The power of words!

Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds

Brainstorming Success - 10 Steps

A great article with 10 steps to make brainstorming effective and fun. A couple of thoughts:
1. whether outsiders or insiders, people with diverse backgrounds will energize creative thinking
2. breaking the brainstorming into multiple sessions can allow team members time to think - be sure to clearly outline the topics and goals for each session to stay on track
3. encourage people to have fun and not hold back on ideas.

From Forbes: The Magic Of An Effective Brainstorm

How Leaders Can Improve Their Thinking Agility

Interesting and valuable suggestions:

- Not all thinking is equal. Different thinking for different issues.

- We have a natural way of thinking - only 2% of people think across all 4 domains.

- 3 Strategies to increase our thinking agility!

How-Leaders-Can-Improve-Their-Thinking-Agility

Mobile is an additional channel to connect with consumers vs. a replacement channel, especially in some industries. Connecting the knowledge gained through digital consumer interactions to human conversation - without missing a beat - will distinguish the leaders and reward them.

"According to a study by Google, 61% of mobile users call a business when they’re in the purchase phase of the buying cycle. The majority of respondents would call instead of reach out online because they’re looking to get a quick answer (59%) or talk to a real person (57%). The study also found that consumers are more likely to call a business when making a high-value purchase in verticals such as auto, finance, or travel."

Your Customers Still Want to Talk to a Human Being

Technology is improving our lives. BMW's Connect Drive can do some amazing things. Can't wait for this level of convenience to make it to other products!

BMW's 2017 Connected Drive

Interesting reading. Whether our brand is a product or a service, the complexity of customer interactions is growing. It’s easy to lose sight of the customer’s POV with the numerous, and often disparate, roles that come in touch with the consumer.  The five questions are a good starting point, “Because we know that customer experience is increasingly a decisive advantage in the business world.”

Five questions brands need to answer to be customer first in the digital age

Team leadership goes beyond building rapport. Good article on how to connect with your team members in a meaningful way. This small investment in time can have a big payout in team tenure and performance. Great questions and insights on how to avoid pitfalls.

Questions to ask during skip-level conversations