So, it is blogger heaven to be able to combine those two ideas.

BMW began using the tagline, “The Ultimate Driving Machine” in 1975.  Recently, however, they moved in a different direction, with the ill-fated “JOY” campaign.

However, BMW is set to revive the Ultimate Driving Machine tagline with a new commercial.  Here is the text:

“We don’t make sports cars. We don’t make S.U.V.’s. We don’t make hybrids, and we don’t make luxury sedans. We only make one thing, the ultimate driving machine.”

For leaders, I think there are two lessons:

First, it is easy to abandon something just because it has been around awhile. In most cases, the company simply grows bored with a tagline (or gets a new marketing VP who wants to make their mark).

Second, it takes real discipline to “plant your flag” in a market and decide what your One Thing will be.  Kudos to BMW for reviving one of the greatest campaigns ever.

Here is a link to the commercial:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMLjMTOs-Ok

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

Last night, the Broncos stunned the Steelers, winning the game in overtime … in just One Play!

Tebow hit Denver receiver Demarylius Thomas for an 80 yard touchdown, ending the game after just 11 seconds.  There was pandemonium in the Denver stadium as fans celebrated perhaps the most stunning overtime win in NFL history.

Great leaders step up when it counts most.  In fact, that is exactly what makes them great.

For your organization to become great, you must also deliver when it counts most.  You must win the big proposal, land the big contract, or recruit the game-changing teammate.  You must overcome the big obstacles, lead the big change, and make the big decisions.

You must, like Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, deliver the win with One Big Play.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

“The defining trait of a successful entrepreneur is irrational perseverance.”

After 2011, I now fully understand the meaning of that statement. It means that you keep going after clients renege on contracts.  It means that you keep going after partners renege on agreements.  It means you keep going after hundreds of failures.  It means you simply keep going and going, even after the people closest to you give up on you.

In addition, I’ve come to see that irrational perseverance is also the defining trait of all successful people:

• Successful leaders must have irrational perseverance to drive performance
• Successful salespeople must have irrational perseverance to overcome objections
• Successful change agents must have irrational perseverance to overcome organizational resistance
• Successful athletes must have irrational perseverance to train beyond their limits

So, as we start a new year, full of hopes and dreams and ideas, remember the lesson of irrational perseverance.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking…Accelerate Your Results.

But, a creative, unique, and differentiated thank you will never, ever be forgotten.

One of our clients, BTI360 (www.bti360.com) recently sent flowers to the spouse of an employee* who worked especially long hours to complete a critical project.

Sending flowers to a spouse will definitely go a long way.

But, BTI360 did not just send flowers, they sent orange flowers.

See, BTI360 chose orange as their corporate color.  This simple choice helped them differentiate the company in a highly crowded market.  So, when it came time to send flowers, the decision about what kind of flowers to send was easy.

This was a creative, unique and differentiated thank you that will never, ever be forgotten.

* BTI360 does not use the word employee … they call their people “Teammates.”  Exactly the word you would expect a company who sends orange flowers to use!

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

Steve Jobs (like Bill Gates) famously dropped out of college and went on to become one of the most significant entrepreneurs of our time. What percent of your success do you attribute to your education and what percent do you attribute to your street smarts?

My article was published today, and here is how it starts:

I am a first-generation American, and was raised in a family that eschewed entitlements or handouts.  I was taught to be self-reliant, work hard and accept responsibility for my actions.

However, it did not take long for me to realize that other kids had advantages that I would never have.  They had money, status, privilege and access.

Rather than resent these kids, I found my own way to succeed.

You can read the rest of the article here:  A Harvard MBA is helpful — but not enough

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

Floating along like a bird at 5,000 feet above the beautiful California countryside sure puts things in perspective.

And I could not help but make the connection between my flying experience and what we see in organizations.

The phrase, “flying by the seat of your pants” traces back to the 1930s and was first widely used in reports of Douglas Corrigan’s flight from Brooklyn to Ireland in 1938.

That flight was reported in many newspapers, including a story entitled, “Corrigan Flies By The Seat Of His Pants,” in The Edwardsville Intelligencer, which ran on July 19th, 1938.

But the real story was that although Corrigan flew to Ireland, he had actually submitted a flight plan to fly to California. He was thereafter known as “Wrong Way Corrigan” and starred as himself in the 1938 movie, The Flying Irishman.

And just like Wrong Way Corrigan, flying by the seat of your pants is a great way for organizations to end up in the wrong place as well.

Maybe it is time to check your organization’s compass and make sure you (and everyone else) know where you are going.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking…Accelerate Your Results.

“Equally important, I think, is to listen for first person language. “Here’s what I decided” communicates something very different from “Here’s what we can all do.” Followers are more likely to respect and rally around a leader who considers himself part of the team, not an aloof order-giver.

• First person = ego
• Second person = invested in the team
• Third person = disengaged, CYA mentality”

I think Brad is exactly right.

You can’t finish in first place if everyone talks in the third person. But, you won’t build consensus if leaders operate in the first person.

So, maybe we all should have paid better attention in grammar class.

PS: If you are looking for a new web site, check out www.siteorganic.com. Brad and his team have built thousands of web sites for organizations that want to “produce fruit” online. They have done a great job for The Dashboard Group, and I am sure they will do a great job for you.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking…Accelerate Your Results.

Of course, whenever I watch the show, I try to make the connection to organizational performance.

Recently, there has been lots of attention paid to the subject of employee engagement. Dashboard is involved in this work through our relationship with Quantum Workplace and the Best Places to Work awards.

Clearly, we want to engage our employees. But we don’t just want them engaged; we want them engaged in Top Gear.

I often ask people, “Are you performing at the absolute maximum of your potential?”

Of course, most people concede that they aren’t. Why not?

First, leaders put artificial limits on people, and don’t see the unlimited potential they have.

Second, leaders treat everyone the same, and don’t see the amazing uniqueness they were created with.

Finally, leaders create de-motivating environments, and people respond by downshifting and working at a small fraction of their potential.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

Do you think there is a correlation here? You bet.

As it turns out, this organization has tremendous churn in their customer base. They are able to win new customers, but lose them faster than they win them.

We confronted the CEO with this data, and tried to make the case that employee churn was the root cause of customer churn.

Not surprisingly, the CEO did not buy the argument … and not surprisingly, their revenues continue to decline.

While this organization may be an extreme case, the evidence is clear. Invest in the growth and development of your team, and they will invest their talents in the growth and development of your clients.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

A few have been life-changingly horrible. Most have been OK. And a few have been astonishingly great.

The great ones cared about me as a person, not just as an employee. They invested in my development. And they pushed me hard … really hard. And I’ll never forget them.

These select few understood that managing people is a sacred trust. They understood that they had the power to change the lives of the people that worked for them. For better … or worse.

Being a great manager is really hard. Which is why they are so rare.

Step one is to decide that you really, really want to be a great manager. (Surprisingly, a really small percentage of managers take this step.)

Step two is to approach your responsibility as a sacred trust. You must acknowledge the tremendous responsibility that has been entrusted in you. And, you must handle your responsibility with the utmost care.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.