Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
Quiz Yourself: Are You a Good Leader?
“You don’t get points for predicting rain. You get points for building an ark.” – Louis J. Gerstner, chairman and CEO of IBM How good a leader are you? Answer the following questions by giving yourself a score of one point for every “inadequate” answer, two points for every “competent” answer, and five points for…
Read MoreInvent a Product – And Then Make it Obsolete
“We cannot remain consistent with the world save by growing inconsistent with our past selves.” – Havelock Ellis (The Dance of Life, 1923) Very few products — and very few companies — can survive without change. What works today in the current market will almost certainly fail 10 years from now. Work hard to…
Read More5 Myths About Leadership
“The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas.” – Whitney Griswold (The New York Times, Feb. 24, 1959) Karen Elliott House, newly appointed publisher of the Wall Street Journal, is working hard to make the paper’s employees “feel happy and appreciated,” according to an article about her in a recent issue of The…
Read MoreHow To Be Twice As Productive
“Most of the methods for measuring the lapse of time have, I believe, been the contrivance of monks and religious recluses, who, finding time hang heavy on their hands, were at some pains to see how they got rid of it.” – William Hazlitt (“On a Sundial,” Sketches and Essays, 1839) As an ambitious, hard…
Read MoreThe Ability to Bounce Back
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot and I missed. I have failed over and over again in my life. And that’s precisely why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan A recent study by Adaptiv…
Read MoreDon’t Be a Brand Junkie
About 20 years ago, a partner of mine was shopping for a luxury car. I had been reading the car mags and was very excited about a brand-new generation of luxury cars being introduced by Toyota and Honda. The new Lexus and Infiniti sedans had been strategically targeted by their Japanese manufacturers to compete with…
Read MoreLearning about Leadership and Cooperation
As TH began explaining the rules, I felt the clutch of anxiety. His brainstorming technique, said to have originated in the offices of Walt Disney, required a level playing field for all the players. There would be no criticizing anyone else’s suggestions. No challenges, questions, or refutations. Everyone’s contribution was to be given equal weight…
Read MoreHow Much Should You Be Mortgaged?
“Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.” – Benjamin Franklin In April, May, and June of this year, 640,000 mortgages were in foreclosure. On a percentage basis, that’s 1.23% — the highest, by far, in the 30 years that the Mortgage Bankers Association has been tracking. The stock market deflation…
Read MoreThe 10 Mortal Sins of Marketing
“But enough of me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think of me?” – Ed Koch Here is a short list of the dumbest things a marketer can do. 1. Assuming that your customers are interested in you, your company, or your products. This — neglecting to understand that all your customers are really…
Read MoreTen Traits of Successful People
“Some minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles.” – Washington Irving (“Roscoe,” The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, 1819-20) Investor’s Business Daily, according to Investor’s Business Daily, “has spent years analyzing business leaders and successful people in all walks…
Read MoreThe Deviant’s Advantage
“All good things which exist are the fruits of originality.” – John Stuart Mill (On Liberty, 1859) The history of great ideas is a history of boldness and ridicule. The printing press, to take a relatively old example, was condemned as a tool of the devil. The steam engine was a folly. Marconi’s radio contraption…
Read MoreBuilding a Good Support System
It’s not easy to be a new manager — especially if, instead of coming up “through the ranks,” you’ve been recruited from the outside. You’re likely to face resistance from all quarters — your new employees, your new supervisor, your new clients, and even your vendors, support staff, and/or consultants. The best way to handle…
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