Clarify Objectives with the “Because Test”
I thought meetings were pretty good until I got my Six Sigma green belt and started to see things through a DMAIC lens (Define, Measure,...
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Sam Decker Blog
Sep 1, 20224 min read
10 Elements to Sustain Greatness
I watched a documentary on Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini (boxer), a champion boxer. He said, “It is very hard to get to the top, but it is even...
Aug 29, 20226 min read
Say Yes to No! 12 Places to Say No
“No” seems like such a negative word. Usually we don’t want to use the word when correcting kids or when your colleague asks to borrow...
Aug 3, 20221 min read
Decker’s 15 Career Tips
These posts were prompted by many conversations for career advice or feedback from ex-colleagues and employees. As I recall, these were...
Aug 2, 20221 min read
6 C-Level Questions for Your Idea
Remember that any idea worth a lot will roll up to some C-level. So you might think about what the C-suite is thinking about when they...
Aug 1, 20223 min read
8 Principles to Create a GOOD Strategic Plan
What makes a good strategic plan? How do you make a good strategic plan? Wait... what is "good"?? My perspective on planning may be...
Aug 1, 20222 min read
13 Ideas to get MORE from Your Board Meetings
Is yours a board meeting or a bored meeting? Understanding what makes a great board meeting isn’t just important for the CEO and...
Aug 1, 20221 min read
Tips for CTO / CMO Relationships
Forrester interviewed me years ago for a paper on working with IT in startups and Dell. Bottom line: the most important aspect to good...
Jul 31, 20222 min read
The Obstacles to Going Faster
I find motorsports fascinating. I find many parallels between racing cars and growing, in life and business. To win in racing (or to go...
Jul 31, 20225 min read
4 Steps to a "Test-Before-Invest" Plan
Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “In preparing for battle I have always found plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Have you...
Jul 31, 20222 min read
12 Questions for High-Impact Outcomes
Have you ever gone to a meeting and it started with random ideas in search of a problem, or maybe one idea that takes over the agenda? Do...
Jul 31, 20225 min read
7 Steps to a Data-Driven Culture
The majority of brands have software to test, personalize and use data. But as we learned in our recent study, the readiness to achieve...
Jul 31, 20222 min read
How to Choose an Agency
I was talking to a good friend today looking to redesign his company's web site. He got proposals from three agencies. His director of...
Jul 30, 20224 min read
5 Executive Motivators for Innovation. And the one that matters.
Overcoming inertia requires executive buy-in. Despite talk of innovation, it’s a challenge to get groups of people to do something new....
Jul 17, 20101 min read
The Paradoxes of Servant Leadership
Strong enough to be weak Successful enough to fail Busy enough to make time Wise enough to say “I don’t know” Serious enough to laugh...
Apr 22, 20093 min read
Capital Factory Invests in Five Startups for 2009 Fund
And you can follow all 5 startups on Twitter! @CubitPlanning @FamiGoGames @Homstie @Hourville @PetzMD Capital Factory Invests in Five...
Jul 22, 20087 min read
The 5 Stars of a “Rockstar” Employee
Obviously you want to be a rockstar and you want to hire a rockstar. So what does a rockstar look like? How do you interview for them? In...
Oct 19, 20072 min read
Every Program is a P&L
In my experience, when you’re trying to grow revenue as fast as possible with little time and resources, it’s important to think about...
Jul 28, 20072 min read
Humble Strength from a Navy Seal
My new friend never told me he was a Navy Seal. Serendipitously I found out he was a Seal through a web search on his name. I was...
Mar 22, 20071 min read
3 Emotions to Drive Execs to Action
What moves consumers to action? Emotion. It’s not much different than with executives and managers…you just use data to create those...
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