Companies Need Creativity

Smart companies commit resources to building their brands even in economically trying times. Why, because it distinguishes them, and their products and services. Establishing a brand today requires creativity to build real belief, trust and emotional preference. The 21st century marketplace is dynamic and unforgiving, an alien landscape where change is not an option but a requirement. A place where 20th century rules just don’t apply. Because of this businesses are challenged in becoming differentiated. Why distinguish your company? Because your survival depends on it. Blind customer faith and long-term loyalty no longer exist. And the only way to distinguish your company is to build a successful brand from the inside out as well as the outside in. This can only be accomplished with objective guidance and creativity. The CEO and their senior executive team must commit time and resources and be willing to discover and promote company authenticity. Wall Street shows that it values strong brands by increasing stock multipliers. Successful brands, therefore, are assets to be mined.

Mark is a passionate business professional and business owner with more than thirty years of experience as a visionary, strategist, facilitator, and practitioner. He has achieved a level of prominence for his break-through work in the application of strategic business intelligence and creativity to business strategy, innovation, culture, and communication.

Mark engages client principals and their senior executive management teams in exploratory visioning, business defining, strategy formulation and execution. Collaborating with clients, he facilitates sessions custom-designed to get at the heart of business issues, applying proprietary processes that balance internal and external areas of focus with strategic research, diagnostics and action. He brings a broad knowledge, best practices and client-specific intelligence to direct application in the formulation of business concepts, strategies and execution approaches. This practical, hands-on approach is evident in the quality and effectiveness of his work.

CEOs are Challenged

There's a challenge inherent in understanding how the Chaotic New Economy affects individual businesses. “We’re in a brawl with no rules,” Paul Allaire, former CEO of Xerox said. There's too much complexity and too little clear direction for CEOs to make well informed decisions. And today, “we get to make it up as we go along,” says Tom Peters. This is exciting stuff! Yet, how the organization sees and reacts, and what deserves the most attention is still clearly up to the CEO and their instincts. And it’s no suprise that under all this mounting pressure, his/her job just ain’t getting any easier. Riddled by  uncertainty and battered by the constant need for change, today’s CEO is challenged to write and rewrite the rules. Daily. Tom Peters tells it like it is, “it is easier to kill an organization than to change it substantially”.

The New Economy is in Hyperdrive

There is a myriad of information, books, white papers, articles and research written on the New Economy. Way too many to innumerate and sift through today, let alone in 10 lifetimes. Finding your way is like finding a needle in a haystack or getting out of a labyrinth alive. The impact of technology has
irrevocably changed the way we all live, work play and communicate. It has created an economy of choice and empowered your customer as never before. They now have unlimited access, anytime of day or night, to more information, more products, more services and more alternatives. My take on
this phenomenon, the New Economy is really the Chaotic New Economy and that it’s a revolution of gargantuan proportions!

Creativity is the Heart

Creativity is in the heart of the entrepreneur. It encourages new ideas and new ways of thinking (and working) among those savvy enough to engage it. These empowered souls have a sixth sense; able to
identify opportunities that no one else sees. And capable of leading the charge as well! They also have the ability to apply creativity to a focused end. Driven by a fervent belief in change and a passion to find new ways to get things done, they traverse obstacles of every conceivable nature to achieve their desired goals. They challenge conventional wisdom, break the rules, and are willing “to go where no
man has gone before”.

 
Creating Value

Entrepreneurs get the value game because they are the value in the game. But they don’t act alone. They believe in creating value by working together with others, through applied creativity. They understand and even evangelize collaboration across teams and entire organizations. Their laser
like focus, uncompromising nature and addictive passion drive a willingness to take risk and participate.