The Geoff Blog

What story is my brand telling?

thegeoffblog — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:48:09 +0000

I was sitting in Corporate Reputation and Brand Management and we were discussing the importance of vision. We were asked to recall examples of an organization that changed their corporate vision and comment on the results of that change. I immediately thought of the change in vision that occurred at Toyota when the former CEO went back to Japan and a new CEO came on board.

Vision is so important to an organization. It motivates employees and keeps everyone singing the same song…

One of my colleagues raised his hand and discussed the example of Starbucks. When sales were dropping and the stock price was looking pretty bad, CEO Howard Schultz reverted back to his original vision for the company.

“Starbucks sells coffee of course, but it’s in the business of human connection…”

“[Starbucks] offers a third place between work and home for our customers”

It may seem very small but Schultz certainly had a powerful message to promote and based on the feedback and customer response, he has done a pretty good job! For the full video, check out:

http://video.forbes.com/fvn/business-renegades/starbucks-secret-brew

CEO’s, Business Ethics, and Suicide…

thegeoffblog — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:44:54 +0000

In my second year MBA strategy class, we were conversing (and arguing like VP’s around the boardroom table) about the first and most important decision when building a strategic plan for a business.

Before a manager commits to a major strategic direction, he/she must first determine:

A) how many strategic options are available

B) whether the decision is practical

C) whether the decision is ethical

D) how best to measure the strategic outcomes

E) how it will affect his/her incentive compensation

I have always been trained that strategy is only productive if it’s measurable. A strategy that can not be quantified is no good because there’s no way to measure progress. However, I stand corrected… again!

I put up my hand and said just that. My professor, who has years of experience as a strategy consultant, asked me to google the number of CEO’s that have committed suicide. So I did just that. I found that David Kellermann (Freddie Mac) is the most recent high profile CEO to (potentially) commit suicide. When I googled “CEO commit suicide,” the second hit was a Chinese CEO that committed suicide because of a toy recall followed by an Israeli CEO from capital markets. Side note, Bernie Madoff’s son (not a CEO) committing suicide as well…

Looks like my professor may have a valid argument: Many CEO’s commit suicide. About 90% of their job is strategic in nature and they are constantly faced with decisions that may challenge their ethics. CEO’s choose to take their own lives because they can not live with the damage they have caused from unethical strategic decisions.

Very few people get attacked by sharks. However, when such a rare event happens it’s on the front page of every newspaper/website/blog. Although this seems similar to someone getting bit by a shark, I can see the importance of first considering ethics when determining the strategic direction of your company.

Professor – 1 Geoff – 0

Educate for a Creative Society

thegeoffblog — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:36:12 +0000

I am just about done my MBA and I feel like I have been educated to be a robot… As an MBA, it seems as though everyone has been programmed to work 80+ hours a week and do exactly what they are told for 25+ years. Then there may be an opportunity to be a Director or C-level executive….

Why am I not being educated for a creative society? The amount of information on the Internet is doubling every time I change my pants but they way I am being educated hasn’t changed in 400 years. True story, 400 years ago it took 4 years to get an undergraduate degree. If my memory serves me correctly, it still takes 4 years. Where’s the innovation?

Cheers!
Geoff Reiner | @geoffreiner

Photos of Bella

thegeoffblog — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:02:11 +0000

So the next step in becoming a super awesome professional photographer (which will probably never happen… I’m being realistic…) is to start posting some of my work.

This past weekend was my grandfathers 87th birthday so we all packed it into the family sedan (the family van is now long gone) and headed up to the cottage. The subject of the day was my aunt cousins new little puppy Bella. Now I know it is extremely easy to take pictures of little cute things but I figured it’s a start… Click to view slideshow.

Becoming a Photographer

thegeoffblog — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:37:14 +0000

I once had a boss that would take me for lunch a few days a month and ask me how my ideas were coming along. He knew that I was always one to look for that perfect pitch – always swinging for the fence. I am no longer with that company and have lost touch with that boss but do remember one particular lunch we had together.

He asked me what I love. Oddly enough I had a hard time answering the question. “Well, I love working and making money and taking time to enjoy the opportunity that money provides.” He looked at me with an interesting look and rephrased the question. “What would you love to do for the rest of your life that could potentially make you some money but wouldn’t feel like work?” I responded, “I would love to travel the world and take pictures.”

So this was a few years back and I have recently spent way too much money on photography equipment (Nikon of course) and I am finally thinking I should post my work…

PS: When I was working for that company I was in sales and working all the time. That being said, I think it’s pretty safe to say that I was quite driven by money…

The Secret to Great Leadership Is… Emotional Intelligence!

thegeoffblog — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:32:22 +0000

Based on my somewhat limited experience in the business world, I quickly realized there are very few great leaders out there. Many of the leaders that I have interacted with (a majority of them baby boomers) are afraid. They are afraid of new and innovative technology. They are afraid of more efficient ways of operating. They are afraid of being left behind. Essentially, I conclude: they are afraid of me!

I am apart of a different generation. A generation bathed in bits and bytes (to quote Don Tapscott). My generation has been brought up with the Internet and other collaborative technologies at our fingertips and we definitely speak a different language. We promote and are comfortable with sharing information and we never lock our filing cabinets!

So why am I mentioning all of this? Well, the other day I had an opportunity to meet two partners at a small consulting firm. They focus on leadership, innovation and promoting greater collaboration within the workplace. Essentially, they are transforming the way baby boomers think and showing them it is okay to be in uncomfortable situations where answers are not readily available. It’s okay to promote change.

In addition to promoting change within the many cobwebbed minds of the boomers that have been doing the same thing for years, they are also working to promote more innovative thinking and collaboration within the rising stars of the business world (Generation Y). Because after spending your lifesavings on an MBA, there are still many individuals that can’t identify when they have spoken too much, or when to ask an intelligent question, or when to actively listen.

Emotional intelligence is not something you can be taught (I don’t think) but rather the ability to identify, assess and control the emotions of oneself. Now lets take businesses to the next level where we can foster that culture of engagement and innovation!

Enjoy

-Geoff |@thinkfbc |@geoffreiner |thegeoffblog.wordpress.com

Ken Robinson strikes again!

thegeoffblog — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:32:41 +0000

My father, who has been in education for a number of years, recently had the opportunity to see Sir Ken Robinson at a conference in Toronto. This sparked an interesting conversation. We discussed the lack of development and innovation in the education system over the past hundred years and brainstormed current strategies for his particular school.

Imagine a formal education system where every student is given and encouraged to use an Ipad, notebook, blackberry or smart board… Imagine a formal education system that educates us for the world we are going to be working in, not the world that once was.

Check out this new video from Sir Ken Robinson found at www.ted.com.

A Beautiful Mind…

thegeoffblog — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:33:17 +0000

What’s Cool?

thegeoffblog — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:54:25 +0000

Government 2.0

thegeoffblog — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:43:45 +0000

I just finished a group presentation for a Knowledge Management course I am taking for my MBA. The company we presented is a huge data mining firm called Attensity. They focus on a wide variety of industries with specific attention being placed on goverment. Check it out…