leadership – Page 3

Develop Proactive Competitive Intelligence through Business Blindspot Analysis & Executive Personality Profiling

March 18, 2021June 22, 2009 by Ellen Naylor

I find it interesting to partner two analytical tools: business blindspots and executive personality profiling to predict where a company is going. In business blindspots, you seek to uncover the biases of your company, competitors or co-workers and recognize that you have them too. We all have blind spots based on our experience in life! When you combine this with executive personality profiling, you can come up with some insightful conclusions such as predicting company’s actions, including your competitors.

Intelligence 2.0: Creating New Business Models–SLA 2009

March 18, 2021June 18, 2009 by Ellen Naylor

Asymmetric information models are passé and information interpretation is NOW: the ability to understand and anticipate! Many of the models and processes that we use to collect competitive intelligence and conduct our various forms of analysis–including voice of the customer and market research–do not lead to innovation. So often these processes concentrate on what customers “want” rather than what they “need,” and they don’t know what they need. Innovation is most easily defined as productivity. Yet innovation is a sloppy process. Employees innovate best within a culture of “learning and growing from mistakes” rather than being punished for making mistakes. Learn how to articulate the truth in ways that management will listen (cooperative leadership).

What’s the Future of SCIP and the Competitive Intelligence Profession?

March 15, 2021May 27, 2009 by Ellen Naylor

Competitive intelligence is not recognized enough to keep SCIP afloat on its own. Many companies include competitive intelligence as part of other business functions which are well defined: product planning, strategic planning, marketing, PR, sales, R&D, but CI really isn’t perceived as a discipline in many companies. SCIP also faces competition in CI from other associations and social networks. I hope SCIP turns on its marketing machine with urgency and reaches out to companies and individuals and educate them on the compelling value of conducting systematic CI. I hope that SCIP’s leadership is reading the CI Ning. There are so many good ideas posted, so SCIP has a great opportunity to listen and query these individuals more closely and engage them to be part of the solution.

Let’s Hear it for Librarians in Competitive Intelligence!

April 30, 2018May 13, 2009 by Ellen Naylor

Many of us in CI are very good at digging up good insightful data and providing relevant analysis. We’re not so good at the human issues of connection and communication, which is where librarians run circles around many of us. Librarians get where their role is in the company, that it’s evolving and provide it with a spirit of service and giving. They also know what they don’t know and learn about it.

Competitive Intelligence Starts with Your Company

March 15, 2021May 11, 2009 by Ellen Naylor

Often in competitive intelligence we’re so busy looking externally at the competition and market conditions that we forget to consider how we can improve our own operation by investigating ourselves. Before I look at a company’s competitors, I always like to take a long look at the company which hired me. Their operation, including their management’s behavior and motivation, becomes my yardstick to consider as I learn about the competition.

Are We in a Rut in Competitive Intelligence Innovation? #SCIP09 Post-conference

November 28, 2017April 27, 2009 by Ellen Naylor

More of the innovation that people shared was around process which involved social networking and more sophisticated monitoring and analysis tools. The cost of information acquisition is really inexpensive today even compared to 10 years ago, so companies can afford to text mine and use tools that provide visualization at a reasonable cost. We concluded that industry norms can be a deterrent to sharing innovation. However, as we build our human networks and develop trust, we often share our innovation with others, either one on one or among a smaller group.

Think Before Win Loss Analysis: Stay Connected with Your Customers Before the Sales Event!

March 15, 2021April 17, 2009 by Ellen Naylor

While win loss analysis will give you ideas for product development and competitive intelligence, it’s often too late to regain your customer’s lost business. Consider interviewing wins, and also interview your customers at various intervals in the account planning and post-sales process to boost customer retention!

Persuading through Competitive Intelligence Tools: the Cooperative Angle

November 28, 2017March 30, 2009 by Ellen Naylor

People like stories and can be very persuasive, and I notice stories also make it easy to avoid ego conflicts. In this case study, we used customer’s decision-making criteria rather than our opinions, to persuasively communicate our analysis. However, don’t be so persuasive that you forget about the dignity of the people you are addressing. Tell a good story that leads them to your conclusions, as though your audience had thought them up themselves. This works with everyone I have ever addressed regardless of profession or culture.

Take a Cooperative Approach to Conflict Resolution

March 15, 2021March 11, 2009 by Ellen Naylor

I like the cooperative approach shared in Hot Buttons to solve conflicts with colleagues as it’s objective, focuses on constructive communication, and not “who dunnit? While cooperative intelligence skills of leadership, connection and communication don’t guarantee job security, they will help you stand out since many people have lower emotional intelligence: that is they have weak people skills.