Writings available for organizations
which wish to grow successfully...
Business Monographs

By Hank Moore
Corporate Strategist™
Futurist, Vision Expeditor

Pioneering the business monograph. To get information contained in some of these monographs, you would have to find, purchase, read and digest 20-50 books. These monographs are more than synopses of vital information...they embrace cutting-edge insights that other books don't have.

Business monographs offer:
Sophisticated perspectives, broken down into business bullet points.
Topics not available in other forms of professional education.
A way to build a business library...affordably.
Ideas and opinions that tread new ground.
Leadership skills that give you advantage over others in the marketplace.
Big Picture insights, coupled with real-world business viabilities.
A format that you can photocopy, share with others, post and further disseminate.
Materials which compliment-enhance in-house training and professional development.
Blueprints for you to take action...not just theoretical jargon.
Perspectives to learn from the mistakes of others.
Opportunities to benefit from change, rather than become the victim of it.

Monographs (listed under this heading)
Prices are:
$5.95 each for monographs.
(Package of 10, your choice of titles, for $49.50)
$2.00 each for one-page executive summaries (including 7-lists)
(Package of 10, your choice of titles, for $15.50)

Ordering information:
(Please submit the following information by regular mail)
Name
Mailing Address
Phone number
Fax number
E-mail address
Web site address

Method of delivery:
Monographs ordered will be shipped in hard copy format, with postage and handling included in purchase price.

Payment:
Enclose a check for the total amount, payable to Hank Moore.

For further inquiries:
(713) 668-0664

Business Monograph Topics
($5.95 each for monographs. Package of 10, your choice of titles, for $49.50)

Cutting Edge, Trends:
The Business Tree™ (7 major parts-components of a successful business)
The Busy Work Tree™ (7 major parts-components of a person's job-profession-career)
The Learning Tree™ (7 phases of a person's life, which affects their career)
The Management Tree™ (How and Why Management Styles Sprout)
The Organization Tree™ (Career track for professionals)
The Executive Tree™ (Stages of executive development, benchmarks, accomplishments)
It's Almost Tomorrow™ (Futurism concepts, including "7 Levels of Futurism")
The High Cost of Doing Nothing™ (6 times more to clean up mistakes, how to remediate)
The High Cost of Doing the Wrong Things™ (cases where flaws compounded errors)
The Doing Nothing Tree™ (100 Ways to Ruin Any Company-Organization)
100 Biggest Excuses They Use (Euphemisms Most Often Heard. Reasons Why Businesses Fail.)
The Business They're Really In (Ranking by priorities, agendas, industries)
The Path from Pleasure to Success (7 Stages in the Evolution of a Business)
Healthy Trees from Little Acorns Grow
Other Trees
Oxymorons
The Fine Art of Failure...The Success of Making Mistakes
What If?
Changing Branches and Trees (Careers at Odds)
Trees in the Forest
Three Rights Offset a Wrong
The Idea Bowl
The Fallacies of Networking

Thought Provoking Essays:
The Great Lies We Tell Ourselves...and Believe
Screens (Takes on Life and Business...How They Differ and Rarely Intersect.)
Corporate Arrogance...The Fatal Flaws of Corporate Thinking
"Been There, Done That." People Often Say They Have...But Really Haven't (consultants)
Hold On to What You÷ve Got! (Biggest Customer Service Mistakes that Damage-Lose Business)
Mis-Statements...Slogans that Mis-Lead:
• Many Companies Over-Represent to Sell Something & Believe Their Own Word Games.
• When a Company Says They're the Fastest Growing...Beware!
What's in a Name or Label? (Nuances, Shades of Meaning, Usages Not the Same)
Putting Technology into Proper Perspective (including "7 Levels of Technology in Corporate Usage," "7 Fallacies of Technology...Misconceptions, Mis-uses," "7 Realities of Technology," "7 Ways to Make the Most of Technology and Equipment")
Grounds, Earth and Turf (Business Realities to Plant and Nurture Your Business Tree)
Healthy Trees from Little Acorns Grow (Elements which grow the business and assure success)
Legends in Their Own Minds
Success Earned and Learned
The RFP Hoax
Has Beens, Never-Wases and Wanna-Be's
Clues for the Clueless
Fine Wine, Aged Cheese and Valuable Antiques
The Moment of Truth
How to Assure That You "Will Be."
Secrets of the CEOs (case studies)
When Someone Offers a Quick Fix...Beware!
The Good New Days
It Doesn't Have a Beat, But I Can Still Dance to It. --- Overcoming False Assumptions
Is It the Good Turtle Soup, or Really the Mock? --- Perceptual Reality...Seeing Beyond the Glitz. (Putting less emphasis upon form and more upon substance. Symbolisms for healthy business values and practices...developing reasons to believe and reasonable beliefs
Lessons Learned But Not Soon Forgotten
Lessons Never Learned
Telling People What They Really Need to Hear
Why People Abuse the System
Kicking Problems Up Into Mid-Management
Corporate Self-Esteem
You Do Your Best Work for Free (mastering "pro-bono" and volunteer work)
Keeping Balance in a World of People Seeking Balance
You Can't Afford to Be Right Too Soon
The Request for Proposals Hoax
The Art of Being a Great Second Banana...How to Be a Successful Supporting Player
Creating an Outsourcing Program
Changing Your Organization
Creating a Corporate Culture
Rechanneling Old Knowledge for Today's Advantage
Getting Buy-In from Employees
Overcoming Inertia, Turning a Downward Trend in Business
The Visioning Process
Strategic Planning
Annual Reports
Responsibilities for Members of Boards of Directors
How to Get the Most Out of Trade Shows
Goal Setting for Next Year
Going Through a Corporate Name Change
Come Back When You Grow Up. --- How Often We Need to Hear It from the Marketplace!
Crisis Management and Preparedness
Political Correctness
The Costs of Handling It Internally...and Outsourcing, Contracting Freelance Talent
Investor Relations, Financial Communications
The Quality Process
Community Stewardship, Community Relations
Overcoming Resistance
Multicultural Diversity
Ethics
Motivating People Toward Mastering Change
Recognizing and Building Positive Influences
There's Always a Solution to Be Reached (Constituency building, mediation)
Artists, Definitions of What is Art
Widening Perceptions
Conducting Company Audits and Performance Reviews
Understanding the Non-Profit Organizational Culture
The Art of Saying No. The Art of Saying Yes.
Championing Causes
Taking Companies Public

Culturalizations:
Looking for a Role Model
Views of Life through the TV Tube (understanding the Baby Boom culture)
Views of Life through music styles and trends (understanding the Baby Boom culture)
Why Organizations Click
Bosses, Employees
False Assumptions
Odd-But-Truisms
How We Emerged...What We Have Become
Reconciling the Past...Putting Progress into Perspective
Presentation is Everything

Techniques, Strategies:
Strategies for Business Development
People Skills and Values
Creating Action, Producing an Action Plan
Understanding Others
Learning to Empower
Making Positive Behavioral Changes
Implementing an Action Plan
Sharpening Communication Skills, Words-Emphasis Placed
Budgeting in a Recession, The Economic Recovery Process
Developing Member Recruitment-Retention Programs for Trade-Professional Associations
Planning and Executing Special Events
Five-Step Corrective Action Process
Consultation Skills and Techniques
Media Relations Series (Best Time to Call the Media, Your Corporation's Rights and Obligations in Dealing with the Media, The Ten Commandments of Speaking to the News Media, 15 Ways to Get Better Media Coverage, How to Place a Value on Publicity)
Third Party Business Support Building
Value of Public Speaking to Companies
Creating Effective Brochures About Your Company
Contributions as a Goal to Market Companies
How to Build Resource Libraries ("Secondary Research")
Pointers on Making Executive Photos
Effective Listening Tips for Managers
Telephone Etiquette Affects the Bottom Line
How to Use Video as a Marketing Tool
Article Reprints Make Good Mailers
Advertising and Public Relations, the Differences
Components of a Marketing Program
Elevator Etiquette
Cause Related Marketing
Seminars Stimulate Business Growth and Professional Development
B-Rool Footage Adds TV Coverage
How to Delegate Authority
Video Archiving
Operating In-House Print Shops
What Warrants a Press Conference? Deciding When and How to Call It.
Tips for Writing Business Correspondence
Avoiding the Pitfalls in Family-Run Businesses
Employee Relations, Company Responsibilities
Fax Machines Are Effective Communicators
Creating Effective Business Cards
Video Production...How and Why to Do It, How to Exhibit It
Telephone Tag...Ways to Avoid the Trap
Components of Corporate Identity Programs
Trade Memberships Benefit Your Company
Plan Seminars for a Purpose
Pointers for Producing Effective Printed Materials ("Collaterals")
Volunteer Recruitment and Training for Non-Profit Organizations
Selecting the Right Day Care Center
Producing Effective Surveys and Questionnaires
How to Build a Business Advisory Board
Expressions, Unearthed Information and Conversation Pieces

More than 75 one-page "7 Most" essays on business
($2.00 each for one-page executive summaries. Package of 10, your choice of titles, for $15.50)

7 Levels-Tiers of Qualifying Consultants and Senior Advisors
7 Stages of Business Collaboration, Partnering, Joint Venturing
7 Stages of Community Stewardship
7 Stages of Business Growth Strategy
7 Phases in the Life Cycle of any Company-Organization
7 Benefits of Strategic Planning
7 Questions to Ask Your Company
7 Values of an Annual Report
7 Tiers on the Corporate Ladder...Contexts for Service Providers, Consultants
7 Reasons to Embrace Change...and Benefits Provided
7 Dilemmas-Challenges of Business Owners and CEOs
7 Ways to Measure the Success of Your Business
7 Stages in the Making of a CEO
7 Truisms of a Healthy Business
7 Steps in the Corrective Action Process
7 Major Factors Which Affect Your Ability to Stay in Business
7 Biggest Roadblocks to Business Growth
7 Stages of a Career
7 Plateaus of Professionalism
7 Most Significant Things that Managers Aren't Taught on Their Way Up
7 Levels of Executive
7 Measures of a Successful Executive
7 Levels of Mentorship
7 Degrees of Failure...Plateaus in the Learning Curve
7 Dynamics of People in an Organization
7 Areas of Cutting Overhead Costs
7 Means of Trimming Waste and Fat in Your Company
7 Major Areas Where a Business Fails
7 Basic Categories of the American Work Force
30 Classifications of Jobs and Workers
7 Plateaus of Work Ethic
7 Stages in People's Willingness to Learn-Commit to New Perspectives
7 Stages in the Evolution of Ideas, Concepts, Philosophies
7 Most Defeating Characteristics of Any Organization
7 Ingredients of Success
7 Biggest Misconceptions About Business
7 Biggest Mistakes Made by Heads of Companies
7 Biggest Blindspots for Middle Managers
7 Biggest Mistakes Made by Young People at the Beginning of Their Careers
7 Levels of Authority Figure
7 Levels of Values
7 Levels of Longevity...How Companies Develop Staying Power
7 Levels of Research
7 Costs of Curing Corporate Problems
7 Levels of Planning Utilized by Organizations
7 Levels of Choices
7 Levels of Change
7 Layers of Wisdom
7 Stages of Fear
7 Stages of FEAR (Find Excellence After Reflection)
7 Steps Toward Achieving Your Future Success
7 Realities of Companies That Survive

Audio Tapes and Workbooks
of many of the above topics are available.
Please e-mail your inquiries.

Sample Monograph.....

The Business They're Really In
Ranking by Priorities and Agendas...
Theirs, Yours and the Customers'

By Hank Moore
Corporate Strategist™
Futurist, Vision Expeditor

This Management Monograph is for organizations which wish to grow successfully, excerpted from Hank Moore's book series, The Lost Lessons, The Business Tree™, The High Cost of Doing Nothing™, It's Almost Tomorrow, Secrets of the CEOs.

Frame of reference is everything in business. Different people within the same organization have contrasting views as to the Business They're Really In.

Organizations start out to be one thing, but they evolve into something else. In their mind, they're one thing. Other people think they are something else. The truth actually lies somewhere else.

A company starts out to create the best widgets there are. After the art of building the first widget has been resolved, the harsh reality of running a widget factory appears. People need to be trained to make and process widgets through the production chain. Other people must find and develop the widget marketplace. The twain rarely meet within their own company. Turfs continue to be protected. Each constituency believes the Business They're In is and should be the one and only Business the Company Should Be In.

Then come the onslaught of widget competitors, clones and wanna-be's. The widget regulators get involved, as do the special interest groups. Each camp sees the business differently.

Then, the widget company decides to go public. Selling stocks, raising capital and working with the financial community becomes the priority. Constituencies start complaining that the company has veered from its initial mission. They're no longer the mom-and-pop widget maker that they once were. They've become a profiteering corporation, or a bureaucracy, or a bunch of marketers, or a technocrat institution...whichever constituency the critic does not belong to. The company, in their mind, is not in the business that the individual is in.

Therein lie the inevitable conflicts. Rather than try to inter-mingle differing contexts, organizations continue to mean different things to different employees. Sadly, however, most organizations do very little to resolve conflicts of context. Thus, they begin paying The High Cost of Doing Nothing™. Problems continue to simmer and fester...costing the organization several leaves, twigs and limbs on each branch of its Business Tree™.

Ranking the Business They're In

Priorities change. Dedicated providers of the service stated in the original company mission become frustrated when they don't understand the reasons for shifting priorities.

Most often, what organizations say they do in external promotions to potential customers actually ranks low on the actual priority list. That occurs due to the agendas of individuals who guide the organization...departing from the core business for which founders were presumably educated and experienced. Add to that the harsh realities of doing business and staying competitive.

Here is an average priority ranking for companies-organizations:
1. Revenue volume and its rewards (bonuses for key management).
2. Growth, defined as increasing revenues each year (rather than improving the quality of company operations).
3. Doing the things necessary to assure revenue (billings, sales, add-on's, marketing). Keeping the cash register ringing...rather than focusing upon what is being sold, how it is made and the kind of company they need to be.
4. Running a bureaucracy.
5. Maintaining the status quo. Keeping things churning. Making adjustments, corrections or improvements only when crises warrant (band-aid surgery).
6. Glory, gratification and recognition (for the company and for certain leaders).
7. Furthering stated corporate agendas.
8. Furthering unwritten corporate agendas.
9. Courting favor with opinion leaders.
10. Actually delivering the core business. Making the widget itself. Doing what you started in business to do...what you tell the customers that you do.
11. Doing the things that a company should do to be a good company. Processes, policies and procedures to make better widgets and a better organization.
12. Customer service, consideration or follow-up beyond the sale.
13. Looking after the people, in terms of training, empowerment, resources and rewards.
14. Giving back to those who support the company.
15. Advancing conditions in which core business is delivered.
16. Walking the Talk...ethics, values, quality, vision.
17. Giving back to the community, industry, Body of Knowledge.

People in the organization who do things below the top nine priorities have vastly different perceptions of the organization, its mission, their role and the parts to be played by others:
• Some jockey for position...to make their priority seem to advance higher.
• Some keep people on the lower rungs in check, assuring that their priorities remain low.
• Some become frustrated because others' priorities are not theirs.
• Some build fiefdoms within the organization to solidify their ranking.
• Some do their job as well as possible, hoping that others will recognize and reward their contributions.
• Some don't think that they're noticed and simply occupy space within the organizational structure.
• Some try to take advantage of the system.
• Some are clueless as to the existence of a system, pecking order, corporate agendas, company vision or other realities.

Until such time as a concerted effort to establish commonalities of purpose is made (shared company Vision), organizational chaos perpetuates. This negatively impacts productivity, morale and the delivering of the product-service. Customers always suffer the side-effects.

Breakdowns Per Type of Company-Organization

In addition to generic organizational priorities, each business, market niche and type of goods-services has industry-specific characteristics. These add further agendas-priorities to the general list. What they promote themselves as being externally is usually near the bottom of actual priority rankings...or perhaps a category unto itself. Here are some samples of organizational priorities, by industry:

Retailers:
1. Keeping the cash registers ringing.
2. Moving case lots of merchandise, to justify negotiated prices and bonuses.
3. Sales of products.
4. Marketing of the store.
5. Making it difficult for customers to return merchandise.
6. Providing customer service, as it relates to making sales.
7. Overall customer goodwill service.
In external promotions, they say they're: Giving customers all they want and need.

Energy companies:
1. Marketing products.
2. Profiting investors and executives.
3. Perpetuating a system, mindset, industry, ideology, bureaucracy.
4. Engineering.
5. Energy production.
6. Research and development.
7. Serving the marketplace.
8. Issues advocacy.
In external promotions, they say they're: Finding new sources of energy.

Health care:
1. Revenues, billings, fees.
2. Maintaining the industry's pecking order of respect, status and deference.
3. Running bureaucracies.
4. Interface with insurance companies.
5. Patient care.
6. Professional association activities, publishing and image enhancement.
7. Health and wellness public education.
In external promotions, they say they're: Offering affordable health care for all.

School systems:
1. Raising funds through taxes, grants.
2. Perpetuating a bureaucracy.
3. Gaining acclaim and recognition. Priorities are directly commensurate to those of constituencies which the districts court.
4. Educating students.
5. Serving communities (taxpayer base).
6. Education for education's sake.
In external promotions, they say they're: There to help students to learn.

Media:
1. Selling advertising.
2. Influence buying, selling, peddling, fostering myths-perceptions.
3. Entertaining audiences, in order to deliver numbers to advertisers.
4. Giving the appearance of serving the public, to create cause-related marketing revenue stream.
5. Informing-entertaining audiences.
6. Serving the public as a community-public service.
In external promotions, they say they're: Caring and committed to serving communities.

Elected public officials:
1. Power, prestige, influence.
2. Championing own pet causes-issues-agendas.
3. Serving pet issues of selected constituencies.
4. Fund raising and other details of winning elections.
5. Serving general issues of overall constituency.
6. Advocating for the rights of the those in need.
In external promotions, they say they're: Championing the cause of freedom everywhere.

Government bureaucracies:
1. Real estate trade, expansion, taxation.
2. Serving special interests, overtly or covertly.
3. Maintaining a bureaucratic structure.
4. Furthering the agendas of bureaucrat managers.
5. Serving taxpayer needs.
6. Providing a forum for taxpayer issues.
In external promotions, they say they're: Running efficient government.

Insurance companies:
1. Revenues from policy sales.
2. Policy renewals with minimum of marketing effort.
3. Paying for their organization to operate.
4. Paying a network of third-party administrators.
5. Denying as many claims as possible.
6. Serving clients.
7. Paying claims.
In external promotions, they say they're: Protecting policy holders for all eventualities.

Unions:
1. Maintaining a constant of dues-paying members.
2. Programs-activities that lead dues payers to believe they've made an investment.
3. Programs and activities that will attract more dues paying members.
4. Advocacy of member interests.
5. Perpetuating a system, mindset, industry, ideology, bureaucracy.
6. Advocating-benefiting the business climate in which members work.
In external promotions, they say they're: Earning pay raises and benefits for members.

Consultants:
1. Generating billings.
2. Marketing to get work...making claims and promises. Telling clients they require what consultant sells, rather than overview of client needs-realities.
3. Hiring support personnel after the work is obtained.
4. Client service.
5. Professional development, in order to be all that was claimed in the marketing.
6. Running the consultancy as a business.
In external promotions, they say they're: Improving businesses, per their niche definition.

Airlines:
1. Filling maximum numbers of seats at highest negotiated rates.
2. Competing with travel agencies to get customers to book directly.
3. Influential forces in communities, government entities.
4. Well maintained fleets of equipment.
5. Well trained and managed employees.
6. Committed to continuing customer service.
In external promotions, they say they're: The best transportation bargain around.

Entertainment industry:
1. Selling tickets to events, copies of product and repeat business.
2. Image marketing, to attract customers, glamour and attention.
3. Revenue enhancement from sales.
4. Running companies to produce, package and market products.
5. Show business...often smoke, mirrors, egos and sizzle.
6. The entertainment product itself.
6. Customer enjoyment...putting more stock in customer wants, fancies and trends than most industries do.
7. People who produce, distribute and market the products.
In external promotions, they say they're: Assuring that a good time is had by all.

Computer and software companies:
1. Vendors of products and consulting time.
2. Developers of sellable products.
3. Teachers of how to use their products.
4. Offer backup support to continuing customers.
In external promotions, they say they're: Providing full-scope business solutions.

Telecommunications:
1. Selling equipment.
2. Selling additional features.
3. Marketing company image, to help sell additional features.
4. Billing customers for add-on's.
5. Government relations, lobbying with opinion leaders.
6. Company agendas and administration.
7. Technology production-distribution-maintenance.
8. Customer service...as it relates to selling more products-features.
9. Customer service...as it relates to taking care of what was sold.
In external promotions, they say they're: A public trust, a human motivator.

Restaurant (one location):
1. Creating and serving food recipes they have perfected.
2. Making a fair profit, though driving force is food quality.
3. Taking personal care of customers.
4. Overseeing details to maintain restaurant consistency.
5. Marketing the restaurant.
6. Administration of the business.
In external promotions, they say they're: A unique dining experience.

Restaurant chain:
1. Opening new locations.
2. Realizing profits on all units.
3. Attracting investors for the next deals.
4. Edging out the competition.
5. Policies of uniformity and consistency.
6. Marketing of products, locations and chain image.
7. Ambiance and atmosphere.
8. The food product itself.
9. Customer service.
10. Vendor-supplier activities.
11. Staff training, employee relations.
In external promotions, they say they're: A dining experience that is standardized.

Public lotteries:
1. Raising funds to pay for their own salaries, overhead and bureaucracy.
2. Selling false hope to people wanting to get rich quick.
3. Preying upon people who want instant riches.
4. Selling an addiction (buying tickets) to those who can least afford it.
5. Administering the process.
In external promotions, they say they're: Raising funds to benefit education and other social-conscious and politically-correct causes.

Read Behind the Lines of What They Say

When They Say... • They're Usually Mean...
Proven innovative concepts • Process upholders...nothing new or outside the box
Mission Statement • Setting their own barriers...not full-scope planning
Growth opportunities • Sales goals-quotas...market share is all that matters
Solutions for business problems • Suggestive selling for their products
Partnerships • Computer links to sales contacts
Information for customers • Sales promotions on their products
The next generation • Planned obsolescence of current-future models
Business services • Vendors of products
Planning-management consultants • Software peddlers
Fastest growing • Oriented to sales, not service or customer follow-up
Serving all your business needs • Peddling one concept (their product-service)
Fast, easy results • Selling quick fixes...not long-term solutions
Insightful advice • Suggestive selling for their products
Making life easy for the customer • Quick fixes...not in tune with your true situation
A perfect organization • Not acclimated to continuous quality improvement

The Business They Could Be In

Within any industry and company, there is wide variance of priorities. Board members and line workers have different rank orders. Therein lies the rub...and the inevitable source of conflict within every organization.

Rather than wish for what we think "used to be" or "ought to be," the challenge is to reconcile differences of opinion and create a unified organization. Since priority rankings will rarely be identical among employees, the purpose of shared company Vision is to build commonalities.

Companies should establish a formal Visioning program. Part of that should be a Strategic Plan, updated every five years and containing annual benchmark goals. This process should be facilitated by an outside professional advisor. Do not make the mistake of assuming that the process will be skillfully and objectively conducted in-house.

The process should make the following assumptions, per each category on The Business Tree™:
1. The business you're in. Products-services reflect marketplace needs of today and the future. Processes are continually updating themselves. Expansion of business is a natural outgrowth of carefully-planned and well-implemented strategy.
2. Running the business. Though company leadership influences Vision, the process of implementing it must involve the total organization.
3. Financial. The company has a fiduciary responsibility to run effectively and profitably. All must respect this, though finance cannot govern all aspects of company activity.
4. People. Every employee of the organization must be accountable and trained.
5. Business development. Customer input must factor into all long-term planning decisions. External factors of the marketplace must always influence products-services.
6. Body of Knowledge. Each part of the organization must learn more about and how to interact better with each other. Departments living in a myopic vacuum is not acceptable.
7. The Big Picture. Shared organizational Vision is a road map for progressive growth. Things do not just happen without thoughtful planning and Big Picture thinking.

When a Business Changes Course

...Expanding into Other Areas.

Reasons why some want to grow beyond their current boundaries:
1. Prove to someone else that they can do it.
2. Strong quest for revenue and profits.
3. Corporate arrogance and ego, based upon power and influence (as well as money).
4. Sincere desire to put expertise into new arena.
5. Really have talents, resources and adaptabilities beyond what they're known for.
6. Diversifying as part of a plan of expansion, selling off and regrowing subsidiaries.
7. The marketplace dictates change as part of the company's global being.

Circumstances under which they expand:
1. Advantageous location became available.
2. Someone wanted to sell out...a great deal was tough to pass up.
3. Can't sit still...must conquer new horizons.
4. Think they can make more money, amass more power.
5. Desire to edge out a competitor or dominate another industry.
6. Create jobs for existing employees (new challenges, new opportunities).
7. Part of their growth strategy to go public, offering stock as a diversified company.

What often happens as a result of unplanned growth:
1. Original business gets shoved to the back burner.
2. New business quest gets proportionately more than its share of attention.
3. Capitalization is stretched beyond limits, and operations advance in a cash-poor mode.
4. Morale wavers and becomes uneven, per operating unit and division.
5. Attempts to bring consistency and uniformity drive further wedges into the operation.
6. Something has to give: people, financial resources, competitive edge, company vision.
7. The company expands and subsequently contracts without strategic planning.

7 Measures of a Successful
Organization Visioning Program

Only at such time as the Business You're Really In has been carefully studied, and a Strategic Plan is implemented to assure consistency in purpose, then the following components of a true company Vision may be expected to ring true:

1. The business you're in. You're highly dedicated, talented, resourceful and give customers what they cannot really get elsewhere.
2. Running the business. Business is approached as both an art and a science. Operations continue to streamline and are professional and productive. Demonstrated integrity and dependability assure customers that the team will perform magnificently.
3. Financial. Keeping the cash register ringing is not the only reason for being in business. You always give customers their money's worth. Your charges are fair and reasonable. Business is run economically and efficiently, with excellent accounting procedures, payables-receivables practices and cash management.
4. People. The company is people-friendly. Collaborations assure that top talent is assembled. The team is empowered, likable, competent and demonstrate initiative and judgment.
5. Business Development. Customer service is always the focus...for and with clients. Communications are open, frequent, professional and with a deep sense of caring.
6. Body of Knowledge. There is a sound understanding of the relationship of each business function to the other. You provide leadership for progress, rather than following along. You develop-champion the tools to change.
7. The Big Picture. Approach business as a Body of Work...a lifetime track record of accomplishments. You have and regularly update-benchmark a strategy for the future, shared company Vision, ethics, Big Picture thinking and "walk the talk."

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