“I’m already overwhelmed in my job. I have no time left to write a blog post, create a conversation on Twitter, or engage in a Facebook discussion.” I hear it quite often these days.  I understand people’s frustrations. We all seem to be tapped out. My answer is simple: you must let go of the urgent and not important and focus on the important but not urgent. Easier said than done. The urgent always demand our attention, whether or not it warrants it. It’s the “needs immediate attention” email you get in the middle of the day, or a “crisis” a client is having you must attend to. Much like disgruntled church members, the “urgent but not important” tasks fill our days and rob us from doing what we should be doing but, unlike its obnoxious counterpart, the “important but not urgent” will not grab us by the neck and…

A logo is a visual representation of an entity, may it be a business, a church, an organization or an individual (remember when Prince dropped his name and wanted to be know by his logo?). My company, The A Group, has created hundreds of logos over the past several years. The process has been as simple or as complicated as each client, but at the end all good logos ultimately share the same DNA. 1. It can be reproduced in one solid color. If your logo needs two or four colors to look good or it needs that nifty 3D effect to look ok, it’s not a successful logo. If it works in solid black then it will work in any color or rendering. 2. It’s simple. I cannot tell you how many times I have run into logos that tried to “tell a story.” Like verbosity, these overly symbolic…

I have always been an owner even when I worked for someone else. Recently I have thought about my employment history as well as those who have been my colleges and employees over the years and have come to the conclusion people fall in two main categories: owners and workers. Before you dismiss the post, let me explain. This is not a legal distinction, but a psychological one. Interestingly, some business owners behave like managers or workers doing what’s required of them and completely disconnecting from their jobs once the clock hits 5 p.m. Some hirelings whose heart and passion for their performance cause them operate more like owners. The more owners you have in your organization, the more successful you’ll be, I’m convinced. Here’s a list of owner characteristics: Owners care about the entire team and not just themselves. They know that no one is successful alone. Owners understand…

Unless your organization has a culture of discipline, it cannot grow beyond where it is right now. I will be even bolder and say that it might not endure.  Honesty in measuring goals is the difference between sustained growth and obsolescence. While we might find a lot of good things our business, church, or not for profit is doing, we must be honest and establish success or failure on the basis of our stated goals. While we can celebrate some of our successes with press releases, board presentations, and beautiful annual reports, we should be ruthless about evaluating our accomplishments based on our set goals. A smart leader should not ask “what have we accomplished in the past year?” The more important and relevant question should be, “have we accomplished what we have set out to do?” The first question while makes us feel good and helps build temporary morale,…

First impressions matter, whether you like it or not. They matter not only on a personal level but also on a business and even more so when it comes to a church. Our first impression of a business, store or venue sets our expectations for the type of product or experience we perceive we are about to get. The implications of your first impression are huge.  Starting at a deficit. If you don’t “present well” someone’s first encounter with your organization, then you will automatically go into a “deficit” standing. Starting here means you have to work harder to overcome the initial perception of your product, whether it be consumer goods, services or an experience. Basically you’re saying, “we’re better than what you think we are” and then you’ll need to spend time and equity to get your audience to see in a better light. Unfortunately, you often do not…

Change is inevitable. Everything and everyone we know is a constant state of flux. As much as we seek stability in the comfort of a routine, we soon have to come to the realization that the world around us is changing at an increasingly rapid pace. There are three accelerators that drive most of change today. Here’s how people, technology and information are accelerating change. People The world population is currently estimated to be 6.915128 billion by the United States Census Bureau.[1] The world population has experienced continuous growth since the end of the Bubonic Plague around the years 1348-1350.[2] Current projections show a continued increase of population with the population expected to reach between 7.5 and 10.5 billion in the next decade. Technology Radio 38 years to reach 50M TV 13 years to reach 50M Internet 4 years to reach 50M Facebook – 9 months to reach 100M Information…

One of the few things I do as a leader that I cannot delegate is to help create The A Group’s  internal culture. That’s one of the most important jobs in any organization that often goes ignored because we tend to equate our mission with our culture. Mission tells us what we should be doing, but our culture provides the pathway to how we get there. As The A Group has grown from a couple of people 10 years ago into almost 30 people strong, I have tried to be deliberate in creating an internal culture that aligns with our mission. Our culture is framed by a set of value statements that I repeat ad nauseam. We value innovation. We are a solution-based company. Innovation is the heart of what we do from marketing best practices, communication trends to technology new frontiers. One of the reasons we grew during a…

As a business owner, I’m never “off.” The mind of an entrepreneur is always working on opportunities, challenges and next steps. Of all the many thoughts that go through my mind on any given time, there are 4 areas of business that I’m constantly monitoring because I have learned that if they begin to deteriorate, so does my business. The Brand. That’s the promise every company makes to those it serves. Whether you sell widgets, services or an experience, your brand promise needs to be monitored. The A Group is a high-end marketing, technology and branding firm. Everything we do is based on strategy and best practices. I’m always monitoring the output of both products as well as services. Are we delivering on our promises? The Model. Is the current business structure a sustainable one? You’d be surprised by the number of busy businesses that end up failing. I remember…

It’s snowy and bitterly cold outside but it won’t be long until Spring. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Today’s Fashion Friday post is by guest blogger Brenda Lyttle. Spring is the season of putting away those woolen woes and getting into the groove of the latest trends hitting the fashion industry. Clear your wardrobe off those wraparounds and boardshorts and start stocking your racks with light and colorful outfits. Seeing that you are raring to break into those bright colors, be a little cautious as this season attracts most fashion disasters. Here are a few dos and don’ts for this spring – Do’s 1.     Light Fabrics – Say bye to your corduroys and woolens and welcome spring with linens and cotton. These lighter fabrics will keep you fresh. There is a wide variety of fabrics to choose from and you can also give a try to the…

“The greatest ideas are still left on napkins,” said a friend over lunch. These words stuck with me like some ugly unwelcome platitude. The more I tried to ignore them, the more they nagged at me. My ultimate fear is to go to my grave with my greatest idea still left on a napkin. What holds us back from pursuing our dreams? Here’s where I have landed on pursuing new business or ministry ideas. I don’t like risk, but I’m willing to take calculated ones. For someone who has started several business over the years,  (about 5 to date), I still struggle with the idea of something not working out. The fear of failure is real when you put a lot on the line for your dream.  But I also know that in order for an idea to flourish and become a reality, I have to step out of my…