Team Orrin Woodward

The Power of Wikinomics!

From time to time I have taken the opportunity to share with the readers here some the books that I have been found to be extremely interesting. I happened to pick up the book Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, over the holidays and I could not put it down. I found so many parallels with what we doing at the Team office in 2008 and what Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady have been advocating for years. If you are interested in knowing where ecommerce is going in the future and how companies are going to thrive in that environment this is a book you need to read. I am going to post a few excerpts below in bold and my comments will follow.

“Throughout history corporations have organized themselves according to strict hierarchical lines of authority. Everyone was a subordinate to someone else – employees versus managers, marketers versus customers, producers versus supply chain subcontractors, companies versus the community. While hierarchies are not vanishing, profound changes in the nature of technology, demographics, and the global economy are giving rise to powerful new models of production based on community, collaboration, and self-organization rather than hierarchy and control.”

In this new economy that is forming the people or the “customer” has more power than ever. They want to be heard and their ideas and suggestions taken into consideration. With technology customers can now participate in multiple formats to help the companies who decide to listen.

“This new participation has reached a tipping point where new forms of mass collaboration are changing how goods and services are invented, produced, marketed, and distributed on a global basis….This new mode of innovation, anv value creation is called “peer production,” or peering – which describes what happens when masses of people and firms collaborate openly to drive innovation and growth in their industries.”

This is very important. Consumers are more informed than ever with the internet. They can research topics and many times are better informed of the economic landscape than so called business leaders in their ivory towers formulating decisions in the dark. It is important to listen and collaborate with the people on the ground. You need to get the customers insight and feedback and they need to be active participants with company leaders. Why is “peering” with your customers so important? Read the following text.

“A power shift is underway, and a tough new business rule is emerging: Harness the new collaboration or perish. Those who fail to grasp this will find themselves ever more isolated – cut off from the networks that are sharing, adapting, and updating to create value.”

As networks and communities grow their power and influence grows as well and their ability to bring fresh new ideas and innovation to the table increases exponentially. Let’s look at a company that is harnessing the collective genius of its vast global network of customers. The CEO of Proctor and Gamble, A.G. Lafley, did the following.

“Lafley instructed business unit leaders to source 50% of their new product and service ideas from outside the company. Now you can work for P&G without being on their payroll. Just register on the InnoCentive network where you and ninety thousand other scientists around the world can help solve tough R&D problems for a cash reward. InnoCentive is only one of the many revolutionary marketplaces matching scientists to R&D challenges presented by companies in search of innovation.”

There is a reason why Proctor and Gamble is a global market leader. The leadership at the top of this company recognized the vast wealth of knowledge that they could use from outside their corporate walls and thus found a way to incentivize people to participate and help solve tough challenges.

This next paragraph I think really gets to the heart of the issue.

“Some of these grassroots innovations pose dire threats to existing business models. Publishers of music, literature, movies, software, and television are like the proverbial canaries in a coal mine – the first casualties of a revolution that is sweeping across all industries…Now, to great chagrin, industrial-era titans are learning that the real revolution is just getting started. Except this time the competition is no longer their arch industry rivals; it’s the uberconnected, amorphous mass of self organized individuals that is gripping their economic needs firmly in one hand, and their economic destinies in the other. “We the People” is no longer just a political expression – a hopeful ode to the power of “the masses”; its also an apt description of how ordinary people, as employees consumers, community members, and taxpayers now have the power to innovate and create value on the global scale….As with all previous economic revolutions, the demands on individuals, organizations, and nations will be intense, and at times traumatic, as old industries and ways of life give way to new processes, technologies, and business models. The playing field has been ripped wide open…”

We have all heard about Michael Dell's Three C's "Content, Commerce, and Community." He said the secret to the internet is community. Well this final quote is yet one more affirmation of that point.

"...what is the difference? The losers launched Web sites. The winners launched vibrant communities. The losers build walled gardens. The winners built public squares. The losers innovated internally. The winners innovated with their users. The losers jealously guarded their data and software interfaces. The winners shared them with everyone."

Orrin Woodward set to release benchmarking study!

This was just posted on Orrin Woodward Press today. I thought our readers would like to be updated on this benchmarking study that Orrin is set to release next week. You can read the full article at Orrin Woodward Press and at the bottom there is a PDF of an article from Orrin's days at General Motors when he won a National Benchmarking Award. As a nationally recognized engineer with four US patents to his name you can be sure this study he has been working on will make some big news in the direct selling industry.

Orrin Woodward is an entrepreneur that has succeeded in a number of arenas through-out his life. Prior to co-authoring his best selling book Launching a Leadership Revolution and becoming one of the most sought after leadership development speakers across the globe, Orrin Woodward started his career as an engineer for GM and climbed up the ranks rapidly.

Orrin, at the age of 25, became the youngest winner of a prestigious national engineering award, “The National Benchmarking Award.” This award was presented to Orrin by the International Benchmarking Clearinghouse recognizing Orrin for his astounding benchmarking research on automotive fuel pumps. The two year study that Orrin conducted gave the industry a ‘better understanding’ of the technology, trends and correlations of various competitors’ fuel pumps, which allowed massive improvements for the future production of AC Delco Systems’ fuel pump. The changes that resulted from this research resulted in massive enhancements that saved the company a great deal of money during the production stage, durability and efficiency were improved significantly and vibration was also cut down to limit unwanted noise for the driver.

This award is not handed out lightly and Orrin was the recipient of a reward that recognizes excellence. Orrin has a skill for taking something that is good and making it great. This is another reason why Orrin Woodward has four patents, in production (to this day/or at one time), to his name. This feat is mind boggling itself as many engineers will go through their entire career without ever developing one patent, and Orrin at the young age of 25 put his mind to work and cranked out four patents in a relatively short amount of time.

The success that Orrin achieved grabbed the attention of a number of people across the nation, sending them on a race to recruit him for the knowledge that he could lend to their firms. Orrin accepted an offer and became a successful consultant developing further benchmarking studies. Orrin retired after a few years of consulting, developed a large number of successful businesses across the country and is now excited about the impact that his latest leadership book is having with readers all over the world.

Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady sign books for charity in Flint, Michigan.

Best selling authors Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady will be making a special appearance in Flint Michigan, January 26th from 12 to 3pm at the Barnes and Noble book store on Miller Road. Their New York Times and Wall Street Journal best selling book, Launching A Leadership Revolution, continues to garner high praise and accolades from around North America. Of great interest is the fact that all income earned from the sale of this book is being donated to various worthwhile charities and causes.

This is a great opportunity to meet these authors in person and learn more about their upcoming book releases. I have been told that two books are currently being discussed.
You can learn more about both authors and their upcoming book projects by visiting them at Orrin Woodward Leadership Blog or Chris Brady Author Blog.

Great Quotes

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of a majority it is time to pause and reflect."

Mark Twain

"There is no difference between a pessimist who says, "Oh, it's hopeless, so don't bother doing anything," and an optimist who says, "Don't bother doing anything, it's going to turn out fine anyway." Either way, nothing happens."

Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagoina

"As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. Then man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Authors Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady blog about their book and next project!

Hot on the heels of the successful release of Launching A Leadership Revolution that continues to climb the best selling lists in New York authors Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady are talking with their readers to determine the direction and scope of their next project.

I have had conversations with both men who are humbled by this experience thus far and happy that they have had an opportunity to write a book that has positively affected so many. Their excitement is evident when they start to talk about all the charitable organizations they will be able to help as all the proceeds and royalties they earn from this project are going to charity.

Many people continue to try to reach Orrin and Chris wanting to talk about this book, leadership principles, and to gain insight into the next book project that they are working on. Both men have a personal blog set up where they are discussing these topics and more with their readers. If you would like to read their daily posts and pass along comments and thoughts about this book please visit their sites listed below.

Author Chris Brady's Book Blog

Orrin Woodward's Leadership Blog

Launching A Leadership Revolution Book Release Takes Off!

The highly anticipated release of Launching A Leadership Revolution has been a huge success. Our office has been flooded with people sending us pictures of book displays from major books stores all over the country where the book is being promoted. The picture below was submited by our very own Gary Brimmer who has spent countless hours working on the LLR project to make it a success! He took this picture at the Borders Bookstore in the Dulles Airport in Washington DC. It is now ranked on the Wall Street Journal Best Seller non-fiction list at #13 and it is listed at #3 in their business books section. I was just told this morning that Business Weekly has it ranked at #8. Rankings for the New York Times will be available shortly.

As most of you already know, the authors are donating 100% of the proceeds they earn from this book to charity. In the coming weeks we will highlight some of the charities that have been helped. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments about the book and how it may have helped you or others. I am sure our readers would like to hear these as well. You can share your comments using the link below.

Many thanks to the numerous people all over North America who had a hand in this project to make it as successful as it has been. I know both authors would echo this gratitude. We are excited about the early success of this book and know that the best is yet to come!

For those who would like more information on this book project please visit the site www.launchingaleadershiprevolution.com.

The New Rules of Business Marketing!

The below excerpts come from an article Seth Godin wrote for Forbes Magazine. His piece entitled Your Product, Your Customer was published in the May 7, 2007 edition of Forbes on page 90. His words echo what Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady have been talking about for years. Business is built on relationships and trust. In the new economy those who can build networks of customers loyal to a certain product or service will win over the mass marketers trying the old and tired methods of the 60’s and 70’s.

"Great brands and great companies have been built on the back of mass media. You fill your funnel with attention and slowly turn the attention into cash. Traditionally that’s how marketers convert strangers into customers. Whoever has the biggest funnel wins…..Bad news for control freaks everywhere: Your funnel is broken and you’re not in charge anymore.”

We witnessed this phenomenon at the beginning of the internet explosion where marketing companies tried to use the rules for the old game in this new economy. Remember those super bowl commercials where the new hot dot com companies spent millions to try to fill their funnels with mass market attention but ultimately most of them failed? New game, new rules, and those who change the quickest and adapt are the only ones who will survive. Companies who continue to play by the rule book created for the 1960’s and 1970’s are destined for failure.

Seth goes on to explain what is happening. “What’s a marketer to do? You can try to fill the funnel by running innovative ads. You can patch the leaks in your funnel by hiring a cooler agency…..Or you can try something new. First flip the funnel; turn it into a megaphone. But not as a device to yell at people who don’t want to hear from you. Instead, hand the megaphone to your best customers, who can help turn their friends and colleagues into your new best customers.”

Seth writes about this in his book the Idea Virus. Word of mouth is so much more powerful than anything a marketing company can do to promote a product. Think about the people in your life who you consider credible and trustworthy. Chances are if they have something great to say about a product or service you are going to try it for yourself. The exact opposite is also true. If they have had a poor experience you will most likely never try that product or service based on their recommendations.

“The network was always there, but the internet makes it powerful. It amplifies the happy user and spreads the word. But beware: it also boosts the volume of unhappy users…..Thanks to the network, it’s easier than ever to find your best customers and to broadcast their views. Amazon is filled with page after page of positive reviews by delighted (and uncompensated) customers.”

I have written many past articles on capitalism and the free enterprise market economies. These can probably be found in the archives of this site. A major theme that runs through many of the writings from people like Ayn Rand, Adam Smith, and even Rich Karlgard is that in a free market economy you don’t need much government intervention, regulation, and extensive laws to police the economy because the customer will do that for you. The internet has made this much easier. Businesses must operate with the best interest of their customers in mind and all business owners understand this. Just as good publicity can spread about a great product or service which will bring more customers to the business, poor service will spread just as fast and will affect the bottom line. Once you have lost a customer you have generally lost them for life.

Look how quickly the market turned on JetBlue Airlines after their debacle of leaving thousands of passengers held hostage in airplanes for hours during a snow storm. The outrage was so visceral and spread so quickly that JetBlue ended up having to testify before Congress about the event! Before that we all saw the public outcry against Firestone tires as they gained national attention after their product was found to be faulty which led to multiple horrific crashes which resulted in the loss of life. You could not give away a set of Firestone tires during that time and the CEO had to make numerous national announcements letting the public know about their commitment to safety. It has taken years for them to once again regain the trust of the public!

“The biggest mistake marketers make when they see the power of the consumer network is that they try to control, own, or manipulate it. This always fails because the network doesn’t care about you and can’t be bought. The smartest marketers aim to inspire, not to control…..great companies don’t push the lead!”

Seth Godin highlights very eloquently that companies can not play by the rule book that led to success decades ago. The rules have changed and mass marketing is less valuable now than ever before. Our world is full of marketing noise that we have learned to tune out. The people who we have not tuned out however are the credible and trustworthy friends and family members who share with us their good or bad experiences. This dialogue has more influence on us as consumers than any commercial ever will.

Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady have been far ahead of the curve in this new economy than many of their counterparts. When you read the above excerpts from Seth Godin, what does it all boil down to? Trust! The truth is going to come out about any product or service. If it is great or if it is bad, either way it will be known. Orrin Woodward has said to our board countless times, “We need to do everything so it can pass the New York Times test. No matter what we do we need to ensure that if it made the front page of the New York Times we would be proud. We are going to be honest in everything we do and we are going to be transparent with all our customers.” That is a mandate from our Chairman and that goes right to the heart of the issue Seth talks about. If you operate with those principles as your guiding light then you are going to be very successful in this new economy where word of mouth promotion travels further and quicker than ever before!

Internet Marketing Soars!

While flying home from Florida today, I saw this note in the Money Section of USAToday newspaper (Friday, May 25, 2007). I know this will be a point of interest for many of the readers here and so the full text is included below.

"Internet advertising sales soared 35% to $16.9 billion in the USA last year as marketers accelerated their pursuit of website audiences. Fourth quarter Internet ad spending reached a record $4.8 billion, also a 35% gain, the interactive Advertising Bureau said on Thursday, citing a survey conducted with accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers."

Internet retailing sales show no sign of slowing down in the near future. Companies that have relied on brick and mortar sales in the past continue to move and rely on internet sales for future business viability. Companies that are able to build and deliver a community of loyal buyers to those stores will become more and more valuable in this e-commerce dependent economy! Our Team is right in the middle of the sweet spot of this new economy!

Orrin Woodward and his Team have perfected the art of building online communities since 1999 when he heard Michael Dell talk at the Detroit Economics Club about the "Three C's of E-Commerce." As the industry leader who has built his business Team around a fast moving, agile, react to the market mindset, you can be sure there is much more to come.

Be A Champion!

The article below can be found online at Success Magazine or in the March/April 2007 issue of the magazine. After reading Ruben Gonzalez's essay on what it takes to be a champion I knew this needed to be shared with our readers here. Isn't it amazing how the very foundational principles of success and being a champion are universal no matter what you endeavor to achieve? Whether you are building a business, aspire to be an Olympian, working towards a college degree, or are striving to be successful in your career field there are basic principles that can help you accomplish your goal. Orrin Woodward teams up with the best speakers nationally as he discusses his proven ideas and principles on how to be successful. It is always amazing to me to see people from very different backgrounds that have been successful and see that those principles are universal. I hope you enjoy this article by Ruben Gonzalez.

The Champion’s Creed
Talking Business with Ruben Gonzalez
Success Staff

RUBEN GONZALEZ SUCCEEDED in making his dream of competing in the Olympics a reality. Gonzalez took up the luge, hurling himself down an icy track on a sled at speeds over 80 MPH. While most Olympic luge athletes begin training by the age of 10, he started at 21.

To some, Gonzalez’s dream seemed hopeless, but four years later, he qualified to compete in the Calgary Olympics and again in Albertville. But his most memorable Olympics would be at Salt Lake City in 2002. At age 39, he was so much older than his competitors that some mistook him for a coach! Nevertheless, Gonzalez’s story embodied the Olympic spirit, which is why he was chosen as one of 200 Olympians to carry the torch that year.

Gonzalez is the author of The Courage To Succeed and will be featured in the upcoming film, Pass It On. Now a motivational speaker, he shares his story and provides insight to audiences on how to push beyond their limitations. Success asked the three-time Olympian for his advice on achieving your dreams.

IGNORE DREAM STEALERS
“If I could go back and give advice to myself when I was starting out, I’d say not to listen to the dream stealers. When I first started, I called Lake Placid (home of USA Luge) and the man who answered laughed at me when I told him I was 21. I knew that hanging up wasn’t an option. After awhile he realized I was serious about training. You cannot listen to people who try to keep you from your dreams. What if I had taken that first no? That would have been the end of the story.”

PROBABILITIES AND POSSIBILITIES
In luging, nine out of ten people quit in their first year. These odds would make most wary, but not Gonzalez. “I got excited. I was going to outlast everyone. Most people look at their dreams and start calculating the odds of them ever happening. They can tell you the probabilities and that number keeps them from even getting started. They don’t understand that probability has nothing to do with success. Don’t focus on the probabilities, focus on the possibilities.”

COMMIT TO YOUR GOALS
“In my first two years, I crashed four out of five times. By the third year, I got better and would crash only one out of 100.” When Gonzalez recently taught his 6-year-old daughter, Gabriela, how to ride a bike, he saw history repeat itself. “After the first day she fell. The second day she kept falling and told me that she didn’t want to do this. But I wouldn’t let her give up, and by the third day she was able to stay on. Her third day of learning to ride her bike was like my third year of training. Commitment is what makes success possible.”

FOCUS ON RESULTS
“Whenever you are trying to accomplish something, don’t worry too much about how you go about getting results. Focus on whether you are getting results. If not, change approaches. Be open to new ideas and information. One “ YOU CANNOT LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO TRY TO KEEP YOU FROM YOUR DREAMS.” new idea could literally transform your life.” HANDLE SETBACKS “Next time you experience a major setback, do what top achievers do: recover quickly. Right away, they force themselves to look at the bright side of things. If you recover quickly, you don’t lose your momentum and your drive.” How you choose to react to something can significantly improve your chances of success.

BUILD A “DREAM TEAM”
“Create your own ‘dream team’ of people who believe in you and who will encourage you when you are going through challenges. My family’s been 100% supportive. Mentors who have done what you want to do are necessary as well. My coach is like the Michael Jordan of luge. Who you surround yourself with will determine how far you go. When these people believe in you, you will begin to believe it too.”

Orrin Woodward's Favorite Quotes

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."

Lou Holtz

"The desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world."

John le Carre

"In matters of style swim with the current; in matters of principle stand like a rock."

Thomas Jefferson

Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady team up for Time Warner book release!

Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady team up once again for their fall book release from Time Warner. Final preparations are being made by Time Warner for a nationwide book signing tour in September, October, and November of 2007. Details will be posted once they are made available.

One aspect of this book that will be highly promoted is that all royalties and signing bonuses that were and will continue to be generated from the sale of this book by Time Warner are going to be given to charity. Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady decided that they wanted to help a number of charities and that every person who buys a book should be able to decide where the money from the sale of that book should go. Charities will be highlighted in the book and each person who buys a book will be able to go online and determine which charity they would like to support via the sale of their book.

Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady have dedicated their lives to philanthropic work not just in America but abroad and this is just one more example of their hunger to make a difference in the world. The Team is excited to partner up with Time Warner and help make this book a national best seller and to help numerous worth while charities around the country!

Orrin Woodward's Favorite Quotes

"We grow great by dreams. All great men are dreamers."

Woodrow Wilson

"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."

Ray Krthur Kroc

"The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want."

Ben Stein

These are some powerful quotes that capture many of the points that Orrin Woodward has taught over the years. One of my favorite mentorship quotes from Orrin is, "Always begin with the end in mind." I am glad I learned this lesson early in life. I think too many people have no idea what they want and thus settle for whatever happens. It is a much more empowering position to be in when you realize you have the power to make choices that affect the outcome of your life. I think to be successful you have a to have a good "internal locus of control." Orrin Woodward's leadership and mentoship style is based on people accepting responsibility for their life and understanding they have the power to make choices. One must also be willing to live with the consequence of those choices.

Orrin Woodward: You Don't Need A Title To Be A Leader

Go to any book store in America and chances are you will find a large business section filled with books on leadership giving advice on how to lead in the business world, achieve objectives, and motivate employees. There seems to be no shortage of ideas and concepts on this subject and by the fact that there are new releases almost every month in this genre, one has to assume that the populace has not found the secret formula for leadership success and continues to yearn for that proverbial “fountain of knowledge” on this subject.

An aspect of my job that I enjoy greatly is reviewing leadership books that are recommended by Orrin Woodward or that are sent to our office by publishing companies as a new release hits the market. One such book I that recently reviewed is You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader by Mark Sanborn. I was really amazed at how this book encapsulates many of the leadership principles that have been taught by Orrin Woodard at our events across the nation. At 104 pages it is a quick read but it contains great commentary on every page.

What Mark says resonates with me as I have found that far too often people are preoccupied with title, thinking that this bequeaths some type of magical leadership elixir that allows them to lead people and accomplish tasks. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have known people who had so called “leadership titles” but at the end of the day they could no more lead their people than they could turn water into wine. Titles are meaningless, influence is everything.

For example, in the military a leader may have a title which gives him or her “positional” leadership which is leadership based on rank or title. Their subordinates do not have any choice but to follow and obey orders. Therefore a bad leader can command the actions of their troops but that does not mean they will win their hearts and minds. By controlling someone’s actions you can control the sweat of their brow but not having their heart and mind, you lose the greatest productivity from that person. Given the chance, those under that type of dictatorial leadership style will not follow you, therefore you really are not leading.

In the business world the leadership dynamic becomes more complex as people have choices, they can follow you or they can quit. Rule with “positional” leadership only and a heavy hand and most likely you will find that you are leading yourself on a long walk with no one following. However, if you lead with influence and create an environment of respect and collaboration, you will not only find yourself leading a highly motivated group of people working hard to achieve objectives but they will be following your leadership with their heart and mind. That is true leadership!

Mark Sanborn says it best when he says “Despite popular myth, leaders – whether titled or untitled- aren’t born. They learn how to lead. The real test is: If you had no title or ability to reward or penalize others could you still get them to follow you?” He goes on to state that, “In today’s world, much is made of a person’s title. Yet little actual power exists in a title alone…..The bottom line is influence and inspiration comes from the person, not the position.”

I have always admired how Orrin Woodward leads with integrity and influence and does not rely on positional authority. His mastery of this concept is amazing. It should come as no surprise that he has been teaching these principles and leading by example as he has conducted business around the country. The Team is first and foremost a leadership development company and he continues to set the pace. Everything rises and falls on leadership and the success of any business plan is determined by the leaders leading the charge. Therefore, the meteoric rise of our company is due in large part to Orrin Woodward and the leaders he has helped develop over the years.

Another book that came highly recommended from Orrin is Primal Leadership and I will discuss this in my next post. I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of book by Daniel Goldeman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee. The authors give compelling insight into the emotional aspect of leadership. They state, “At its root, then, the primal job of leadership is emotional….great leadership works through emotions…no matter what leaders set out to do – whether it’s creating strategy or mobilizing teams to action – their success depends on how they do it….driving the collective emotions in a positive direction and clearing the smog created by toxic emotions.” This is an incredible book and one that I believe should be in the library of every leader.

Orrin Woodward's Favorite Quotes

What does it take to be successful in life? Some of the most successful men in the history of our country have been good enough to tell us in their words their thoughts on this very subject. It has been said that the difference between and leader and a boss is that a leader leads and a boss drives. One of the finest qualities of Orrin Woodward is in determined instinct to lead from the front by setting the example for others to follow. He has accomplished a great deal in life and there is more in store because he follows that simple principle. Below are a few quotes from some successful men and quotes which I believe personify the very attitude of Orrin Woodward.

"I would rather lose in a cause that will someday win, that win in a cause that will someday lose."

Woodrow Wilson

“Energy and persistence conqueror all things!"

Ben Franklin

"You have got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing."

Arthur Ashe

I don’t think Orrin Woodward has ever been in a point in his life where going for it all was not something he was going to do. he just has that built into his genetic identity. Those who know him understand this to be true. This is why Orrin Woodward will make a great politician someday. He has no fear and he winning or losing is not important to him. The only thing that matters is doing what is right and putting it all on the line in pursuit of his end objective.

Orrin Woodward: The Starbucks Experience

I just finished reading The Starbucks Experience by Joesph Michelli and think this would be an excellent book to read for anyone in a leadership role supporting customers in any fashion. I have picked out a few quotes from within the book that I feel will give the reader a better insight into the culture of Starbucks and how they have developed a service first attitude with their staff around the world.

"Starbucks management understands that a competitive advantage occurs when everyone in a company appreciates that nothing is trival and that the customers notice everything....Managers have to constantly put themselves in the shoes of their customers, seeing everything from the other side of the counter.

"Commitment to detail is critical in all businesses. If you ignore the smaller things that are important to those you serve, you'll fail to create the experience they crave. This inattention will be a surefire way to drive those customers straight to your competitors.

"We are not in the coffee business serving people, but in the people business serving coffee."

"The trick for management, therefore, is to get employees to see the bigger picture and understand that small components of their day to day tasks can actually have a transformational impact on customers and the people with whom they work, not to mention on the company's overall mission and reputation."

I love that last quote. Some companies are so obsessed with reputation that they will spend millions of dollars on advertising to help their "public perception" but this basically amounts to a white wash of rotting wood. The real issue continues to be the poor customer service and support given to their customers. A better use of those advertising dollars would be to fire the non-qualified managers running the company into the ground and bring in a new leadership team that is connected to the customers needs. There is nothing worse than a company disconnected from its customers with managers ignoring facts, not addressing issues, and blindly making decisions without any thought of the end result. History is littered with companies where management operated from their "ivory towers" and drove once profitable companies into the ground.

I have nothing against good advertising campaigns. However, one must perform due diligence first and ensure the proper management team is in place and that customers needs are being addressed. If managers are making poor operational decisions in a "black box" without proper insight and buy-in from feedback groups, your business will fail no matter how much money you spend on advertising and "reputation building."

Orrin Woodward always teaches to start with the end in mind. If you are in business, the bottom line is to serve the customer and respond to their needs. If you don't, someone else will. Starbucks has built an international company by responding to the customers needs and always going above and beyond to provide a positive world class experience during the purchase of a cup of coffee! There is no doubt that these principles can be used in many other industries.

Orrin Woodward: Critical Thinking

“Decision-making in today’s business environment is decentralized. Decisions are made at the local level, or at a functional or operating level. You can’t grow a business around two or three good thinkers anymore, because your success depends on quality decisions from people at every level – salespeople, marketing people, strategy people, and so on. Everyone has to be able to think smart.

If you don’t have the right amount of quality thinking in a complex growth company like ours, it is going to manifest itself in terms of marginalized discussions that rely upon wrong inputs and unskilled questions. And that’s what drags down businesses. That is why companies that don’t have good minds throughout their ranks get stuck…”

Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon

One thing that I have found with top level leaders is their appreciation for critical thinking throughout their organizations. This however does not happen by chance. The top leaders will always be the ones leading the charge reading everything they can get their hands on to stay on top of current issues and to hone their skills. This appetite for knowledge which produces critical thinking is then passed down throughout the ranks of the company and before you know it you have a learning based culture.

Orrin Woodward is an apex learner with a voracious appetite for knowledge in a variety of subjects. From history, to politics, to economics he is always recommending books for his leadership team to read. His intense drive to get better in all aspects of his business has permeated throughout our entire culture. As Peter Senge says in his book The Fifth Discipline, “In the long run the only sustainable competitive advantage is your organization’s ability to learn faster than the competition.”

If you want to be competitive in the market place as an employee or as a leader of an organization the true test of how well you are doing is first how well you are developing yourself to stay ahead of your competition. Second, how well are you developing those around you to help your organization reach the top and stay on top?

Walmart.com crashes during holiday rush!

“Walmart.com crashed for at least two hours after it released online-only specials at 5a.m. ET Friday. Wal-Mart said traffic increased sevenfold while the company only expected it to double.”

Jayne O’Donnell and Jon Swartz, USAToday, November 28, 2006

The rest of this article with its full content will be posted below for you to read. I thought this was very interesting and that our blog followers would want to read this. Orrin Woodward started an internet company back before it was fashionable and all along has been predicting the change in the marketplace which will drive more and more consumers to online retailers. Quite frankly we have been experiencing this type of growth now for years. It is just starting to hit mainstream media outlets how much holiday shopping has moved to online shopping and price comparisons.

With the advent of high speed internet access and proliferation of technology into the households not just in America but around the world the internet age is the new gold rush. Our site has experienced the same growth patterns over the last few years and continues to be upgraded to handle demand.

One aspect that I found compelling was that many people using online retailer websites were doing so for comparison shopping purposes. Price conscious consumers are engaged in online shopping looking for the best deal. With all the prices readily available a soccer mom can now save time by shopping online while obtaining the best prices in town without ever having to leave her home. As these market trends continue to expand stay tuned for updates and perspectives from Orrin Woodward.

For price conscious consumers the internet is not only offering the ease of shopping online but allowing price comparisons to take place over wide regional and national areas in the comfort of your home with the click of a mouse.

Online traffic surge downed some retailers websites
By: Jayne O’Donnell and Jon Swartz, USAToday, November 28, 2006

“Deal hungry shoppers flocked to the Internet on Monday, beating last year’s psot-thanksgiving pace and over-whelming a retail industry website offering hundreds of special offers. North American retail website traffic reached 2,145,558 visitors per minute at 2 p.m. ET Monday, says Internet service provider Akamai Technologies. That is up 19% from peak on Cyber Monday last year. Although traffic dipped around 5 p.m. ET, it was still over the 2 million visitors per minute at 9 p.m.

The Monday after Thanksgiving, when workers are back at their desks with their employers fast Internet connection, is considered the start of the online holiday shopping season. It was the second-busiest Internet shopping day in 2005, surpassed only by Dec, 12, that last day many online retailers offered free shipping for Christmas.

Most online retailers has “smooth sailing” says Ben Rushlo of Internet measurement firm Keynote. “But for those few with problems, they were among the most significant performance issues we have seen this year.”

Among them: Many shoppers couldn’t get onto the nation retail Federation’s Cyber-Monday.com, which has promotions from 400 retailers, late Monday morning and early afternoon.

Kimathi Marangu of MallNetworks, which operates the Cyber-Monday website, says the site was tweaked and servers added to keep up with the crush. “Its like opening up a few more checkout counters so more people could flow through,” he says. The site will remain active through Jan1.

Walmart.com crashed for at least two hours after it released online-only specials at 5 a.m. ET Friday. Wal-Mart said traffic increased sevenfold while the company only expected it to double.

Amazon.com had a 15-minute slowdown Thursday after it began offering Xboxes for $100, down from about $300. All 1,000 Xboxes available at that price were sold in 29 seconds! Three other specials, including a membership card of free two-day shipping and $100 toy gift certificate, sold out with 17 minutes.

“We just has dramatically more traffic than what we anticipated having for those deals,” says Amazon spokesman Craig Berman.

Macys.com was unavailable for an hour Friday, but it was a faulty server, not an overwhelmed one, that caused the problem, says spokesman Jim Sluzewski. Despite the problems, most of the 32 top online retailers “did very well,” says Rushlo. “It’s analogous to opening your doors to handle the long line outside.”

There is evidence that much of the online traffic was window shopping. Research by ThinkPartnership, and Internet marketing and Technology Company, showed more that 82% of those created online shopping carts by 3:30 p.m. Monday abandoned them before making a purchase. The average values of the abandoned carts: $42.18.”

Jon Miller, CEO of AOL said, "You can not change people's understanding of reality overnight. You can't simply walk into a situation where a company has had a single focus for its entire life, and then instantly make it something else altogether." Orrin Woodward has been actively discussing around the country the changing face of the American economic marketplace. Those who have listened or knew of this as well are primed to take advantage of this proliferation. Those who have not listened and will not change business practices from the 1970's are faced with marginalized markets, shrinking presence, and extinction.

Orrin Woodward: The Value of a Team

"Even the sharpest thinkers need teams of sharp people around them. And these high-performing teams develop over time. It is one of the basic laws of attracting talent: the more talented people you have, the more talented people you can attract. You get the highest level of input in decision-making and the best critique of things you should or should not undertake when you are surrounded by such individuals. Once you reach that critical mass of talent, there's literally nothing you can't undertake."

Robert Johnson, founder, Chairman, and CEO of BET (Black Entertainment Television)

Orrin Woodward has espoused this ideal since day one when creating his team. The results he has obtained are due to his leadership and his ability to attract and develop key leaders from various industry backgrounds to compliment that team. Those who have earned a spot on the Round Table or Policy Council boards bring their varied backgrounds and skill sets to the table allowing the critical mass of talent to be assembled and brought to bear on a variety of tasks and issues. Success is not something that happens by chance. When you study leadership characteristics from different leaders in a variety of different industries many of the principals of their success are the same. Orrin Woodward knows what Robert Johnson knows…that great teams can tackle great issues and there is nothing you can’t accomplish once that critical mass has been focused on the task at hand.

Orrin Woodward's Favorite Quotes

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was service.

I acted and behold, service was joy."

Rabindranath Tagore

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

Anne Frank

Orrin Woodward: Keynote speaker at Michigan State Leadership Event

Requests continue to flow into our office for the DVD of Orrin Woodward giving his keynote talk at the Michigan State Breslin Center. It was a sold out crowd Saturday night packing the arena which provide a unique and challenging way to address the crowd from a podium in the middle of what generally is the Spartan basketball court. Orrin did a masterful job addressing the crowd in 360 degrees panoramic view of leaders from around the country. The DVD of his talk will be released in early 2007.

Other news of interest is the national release of his book Launching a Leadership Revoluion. This book has a release from Time Warner Books set in September 2007 and a national book signing is being prepared by their media staff. This highly anticipated book from Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady will be promoted at all Borders, Barnes and Nobles, and other leading bookstores around the country. Check back on this site in mid 2007 for a book signing schedule near you.

Orrin Woodward's Favorite Quotes

"There is a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."

General Geroge Patton

"You're never beaten until you admit it."

General George Patton

"It is only by doing things others have not that one can advance."

General George Patton

Orrin Woodward Information

At many of the meetings and public events that are apart of my daily schedule I am routinely asked where one can gain further information on Orrin Woodward. Great interest recently has been expressed to know more about his best selling book Launching A Leadership Revolution. Given this intrest I would like to include a number of sites that I think will be of great intrest to the public and those wishing to gain more insight on Orrin Woodward.

Orrin Woodward. Co-Founder of the Team

Orrin Woodward: Team

Orrin Woodward: Perspective

Orrin Woodward: Insight

Orrin Woodward: Personal Articles

Orrin Woodward: Leadership

Orrin Woodward: Leadership and Business Review

Orrin Woodward's Favorite Quotes

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure."

General Colin Powell

"We need to learn to set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship."

General Omar Nelson Bradley

"I don't fear failure. I only fear the slowing up of the engine inside of me which is saying, "keep going, someone must be on top, why not you?"

General Geroge S. Patton

Orrin Woodward: Do The Right Thing!

"Bad corporate decisions are made because a company would rather look good than be good."

Page 205 What They Don't Teach You AT Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack

What a great quote! I am going to shoot straight and tell you like it is. Corporate America is full of gutless wonders. I am amazed at some business leaders who are so preoccupied and obsessed with corporate reputation that they make horrible decisions based on wanting to look good rather than be good. You see it all the time. One great example is the end of each quarter as corporate executives try to hit earnings for Wall Street. The US is known for its short sightedness as executives routinely make horrible business decisions that will plague a company for years to come all because they want to look good in the moment. Enron is a classic example of this as they took it to epic levels of deceit which ultimately led to the financial ruin of many American investors who were lied to.

However, this type of behavior does not stop there. There are many examples of corporate ignorance placing reputation and the desire to look good above making good corporate decisions which would favor customers, investors, and business partners. There is no excuse of such short sightedness. Our company has been blessed with great leadership starting with Orrin Woodward and his intense desire to make sure all corporate actions are in the best interest of the customers and business partnerships we have fostered.

Orrin Woodward says that people who are worried about reputation have their priorities wrong. Having proper character is the key. He teaches to focus on character based actions and not to worry about reputation for that is something you can not control. You can only control your character and in the end the truth will be known. The world is full of politicians who have worked hard to have a great public reputation but their character was lacking in private and in the end their lack of character leads to their downfall. I spoke about this in my previous post about Congressman Mark Foley and Duke Cunningham. You can fake reputation but you can not fake character!

Business leaders who want to have a lasting success with their company and a legacy to be proud of should follow the example of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was a man who worried about doing what was right. He is the epitome of a man of character. In some circles his public reputation was not good. There were many people who tried hard to disparage him and his reputation because they felt threatened by his teachings. Jesus was not worried about his reputation however; he just did what was right and set the example for the rest of mankind to follow. Don't worry about your reputation, worry about doing what is right!

Orrin Woodward Review

Orrin Woodward Review II

Orrin Woodward, Chairman of the Board

Orrin Woodward: Moral Courage

General Patten's quote below succinctly encapsulates one of the most important leadership qualities absent in many so called leaders today. One of Orrin Woodward's greatest attributes is his willingness to stand firm with moral courage and resolution on issues. If more of our politicians and corporate leaders stood firmly with conviction on moral ground committed to doing what is right, our country would not have to endure the scandalous behavior of Congressman "Duke" Cunningham and Congressman Mark Foley along with the disastrous leadership at Enron and Global Crossing.

You have to wonder how leaders with such promise ended up in those positions. I am sure none of them sat in college dreaming about the day they could be revered as a scoundrel and criminal. I imagine the path to their demise started early in life when they had to take stands on small issues that did not seem to matter. Practicing pragmatic leadership instead of moral leadership they probably did what was best for them at the time. They probably felt that it was no big deal to bend the rules, break the law, and not stand on moral ground. We all know people who change their position on issues based on convenience and how it benefits them. Politicians are notorious for playing this game. If you want them to change their position on an issue, just find a poll of their voters supporting the opposite position and they will run to that position faster than Carl Lewis running in the Olympics. However, pragmatic leaders tend to venture down the path that leads to the slippery slope of ruin. In the case of Congressman Mark Foley and “Duke” Cunningham, they ruin not only their lives but those around them and destroy the trust the American people have in the leaders they have elected.

I have seen Orrin Woodward time and time again stand firmly on principles with moral courage resolved to stay the course and do what is right no matter what the consequence. He will not bend, he will not break, and he will not give in. At the end of the day that is why he is hailed for his leadership and what has made the company he founded as successful as it is. Everything begins and ends with leadership. The story of Team starts with the founder and Chairman of the board, Orrin Woodward, and his passionate pursuit to change the world while never ceding the moral high ground to any special interest group or outside organization. That my friend is moral courage!

"Moral courage is the most valubale and usually the most absent characteristic in men."

General George Patton

"Live for something rather than die for nothing."

General George Patton

"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy."

General Norman Schwarzkopf