Friday, December 28, 2012

Working in the Post-Recession Economy

Looking to thrive in our new, post-recession economy? Then it’s essential to focus on doing work that it would be near-impossible to program a computer or robot to do.

A fascinating study, published in the Cambridge Journal of Economics in 2012, found that Americans in the creative class — those in jobs such as engineers, artists, scientists, educators and entrepreneurs—  had a lower chance of being unemployed from 2006 to 2011 than those employed in the service sector or working class jobs, such as construction or manufacturing.


Other research has already showed that those with college degrees fared better than those who lack them in the last recession. This study looked beyond education levels alone and drilled down into how the jobs people do and the skills required to do them affected their employment rates.

Having a college degree alone isn’t a vaccine against unemployment, as many recent graduates know all too well. As the study shows, those who are most valued in today’s economy are applying whatever education they have–whether it’s a high school diploma or a graduate degree — to fields that require a high degree of knowledge, creativity and human judgement. The work they do can’t easily be automated.
The study, “The Creative Class and the crisis,” was written by Todd Gabe at the University of Maine, Richard Florida at the University of Toronto and Charlotta Mellander of Jönköping International Business School in Sweden.

Even if you’re self-employed, the conclusions are fascinating and offer a road map to economic relevance in the years to come.

Florida, an expert on urban studies, has called the Great Recession the “Great Reset,” in which the economy made a profound shift toward favoring “knowledge-based creative activities.” The study suggests that many of us need to reset our career planning to reflect this dramatic change.

About 8.4 million jobs in the U.S. disappeared from January 2008 to December 2009, the study notes.
While unemployment rose among all major classes of jobs in the recession, those in the creative class fared the best. They had an unemployment rate of 4.1% in 2010 and 2011, after the recession officially ended, according to the researchers’ analysis of data from the U.S. Current Population Survey. Before the recession, in 2006 and 2007, their unemployment rate was 1.9%, and during the crisis, in 2008 and 2009, their jobless rate was 3%.

In contrast, those in service class jobs, in fields like retail, had an unemployment rate of 9.3% in the post-recession years. They had a 5% unemployment rate before the recession and 6.9% during the recession.

Those in working class jobs in fields such as construction and manufacturing had an unemployment rate of 14.6% after the recession. Before the crisis hit, their unemployment rate was 6.5%. During the recession, it was 11.1%.

Interestingly, those in the creative class had lower likelihood of unemployment than those with the same level of education who worked in service and working class jobs.

For instance, unemployment among college-educated members of the creative classes was 3.2% after the recession, compared to a 5.9% unemployment rate among college grads in service class careers and 8.7% among college grads in working class careers.

Among members of the creative class with no college degree, the post-recession unemployment rate was 5.7%, compared to 10% among service sector workers and 15.1% among counterparts who also had no college degree and had previously been employed in working class jobs.

Some of the hardest hit workers, the authors noted, were employed in fields like construction that suffered severe downturns during the economic crisis or were based in cities that were disproportionately affected by the housing bust.

The authors also pointed out that, prior to the Great Recession, growth of residential and commercial construction fueled expansion of service sector businesses. When the housing market collapsed, that also affected service sector jobs that had taken shape in the housing boom.

But they also point to a structural change in the workplace that will affect many Americans. While companies’ investments in technology in recent years have complemented the work done by problem-solving creative workers, tools like computers did not replace what they do. Technology expanded their reach. However, that was not the case for workers doing routine jobs that entail following rigid corporate instructions repeatedly. Computers and other tech tools began replacing some of the work they do.
The creative class also benefited from another trend that showed up in the worldwide economic crisis: Their work was not as heavily affected by export-related conditions as, say, manufacturing workers’ jobs are. It is more tied to local consumption.

Studies like this have profound implications not just for workers but for both educators and employers.
Many schools still follow an old model focused on preparing workers for an industrial economy. While well-financed private schools and wealthy public school districts have for years offered students classes in disciplines like web design and robotics, many poorly financed schools lag behind them and miss opportunities to ignite students’ interest in fields like this.

We all need to look at what is being taught in the schools in our community and make sure it reflects what students need to know today, not just what mattered 40 years ago. You don’t necessarily need a college degree to excel in a field like web design, yet we do little to promote careers like this among high school graduates who aren’t college bound.

We also need to do more to spread entrepreneurship education, which is ignored in many schools. Many in the creative classes are self-employed or run small businesses, from marketing shops to architecture firms. However, most of us graduate from high school without a clue as to how to run a business, unless we happened to be part of a family that owned one.

Entrepreneurs and other employers also need to keep pace with the changes. The customers of the future will either want products and services that can be purchased at the rock-bottom prices automation allows–or offer something special, that only humans can bring. What types of highly customized service, unique expertise or cutting-edge skills do you have to offer? Many of us need to be able to answer questions like these, or we’ll find ourselves sidelined.

Original article from Forbes.com can be found HERE

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

New Office Officially Open!

Congrats to Sers and the expansion crew that were able to open the doors to the new location in the DC area this week! They have been planning the expansion for the last several months and are very excited to begin the campaign this week. President Matt Griffith traveled with the team to get the office set up for it’s first official day of business. He commented “This is a very exciting time for our organization. This team has been working non-stop for weeks to make sure they were ready to take on this campaign. We are lucky to be working with such a great client because we have a great opportunity to expand throughout the area with them. I know these guys will do a great job.”

Thursday, November 15, 2012

November 2012 Newsletter

Hi Everyone!

Here is the November newsletter, it includes some information about financial planning for young professionals and more!

Enjoy!!!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Richard Branson's 5 Steps to a Presentation

This interview with Richard Branson is very relevant to the main principles we teach at Intrinsic Consulting during training. Although we are not trying to start a new company each day, we have the opportunity to show customers why they should choose our client over the competition. Keeping explanations simple, being confident during presentation and avoiding vague language and doubt words are all key skills that can be used in any situation, whether it be with a potential customer or future investors.





“When billionaire entrepreneur and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson had the idea of launching Virgin Atlantic, he pitched it to his fellow directors who had no previous experience in the airline business. He delivered the idea simply, concisely, and effectively. Branson offers leaders and entrepreneurs this advice: “It is vitally important to present a clear, concise plan that investors can easily understand and repeat to their own people. In the first meeting avoid overly complicated, numbers-laden presentations.”

Branson is a master marketer and communicator. His new book, Like a Virgin, reveals “secrets they won’t teach you at business school.” Many of those secrets involve effective communications and presentations.
In his book, Branson recommends that entrepreneurs who are looking to raise money in these tough economic conditions keep their presentations simple and memorable. He says that the best investment pitches hit five areas. I would take his advice one step further. I believe that any effective pitch or presentation should include these five components.

What’s in it for them?
“Occasionally, an entrepreneur hoping to launch their first business puts so much thought into the concept that he or she neglects the financial and legal plan—and unfortunately, this often becomes apparent early in a meeting, when an investor can lack clarity in what exactly the proposed deal is going to look like.”
According to Branson, investors want to know when they can expect to see a return—what’s in it for them. In my first class at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, my instructor said, “Always ask yourself, ‘why should my readers care?’” I use this journalism principle to teach the art of corporate storytelling. Branson asks the same question of entrepreneurs who pitch him.

Be concrete.
“Winning the trust of an investor means demonstrating a thorough knowledge of your concept or industry and laying out a step-by-step plan for offering something that’s new, innovative and will deliver healthy returns on their investment.”
Branson recommends that communicators avoid ‘wishy-washy’ language, doubt words and phrases such as “It is hoped…”or “With some luck…” He says look your investors in the eye and be specific, concrete, and confident. One way to craft a concrete and confident story is to use a message map.

Be unapologetically disruptive.
“Emphatically explain how your new company will give your customers a better deal than your competitors.”
The key word here is ‘emphatically.’ Branson is unquestionably the most passionate business leader I’ve had the pleasure to interview. I believe his passion for disrupting the status quo is a key component of his charisma. The majority of business leaders who I’ve met underestimate the role of passion in delivering presentations. Branson looks for passionate entrepreneurs who understand the competition and “irreverently explain” why their business will do better than the competition.

Prove that growth is sustainable.
“Nothing stays the same for long, so explain how you plan to tackle the inevitable technological changes and market shifts that are heading your way.”
Investors and partners want proof that you understand the environment in which you will be selling your product. One way to get your idea across is to start with a problem before the solution. Every great story has a protagonist. Introducing the villain (problem) before the hero (solution) makes for a compelling business narrative. So take some time to explain how your product or service solves the problem.

Demonstrate bench strength.
“Show prospective investors that you have found the right people to work at your new company.”
I’ve seen investor pitches where CEO’s or founders feel as though they have to carry the show. The best and easiest way to show investors that your company has bench strength is to share the stage. Apple executives—Tim Cook and Steve Jobs—have always done this brilliantly.
The subtitle of Branson’s book is, “Secrets They Won’t Teach You At Business School.” When it comes to communications, he’s right. I’ve spoken to several MBA programs at America’s most prestigious universities. After every presentation students approach me and say, “We never learn stuff like this in class.” It’s time they do.

Read the full article from Forbes here

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

October 2012 Newsletter

Hey,
Check out our October Newsletter! Articles include "Leadership for the New Age" and a spotlight on Daniel Kish. Also a couple of special announcements

Newsletter

http://intrinsicconsultinginc.com/october-2012-newsletter/

Thursday, September 27, 2012

R&R Miami 2012

The management team was able to participate in the annual Rest & Relaxation trip, which was held in Miami over this past weekend. We were able to stay at Eden Roc Renaissances Hotel in Miami Beach and enjoyed the many activities provided, such as a talent show, wave runners, a neon party, and the hotel pools and private beach! After working hard for the past year this weekend was a chance to relax and get together with friends we haven’t seen in quite a while. The trip also included charity dodgeball and cornhole tournaments that benefited Operation Smile. This was a great way to get some good ideas for our company to raise money for this great cause again this year. For pictures, check out our Facebook Page!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Food Drive Begins!

August 28, 2012 This week marked the kickoff of our office food drive! During the summer months food panty’s experience a drop in donations that can hurt families in need. After reading an article about this and learning that the metro-west area food banks were struggling we decided to get involved. We formed teams to have a little fun with the project so for the next 2 weeks we will keep track of which team brings in the most items to donate. So far everyone has been participating, from sales reps to managers to the administration, so this should be a challenging competition! We are planning to have fundraising barbeque to signal the end of the food drive and raise some money with fun activities. All of our donations will go to A Place to Turn, an emergency food bank in Natick. After speaking with the director she was very happy to hear of local companies getting involved to make a positive change in the community. Good luck everyone! I hope we can collect enough donations to really make and impact.

2012 National Conference

July 30, 2012 We recently attended the 2012 National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, GA. All of our management team and several of our top representatives were selected to attend this prestigious annual event. Intrinsic was awarded with the trophy shown in the picture above for being the #1 office for our client! We are so happy to have this honor as well as awards and recognition in several other areas. Over the course of three days we were able to network with the top people in this industry, attend training sessions and hear the inspiring keynote address from Anthony Robles. He spoke about over coming the challenges in his life to become a national champion in college wrestling. Despite having only one leg he has never felt disabled. Instead he explained that his mindset was to “find a way” to achieve his goals, even if others doubted him. Check out our Facebook page for more pictures from the conference!

Intrinsic is Recognized as the #1 Office in the Nation!

June 29, 2012 Congratulations and thank you to all of our amazing Account Representatives and Managers! For the second consecutive month Intrinsic Consulting is the #1 office in the Nation on our client’s campaign. Credit is due to our strong management, skilled trainers, and our talented and hard working representatives. This is a great accomplishment that we hope to maintain in the coming months.

Houston Office is Open!

June 27. 2012 It has been a very exciting couple of weeks here! Just a few short weeks after having the opportunity to expand to Pittsburgh, PA we were again able to open a new location in Houston, TX. Zach Wisdom was promoted to Assistant Management in October 2011 and has been working hard to prepare his team for expansion over the last several weeks. Last Wednesday he started his trip down to Houston with six of the top sales representatives. They arrived over the weekend and are working hard to prepare the opening of the new location. Best of luck guys!

Friday, June 15, 2012

New Office in Pittsburgh.

Congrats to the expansion team that opened the new office.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Congratulatoins To Our Newest Promotion To Assistant Manager!

Congrats to Sers being promoted to Assistant Management.


Great Job buddy!

Intrinsic Consulting Takes On New Clients At Its Second Location In South Jersey

http://www.prlog.org/11826562-intrinsic-consulting-takes-on-new-clients-at-its-second-location-in-south-jersey.html

Intrinsic Consulting, a sales and marketing firm based out of Framingham, MA, expanded to a second location in July of 2011. Having more than tripled in size, the company was able to take on new clients and open a new location. The new location also allowed Intrinsic to take on new clients.

Intrinsic Consulting, Inc. is a privately owned sales and marketing firm. The company specializes in client acquisition and retention for Fortune 500 companies. These national service providers hire Intrinsic to meet one on one with their current and potential account holders with the goal of increasing their market share in an assigned region.

Intrinsic’s first location in Framingham began by representing one of the world’s leading providers in telecommunications. The client specializes in delivering innovative communications, information and entertainment.

With the expansion to a second location came not one but two new clients. The first client, founded in 1999, was one of the first companies to venture into retail energy. Since, the client has taken on a national presence, has over 250 employees and specializes in providing low-cost electricity and natural gas to homes and businesses from California to New York.

After seeing success representing a client in the energy industry, Intrinsic Consulting sparked the interest of a second national energy provider. Earlier this year, Intrinsic made the switch to their new client.

The second client is a North American retailer of energy and energy services. The company, founded in 1986, currently has over six million customers in Canada and the United States and stands as the largest energy and home services retailer in North America.

“We are excited to be attracting the attention of such large clients. The expansion of locations and clients is also helping us open doors for upward growth for our employees. It’s exciting to see their hard work pay off as they take on new roles,” explains Matt Griffith, President of Intrinsic Consulting, Inc.

Intrinsic Consulting, Inc has goals to open multiple locations this year allowing them to add to their client list as well increase their leadership team.

Intrinsic Consulting Raises Over $2000 For Operation Smile

http://www.pr.com/press-release/398579

Members of Intrinsic Consulting got together to help raise money for charity. The company held a charity banquet and was able to collect over $2000 in donations for Operation Smile.

Intrinsic Consulting, Inc. is a sales and marketing firm located in Framingham, MA. The company specializes in client acquisition and retention for Fortune 500 clients. The company is hired by national corporations to represent their brand name and negotiate with current as well as potential account holders. Using a one on one, consultative approach, Intrinsic Consulting helps these larger corporations increase their market share.

Operation Smile, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1982. The organization specializes in providing free surgeries to children who are born with cleft palates that leave them shunned from their community, and often unable to speak or eat. Operation Smile is an international charity with a presence in over 60 countries. Medical volunteers help provide more than 2 million patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries to repair these facial deformities.

Members of Intrinsic Consulting gathered with family, friends and members of the community and held a charity banquet at Cesaria in Dorchester, MA. Attendees were able to buy dinner tickets as well as make personal donations.

“Operation Smile is an amazing organization and I am glad the banquet was a success. We are constantly looking for ways to give back and raising money for Operation Smile is a great way to make an impact. We plan to continue to volunteer with the organization as well as others,” explains Matt Griffith, President of Intrinsic Consulting, Inc.

Intrinsic Consulting is no stranger to philanthropy. The company has volunteered with the Salvation Army, Miles for Hope to raise money for brain tumor research, Adopt-A-Family and more.

Intrinsic Consulting Promotes New Member To Executive Team

http://www.prlog.org/11826557-intrinsic-consulting-promotes-new-member-to-executive-team.html

Intrinsic Consulting, Inc., a Framingham based sales firm, has added another member to its executive team. The new leadership is expected to help Intrinsic Consulting hit its growth goals for 2012.

Intrinsic Consulting, Inc. is a sales and marketing firm the works with Fortune 500 companies. Intrinsic specializes in client acquisition and retention for national corporations. The company is hired by national service providers to represent their services to current and potential account holders.

Intrinsic’s main client is one of the world’s leading telecommunications providers. The client specializes in delivering innovative communications, information and entertainment. By offering voice, data, broadband, IP networks and video products and services, the company works to meet its customers’ growing needs.

The new addition to the company’s executive team is David Saltus. Saltus started with the company as an Account Manager, learning the business from the ground up starting with the client sales process. After showing success at this role, he was given more responsibility and worked up the ranks.

This new addition to Intrinsic’s leadership team gives the company the support needed to take on new clients as well new locations. The company expects to take on multiple clients and expand to several new locations in the coming months.

Intrinsic Consulting Begins 2012 With Plans To Expand

http://www.pr.com/press-release/398586

Intrinsic Consulting, a sales and marketing firm located in Framingham, MA, has plans to expand in the first half of 2012. Intrinsic recently promoted an additional member to its executive team. With the extra leadership, the company plans to take on new clients and grow to another location by summer.

Intrinsic Consulting specializes in client acquisition and retention. The company represents Fortune 500 companies and, through one on one consultations, is able to maintain a corporations current client base as well as grow the market share.

Intrinsic’s main client is one of the world’s leading telecommunications providers. The client specializes in delivering innovative communications, information and entertainment. By offering voice, data, broadband, IP networks and video products and services, the company works to meet its customers’ growing needs.

The most recent addition to Intrinsic Consulting’s management team came with the promotion of Zachary Wisdom in the late fall of 2011. Like all of the members of Intrinsic’s executive team, Wisdom began his career at an entry level position in the company.

After learning the ins and outs of business sales and client acquisitions, Wisdom was able to take on more responsibility. His success with the added responsibilities earned him his promotion to Assistant Manager.

“We are very proud of Zachary. He has worked hard and proven he deserves to take on a more leadership role within the company. With his support, the company will be able to take on an additional client to represent this summer,” explains Matt Griffith, President of Intrinsic Consulting, Inc.

Intrinsic Consulting currently has two locations and expects to expand to at least three new locations by year’s end.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Intrinsic Consulting Raises Over $450 Worth Of Presents For Adopts A Family

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-intrinsic-consulting-raises-over-450-worth-of-presents-for-adopts-a-family-1330651245.html

Intrinsic Consulting, a sales and marketing firm in the Boston area, worked with Adopt A Family this winter. Members of the firm came together to gathered presents to help a family have the Christmas they wish for.

Intrinsic Consulting, located in Framingham, is a client acquisition firm. The company is hired to acquire as well as retain account holders for Fortune 500 companies. Members of Intrinsic Consulting meet one on one with its clients’ account holders to discuss current contracts and possible options for improvement.

Intrinsic’s main client is one of the world’s leading telecommunications providers. The client specializes in delivering innovative communications, information and entertainment. By offering voice, data, broadband, IP networks and video products and services, the company works to meet its customers’ growing needs.

Adopt A Family is a Salvation Army program that matches families in need with individual or group sponsors to provide the items needed to have a Christmas. These adoptions are meant to be a once in a lifetime event for the impoverished families.

Once the Adopt A Family match is made, the family provides their information and wish list to the sponsor. The gifts, which include toys, clothing, food, gift cards, household items and more, are delivered to the family a week before Christmas. Sponsors are asked to provide at least two or more new gifts for each family member and to provide food to last between four to seven days.

Members of Intrinsic Consulting participated by adopting a family and helping fulfill their wish list. With several members of the company working together, the company was able to gather over $450 worth of presents and supplies for the adopted family.

“I am proud of the work the team did working together to help fill our family’s wish list. I am excited that the employees see the value in giving back to the community and I look forward to doing more projects like this in the future,” explains Matt Griffith, President of Intrinsic Consulting, Inc.

Intrinsic Consulting has also participated in the 5k for Brain Tumor Awareness and Research, raised money for Operation Smile, and held a food drive for The Salvation Army.

Intrinsic Consulting Inc. Holds A Food Drive For The Salvation Army

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-intrinsic-consulting-inc-holds-a-food-drive-for-the-salvation-army-1330645838.html

Intrinsic Consulting, a sales and marketing firm in the Boston area, helped gather food for the homeless. The company held a food drive and donated to the results to the Salvation Army.

Intrinsic Consulting, located in Framingham, is a client acquisition and retention firm. The company is hired by national corporations to assist in maintaining and growing their market-share. Intrinsic uses a one on one consultative approach with account holders to get the most effective results.

Intrinsic’s main client is the world leader in providing communications, entertainment, and information. The client is a global leader in delivering innovative communications, information and entertainment. By offering voice, data, broadband, IP networks and video products and services, the company works to meet its customers’ growing needs.

The Salvation Army, founded in 1865 by William Booth, spread from London, England to several parts of the world. The foundation, known for its thrift stores and charity work, is an international movement that currently works in over 120 countries.

This winter, members of Intrinsic Consulting got together and helped raise over $400 worth of food for the Salvation Army.

“I am excited to be associated with the team of individuals here at Intrinsic where giving back to the community is valued. It is nice to be a part of a company where I can have growth and be able to make an impact outside of my career as well,” explains a member of Intrinsic Consulting.

This is one of many philanthropic ventures Intrinsic Consulting has been involved in. The company has also raised money for Operation Smile, Brain Tumor Research, and Adopt A Family. The company recently expanded to another location in the East Coast and plans to continue giving back to the community as it grows.

10 Leadership Lessons from the IBM Executive School

http://www.forbes.com/sites/augustturak/2012/03/02/10-leadership-lessons-from-the-ibm-executive-school/


In 1955 IBM’s legendary CEO, Tom Watson Jr., gave my mentor, Louis R. Mobley, a blank check and carte blanche to create The IBM Executive School. Fresh from successfully implementing IBM’s first supervisor and middle management training programs, Mobley confidently set about churning out executives as well.

The first thing he did, in conjunction with GE and DuPont, was hire the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the same company that still does the SATs, to identify the skills that make great leaders great. Once these intellectual skills were identified, Mobley and his colleagues at GE and DuPont assumed that spitting out executives would simply mean “training to the test.”

ETS dutifully rounded up a bunch of proven leaders and tested them every which way from Sunday looking for their common skills. The results were astounding and more than a little disturbing. As Mobley put it, “No matter what bell shaped curve we drew, successful leaders fell on the extreme edges. The only thing they seemed to have in common was having nothing in common. ETS was so frustrated that they offered us our money back.”

But failure wasn’t an option for Mobley, and after many a dark night of the soul he finally hit upon the answer. Unlike supervisors and middle managers, what successful executives shared were not skills and knowledge but values and attitudes. And over time Mobley identified the values and attitudes that great leaders share.

1) Great Leaders Thrive on Ambiguity. While most of us like black and white decisions, successful leaders are comfortable with what Mobley called, “shades of gray.” Great leaders are able to hold apparent contradictions in tension. They use the tension these paradoxes produce to come up with innovative ideas.

2) Great Leaders Love Blank Sheets of Paper. Supervisors and middle managers use a framework of policies and procedures to guide them to the proper decision. They want a plan that reduces their job to filling in the blanks or what Mobley called “following the bouncing ball.” By contrast, leaders create the blanks that managers fill in. Like some business Einstein intent on reinventing the universe, every great leader relishes the opportunity to “think things through” from scratch.

3) Great Leaders are Secure People. Successful executives thrive on differences of opinion. They surround themselves with the best people they can find: people strong enough to hold a contrary opinion and argue vociferously for it. Great leaders crave challenges, and this means hiring the most challenging people they can find with no regard for whether today’s challenger might be tomorrow’s rival.

4) Great Leaders Want Options. Long before it became fashionable, Mobley was a huge proponent of diversity. However his definition meant a diversity of opinion rather than the kind we usually associate with political correctness. Mobley’s great leader constantly demands diverse options from his team, and uses these options to produce creative decisions.

5) Great Leaders are Tough Enough to Face Facts. At heart Mobley was a spiritual man who valued the Truth for the Truth’s sake. Successful executives face facts, and this means being open to the truth even when it is not what we want to hear. One of the most successful executives I know offers cash rewards to anyone in his company who can prove him wrong. Great leaders have a nose for B.S and abhor it.

6) Great Leaders Stick Their Necks Out. It is a natural human trait to fear being evaluated. We crave wiggle room so we can deflect blame and get off the hook when things go wrong. In business what is often passed off as a collaborative effort is actually just an attempt to avoid individual accountability. Great leaders want to be measured and evaluated. They continually look for ways to measure things that may seem immeasurable, and they cheerfully accept the blame when they are wrong or fail to deliver. The old adage that success has a 1000 fathers while failure is an orphan does not apply to great leadership.

7) Great Leaders Believe in Themselves. While great leaders crave advice, options, and strong colleagues, they all share a profound belief in themselves and their judgment. Mobley described great leaders as “people stubbornly following their star who don’t know how to quit.” Holding this stubbornness in tension with a willingness to be wrong is perhaps the greatest trick that every great leader must perform.

8) Great Leaders are Deep Thinkers. Managers get things done. Executives must decide on the things worth doing in the first place. Though very difficult to quantify, great leaders are deep thinkers. They constantly dive below surface “facts” searching for new ways to knit those facts together. Great leaders are generalists not specialists driven by an omnivorous curiosity. They know that the answers they are seeking will probably emerge from outside business and from disciplines that may seem utterly unrelated.

9) Great Leaders are Ruthlessly Honest with Themselves. Self-knowledge is perhaps the most critical trait that all great leaders share. Leaders question assumptions and disrupt complacency by relentlessly asking the question: “What is the business of the business?” This exercise develops and refines the organization’s mission and purpose, and it is little more than the age old question “Who am I?” applied collectively. If you are not clear about the purpose of your own life how can you provide a sense of organizational purpose for others?

10) Great Leaders are Passionate. They may be loudly charismatic or quietly intense, but all great leaders care deeply about what they are doing and why they are doing it. Perhaps most importantly they care about people. Every business is a people business, and passionately caring about people whether they are employees, customers, vendors or stockholders is an essential leadership value.

Once Mobley compiled his list, he was faced with another even more difficult problem: How do you instill values and transform attitudes? He discovered that unlike supervisors and middle managers, executives shared another trait: They were constitutionally untrainable and reacted with hostility to any effort to “brainwash” them with “training.” Worse, Mobley discovered that values and attitudes are not only impervious to typical training techniques, but hectoring people to change often had the unintended consequence of hardening existing attitudes instead.

As the result some deep thinking of his own, Mobley eventually realized that what was needed was “a revolution in consciousness” rather than the kind of step by step curriculum that leads to a single “right answer.” Taking a leap of faith, he decided that the values and attitudes he was looking for could only be brought about as a side benefit or unintended consequence of what almost might be termed “spiritual work.” Rather than converging on a super set of skills, the IBM Executive School fostered the divergence that values uniqueness and individual authenticity.

The risk of failure was real, but if Mobley was going to produce people willing to stick out their necks he had to stick out his own first. He abandoned lectures and books in favor of games, simulations and other experiential techniques designed, not to “train,” but to “blow people’s minds.”

As for the personal accountability and measuring results, Mobley’s record speaks for itself. He ran the IBM Executive School from 1956-1966. It was his students that turned IBM into the fastest growing and most admired corporation in the world in the 1960s and 70s…

Members of Intrinsic Consulting Volunteer At The Great Urban Race

Members of Intrinsic Consulting Volunteer At The Great Urban Race

http://www.prlog.org/11811193-members-of-intrinsic-consulting-volunteer-at-the-great-urban-race.html

Members of Intrinsic Consulting, a sales and marketing firm, donated their time to help make The Great Urban Race a success. The Great Urban Race is a nationally held event and members of Intrinsic added this to their list of volunteer and philanthropic efforts.

Intrinsic Consulting, located just outside of Boston in Framingham, specializes in client acquisition and retention. The company is hired by national corporations to meet one on one with current and potential account holders to acquire and retain customers. Intrinsic uses a personal, consultative approach to helping large corporations maintain as well as grow their presence in a market share.

Intrinsic Consulting’s main client is a global leader in delivering information, entertainment and innovative communications. The client offers voice, data and video products as well as services provided over wireless, broadband and global IP networks. Their goal is to meet customers' increasing need for speed, mobility, security and control.
The Great Urban Race is an urban adventure racing series with nine races across the US in 2007. It's a combination adventure race, scavenger hunt, road race, and more. Each team is given an envelope that contains twelve clues ranging in difficulty at the start of the race. The clue sheet contains a combination of clues – some physical and some mental. The first team to return with all of the clues completed wins.
Members of Intrinsic Consulting spent the day volunteering to set up and help run the event. With over 150 participating teams, the all-day event requires the help of several volunteers and sponsors.

“We understand the value of being involved in the community and it is exciting to see the team give back in such diverse ways,” explains an executive at Intrinsic Consulting.

Volunteering at the Great Urban Race is not the first time Intrinsic has volunteered or given back to the community. This past year, the firm held a food drive for The Salvation Army, participated in a 5k to raise money and awareness for brain tumor research, participated in Adopt A Family, and raised over $2000 for Operation Smile. The company expects to expand for a third time this year and says it plans to continue its philanthropic efforts as they grow.