You are headed in the right direction! Realization that the customer viewpoint is more important than the company viewpoint and that it's more productive to learn from your customers than about them."
It's better to be the first than it is to be better.
Being first in any category is going to give you the edge – becoming a leader comes from being first. It's much easier to get into the mind of consumers first than try to convince people you have a better product or service than the one that did get there first. Improvements are always made to product/service inventions and innovations but the first in has a head start.
Through the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence (CEE), the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (NIIC) provides clients with “Comprehensive Business Assistance” that helps entrepreneurs develop strategies and plans that address the risks waiting to cause their venture to fail.
Most Fortune 500 CEO’s and many other senior executives leading large and growing businesses have business / leadership development coaches.
- The greatest teams and athletes of this generation:
- Boston Celtics (1960’s); LA Lakers (1980’s); Chicago Bulls (1990’s);
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1970’s); SF 49ers (1980’s); Dallas Cowboys (1990’s);
- Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and many others;
- Tiger Woods, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning and many others on many different levels;
They all had two things in common, tremendous domain expertise (a specific skill set; being great athletes on great teams) plus they recognized that they could not succeed alone (the importance of a team around them) and that coaches have contributed to their growth and development as a player and leader (the importance of experienced and knowledgeable coaches). They achieved their success & greatness at least in part due to coaches leading them in the direction they needed to go. There is no “I” in team. Why shouldn’t you?
Business too, is a relationship driven sport . launching a new business venture is the toughest job you'll ever take and a very lonely endeavor. The Innovation Center and the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence exists to come along side the inventor, innovator, or entrepreneur and help take them where they want to go.