Usually I write about Halloween and the scary art of negotiation but this year in honor of the imminent release of the sixth Vested book, Strategic Sourcing in the New Economy, (by Bonnie Keith, myself, Karl Manrodt, and Jeanne Kling), I thought I’d take a slightly different tack on the holiday. My question is simple. If you are searching for real value […]
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For Innovation: Ask the Person
Innovation doesn’t have to be a mystery featuring secret words, cryptic corporate alchemy and magical thinking. It can be as simple as ATP: ‘ask the person’ doing the work. Communication is vital in every aspect of our personal and business lives, for collaboration, alignment and creating value—so why not when it comes to innovation? A […]
When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It
I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the wit, and wisdom, of baseball great and cultural icon Yogi Berra, who died on Tuesday at the age of 90. Berra had a unique perspective on life that some might think of as just a list of rambling, funny malapropisms. There was an element of the […]
It’s Feedback and Measurement
Feedback is always necessary no matter the project or situation, but there’s an important and often overlooked next step: what happens after the feedback? This point is brought home in a recent Harvard Business Review article, “Feedback Without Measurement Won’t Do Any Good,” in which MIT Research Fellow and author Michael Schrage writes: “People understandably invest significant time and […]
Innovation: It’s Not Just “More” or “Faster”
There are many paths to innovation. But far too many think it’s about just doing “more” of something. Or doing something “faster.” KLM understands the spirit of innovation is in thinking differently rather than trying to just improve an existing process or product. This YouTube video shows how the customer service team is innovating when it comes […]
An Oldie but Goodie: The Service Contract Manifesto
I ran across this great blog declaring the need for a Service Contract Manifesto. It’s a bit old (2008) but very good. The manifesto is a “declaration of customer-contractor interdependence.” In simple words it lays out some highly Vested conclusions: that “both sides want more,” and that both the buyer and the service provider “recognize the need for […]
Negotiation Wisdom from JFK
In a recent LinkedIn post Kees Van Der Vleuten, Director, KC MT Services, talks about the need to understand and use “expectation management” while embracing collaboration in the value chain. His well-said point is that by fully embracing collaboration—and measuring and monitoring the results of collaboration—“it is possible to achieve greater and more sustainable results […]
Avoid the Risk-Shift Game
Among the tried and true contract negotiation strategies, shifting risk is probably among the most ubiquitous and actively used—and best-rewarded when successfully accomplished. , mainly because it typically happens after you have a “deal.” Have you ever heard this: “Great! I’ll take it. How about 90 day payment terms?” or “Perfect…how about a two-year warranty instead of a one-year warranty?” For […]
Drop that Grudge
There’s nothing positive about holding a grudge, especially in the business world because grudges produce negative feelings and results. Seth Godin, in a recent post, rightly put it this way: Whatever is causing the grudge, he continues, whether it is competition, technology or what someone said or did years ago, “none of it is going […]
In This Case the Mask is Way Better
Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks and their thrilling Stanley Cup victory last week, their third in six years. It made me think of a great story that Robert Martichenko, CEO of LeanCor, told me recently about hockey masks and the history and evolution of the goalie mask. Not so long ago it was considered a […]
