Appreciative Inquiry

I just spent three days at a Roadway Express, Appreciative Inquiry Summit. It was a truly educational experience. The process is geared to give companies a competitive advantage that will last for 7 years or more when fully implemented. I congratulate Roadway Management for having the intestinal fortitude to step out into a new arena and work to empower their workforce to achieve a competitive advantage that no other company in the industry is willing to undertake.
It was inspiring and I felt very proud for the employees of the company.
Three cheers for Roadway Express!

Little Big Box from the Ocala Star Banner

There is an interesting article entitled "Little Big Box" in the Ocala Star Banner.
It is the story of an independent competing against the big boxes.
This is the kind of story we need more of to help other independents summon the resolve to find a way to compete.

"Trusted Writer"

Received an e-mail this morning from Impact Articles. I had submitted several articles to them and I was advised that the staff had reviewed the quality of my writing and has awarded me "Trusted Writer" privileges.

This is an interesting website filled with articles about Business, Marketing and Coaching. If you get a chance, please visit the site and check out the many fine articles that are available there.

Negative Web Sites

I found these Hardware related websites a couple of years ago. It is interesting that they continue on to this day. I guess it just goes to show that when you get on the wrong side of people, it can have some very serious side effects.

Check out www.stanleysucks.com or www.big-box.com to get an idea of how angry constituents could target your business!

Collective Intelligence - Collective Wisdom

I spent the bigger part of the day working on the July issue of the "Taking Aim" newsletter. (Feel free to sign up for this free newsletter at cannonadvantage.com. For July, I have concentrated on Collective Intelligence and Collective Wisdom. This area of exploration fascinates me and there is so much about this area of exploration that fits with my real life experiences that I am drawn to it like a moth to the flame.

I refer to a number of references, but one that I left out of the article is a website named collectivewisdominitiative.org. This is a great site filled with stories and people who are actively engaged in the exploration of this emerging subject. If this is of interest, check it out.

The Prototypal Chinese Manufacturer Revisited

Back in June of 2003, the "Taking Aim" newsletter featured an article entitled, "The Prototypal Chinese Manufacturer." Today, the financial news services anounced, "Techtronic Industries - Share subdivision effective on 31st May, 2004." In other words, not only has the stock appreciated, but now it is undergoing a 2 for 1 stock split. TTI is an amazing supplier of home improvement products with 16,000 employees worldwide. Brands include: Ryobi power tools, Homelite and Ryobi outdoor power equipment, Regina, Royal, Dirt Devil and VAX floor care appliances. They have been experiencing double digit growth annually for the past 8 years. Check out http://www.ttigroup.com .