s new book The Gauntlet is now available on Amazon. The Gauntlet tells the tale of a business in crisis, and how the leader, his team and his family experience a transformational journey as they confront the challenge of business survival. Told through the eyes of the senior leader, the story describes his concurrent, integrated struggles to change the course of his business while preserving his family’s well-being. The trials encountered by the company …

Read more

“The Gauntlet” – My First Book

by

Bob Schultek rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449     After serving more than thirty years as a senior executive, including a couple of times as CEO & business owner, I’ve enjoyed triumph and disappointment, and accumulated plenty of scars. Grolistic was founded to share those scars with business leaders to accelerate their growth. Whether we’re assisting with strategy, implementation or leadership, it’s increasingly clear that an organization’s people often make the difference. Your people truly are your most sustainable …

Read more

5 Selling Experience Attributes That Drive Customer Loyalty

by

In their book, The Challenger Sale, Dixon and Adamson cite their research into the 50-plus attributes that drive customer loyalty (i.e. more sales per customer), noting that just 38% of that allegiance is due to outperforming competitors on brand, product and service, and only 9% is attributable to better price-to-value ratio than the competition. They discovered that the primary driver of loyalty, at 53%, is the sales experience itself. There are five key attributes that …

Read more

Change Begins With 3 Agreements

by

Bob Schultek rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449     Convincing someone to join you in the pursuit of change begins with three agreements: Agree on reality. Describe the current situation, validated by facts and proof  Agree on goals. Specify shared goals, acknowledging diversity in how they can be achieved. Agree on vision. Having agreed on the reality and goals, envision success. These three agreements forge a bond of common purpose to pursue change and lay the foundation of mutual accountability …

Read more

The First Step When It’s Time to Plan

by

When growth stalls or is rapidly accelerating, or when you’re seeking investment, or when you’re thinking about who will succeed you, these are the triggers that compel you to plan for the future. When the time to plan arrives, what’s the best first step? Throughout your organization, heads are down and focused on the near term, ever reacting to marketplace changes. Over time, what began as an opportunistic, hopefully profitable venture, becomes preoccupied – first …

Read more