The Eppley Experience Ed Eppley

Extending our personal network is one of the best ways we can create more opportunities and more options for our business. In this minilog I discuss the approach I've taken in my career to create an environment where the people I meet become genuinely interested in me. More importantly, they come away from our initial interaction seeing me as different, in a positive way, than almost all of the other people they meet. If you want to know one of my "secrets to success", this minilog is for you!

Brian Ciota is the President of Co-Owner of McClurg Remodeling and Construction in upstate New York. I have watched Brian and his executive team define and then refine their strategy so they can continue their profitable growth. It seemed only natural to include Brian in our series of podcasts on Strategy. Brian has literally grown up in this business, starting when he was 14 and living across the street from the founder, Scott McClurg. He shares how in the early days, their ideal customer was essentially "... someone who needed something done that we could do." That tendency to never say "no" enabled the business to survive and grow. It also started to become a constraint on the business as it grew. There are numerous lessons in Brian's story. You'll really enjoy this podcast about Brian's journey to appreciating the importance of strategy.

There are a couple of books that have had the most impact on my practice as a consultant. The first two are The Advantage by Pat Lencioni. The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker. The latest addition to my hall of fame is Mighty Midsized Companies; How Leaders Overcome The 7 Silent Killers of Growth, by Robert Sher. This book is powerful in making it very clear that the problems holding back your mid sized company are very predictable. In this minilog I share why I love this book and how it can help you and your company!

What's the best way to use your top talent? We only have so many truly high potential people. Where do they bring the greatest return? Where do they help the business the most? There are arguments for different approaches and in this podcast I discuss the one I prefer.... putting our best people on the opportunities or situations that have the greatest potential for the business. In this minilog I share my thoughts about how we can best use our best people. Hope you appreciate Peter Drucker as much as I do!

Jeb Zoller never thought about leadership until he ended up at West Point, ironically on a golf scholarship. After finishing his education, he served his country as an officer in the 82nd Airborne where jumping out of airplanes, at night, from 800 feet above the ground became the norm. Today, he runs a tremendously successful financial planning business. Having seen great and equally poor leadership in his career, no one is more qualified to share their ideas about how each of us can be a better leader than Jeb. You'll enjoy this episode and get to meet someone I'm proud to call my friend!

UPIC Solutions business is built to serve not-for-profit United Way agencies. Their success is proof that when you know your ideal customer and provide value they can't find from your competitors, you've defined and executed a great strategy. J.R. Howard is UPIC"s CEO and he shares some great insights about how their success has made them redo their strategy. He explains the surprising benefit of how their new strategy has energized UPIC's staff. Even more interesting is how changing the way they run meetings has made a big difference in their ability to execute. This is the most for-profit-like, not-for-profit business I've ever seen. If you want your strategy to be more effective, this is the podcast for you!