Building a Better Mousetrap: The productivity reality
07/18/23 • 18 min
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Episode #255 // Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door!”. This quote, espousing the value of innovation, has been liberally used and abused over the years.
I came across it again recently in an article from McKinsey: Turning Around the Productivity Slowdown... so, what is productivity? And what’s the relationship between productivity and innovation?
In today’s episode, I look at productivity from a number of different angles. What does it mean in the world of macroeconomics? How does productivity impact our standard of living?
On a day-to-day level, what does it mean for your type of industry and organization? Can productivity provide a competitive advantage?
It doesn’t matter what type of organization you’re leading in, improving productivity will reap huge benefits for all your stakeholders... including the people who work for you.
But, getting your head around why you should have a constant focus on productivity improvement can be a little tricky... hopefully this episode will help.
Source Material:
No Bullsh!t Leadership Episode:
Ep.115: Does Innovation Create Value?
Ep.203: Defending Against Disruptive Innovation
McKinsey Global Institute Article:
Turning Around the Productivity Slowdown
Diary of a CEO Episode
Ep.252: Ex-Google Officer Speaks Out On the Dangers of AI
————————
FREE 5 DAY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE: Want to boost your leadership capability? This challenge will start you down the path of improving your leadership confidence and skills—if you're willing to put in the work!
Start the free 5 Day Leadership Challenge today: https://yourceomentor.com/challenge
————————
You can connect with me at:
Website: https://www.yourceomentor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentor
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor
————————
Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode #255 // Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door!”. This quote, espousing the value of innovation, has been liberally used and abused over the years.
I came across it again recently in an article from McKinsey: Turning Around the Productivity Slowdown... so, what is productivity? And what’s the relationship between productivity and innovation?
In today’s episode, I look at productivity from a number of different angles. What does it mean in the world of macroeconomics? How does productivity impact our standard of living?
On a day-to-day level, what does it mean for your type of industry and organization? Can productivity provide a competitive advantage?
It doesn’t matter what type of organization you’re leading in, improving productivity will reap huge benefits for all your stakeholders... including the people who work for you.
But, getting your head around why you should have a constant focus on productivity improvement can be a little tricky... hopefully this episode will help.
Source Material:
No Bullsh!t Leadership Episode:
Ep.115: Does Innovation Create Value?
Ep.203: Defending Against Disruptive Innovation
McKinsey Global Institute Article:
Turning Around the Productivity Slowdown
Diary of a CEO Episode
Ep.252: Ex-Google Officer Speaks Out On the Dangers of AI
————————
FREE 5 DAY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE: Want to boost your leadership capability? This challenge will start you down the path of improving your leadership confidence and skills—if you're willing to put in the work!
Start the free 5 Day Leadership Challenge today: https://yourceomentor.com/challenge
————————
You can connect with me at:
Website: https://www.yourceomentor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentor
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor
————————
Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Moment #25: Why Management Teams Become Stale
Moment #25 // High-performance is fragile. Teams can lose their lustre for a whole range of reasons, and leading a team of high performers can be incredibly challenging.
The best teams push each other pretty hard, and it can be difficult to maintain constructive tension, without it boiling over into acrimony.
And, yes, sometimes your people just stop listening to you. Over time, familiarity breeds contempt, and the downside of consistency (a much sought-after leadership characteristic) is predictability.
You can take a deeper dive into these insights by listening to Ep.99: Don't Play One Season Too Many.
————————
FREE 5 DAY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE:
Want to boost your leadership capability? This challenge will start you down the path of improving your leadership confidence and skills—if you're willing to put in the work!
Start the free 5 Day Leadership Challenge today: https://yourceomentor.com/challenge
————————
FREE QUIZ: I’ve created a brand new 3-question quiz that’ll give you a free personalized podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!
Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist
————————
You can connect with me at:
Website: https://www.yourceomentor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentor
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor
————————
Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
Moment #26: From Individual Contributor to Leader
Moment #26 // Of the many mistakes that new leaders are prone to make, over-functioning for certain individuals is one of the most common, and the most insidious.
When you do this, it tells your people that what they're doing isn't good enough. It trains them to be lazy and complacent, because you'll always step in to finish their job for them if you’re not happy. And they'll keep getting paid for not doing their job to the standard you expect.
Excellent leaders give their people clarity of purpose, resources, coaching, and autonomy. They lead people to do their jobs—they don’t do their jobs for them.
You can take a deeper dive into these insights by listening to Ep.172: Stop Doing Your People's Work, or by reading my article in Harvard Business Review.
————————
FREE 5 DAY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE: Want to boost your leadership capability? This challenge will start you down the path of improving your leadership confidence and skills—if you're willing to put in the work!
Start the free 5 Day Leadership Challenge today: https://yourceomentor.com/challenge
————————
You can connect with me at:
Website: https://www.yourceomentor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentor
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor
————————
Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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