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"Every day, according to best estimates, your customers and the people you would like to be your customers, are bombarded with more than 5,000 messages. There are advertisements—commercials, billboards, pop ups; calls from telemarketers; emails from deposed princes who need your help banking their fortunes; companies promising to enhance this or that; signs on buses and cabs; branding on clothing and in stores... you get the idea.
No wonder it is becoming harder and harder to break through the clutter. In an environment where literally thousands of messages are competing for attention, how do you get people to pay attention to your business, message, or offering?
Simply put: by being relevant."
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"In the 80's, many began their search for excellence. Over three decades later, the search still continues for many of us and, for others, the search has just begun.
We were intrigued by the concept of excellence in both the personal and organizational domains. So, we began on a journey to understand excellence and soon found that a significant barrier exists. Excellence did not have a generally accepted definition. Thus, any further value we could contribute to the understanding of excellence must be predicated on unshakable bedrock and pillars sanctioned by all those in search of excellence. In short, a common working definition of excellence must be derived."
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"We've got a problem right now: our smart people are doing the wrong things. If we can get them to do the right things it will transform the country.
We need more jobs, new enterprises and a resurgent culture of innovation in the U.S. The question is—how can we encourage our top people to take risks and build new things?
[...] According to one McKinsey study, since 2007 eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds experienced the greatest decline in entrepreneurial activity of any group, leading the authors to conclude, 'The US economy is currently not producing enough of its next generation of serial entrepreneurs.'"
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"We are Corporate Idealists. We're in Asia's factory zones, working with local managers to make sure employees are paid and treated properly. We're in Africa, sitting on dirt floors with village elders to protect indigenous traditions amidst an influx of foreign oil workers. We're in Silicon Valley, collaborating with product developers to better protect user privacy. We're in London and New York, convincing our directors that protecting people and the planet is good for business.
We have experienced heartache and disillusionment. But we also know that big business can make the world a better place, and feel compelled to do all we can to make that happen.
Are we delusional or realistic? Are we changing the way that business is done or tinkering at the margins? Terrified of the risks or excited by the opportunities? Is our love of big business justified or misguided?
Yes. This is our manifesto."
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"The business world today is full of information overload and there is not enough time to sift through it. If you cannot capture people's attention and deliver your message with brevity, you'll lose them.
For starters, the discipline to capture and manage elusive mindshare now shapes and defines professional success. Shorter e-mails, better organized updates, and tighter and more engaging presentations are immediate indicators that you've got what it takes to succeed in an attention economy.
Getting to the point is a non-negotiable standard. The reasons why are plentiful.
Ten years ago, brevity was a nicety and meant primarily for long-winded types that couldn't shut up. Today, being clear and concise is an absolute necessity; it's what successful people expect to see—and get quickly frustrated when it's missing."
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