Innovate For The Future

Over the last five episodes you have learned a success path for securing your life s work. First you must define your purpose by leveraging a compelling set of values and beliefs to inspire hunger for meaningful contribution. Next, align your team around a clear path forward. You ll want to identify the strategies that will lead […] The post My Life’s Work: Stay Focused For The Long-Term appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

On February 14, 1924, the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changed its name. International Business Machines Corporation was born that day. IBM. Big Blue. Was here to stay. From that point on with big dreams, strong principals, and a belief in the future, Thomas Watson with his THINK mantra ushered in an AMBITION OF POSSIBILITIES. This […] The post My Life’s Work: Long-Term Thinking In A Short-Term World appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

How far will 30 steps take you? If your steps are linear, you ll travel 30 meters. But set your sites on 30 exponential steps you know, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and you will travel over 1 billion meters (1,073,741,824 meters to be exact). That s 26 times around the earth! […] The post My Life’s Work: Build Organizational Capabilities For Tomorrow appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Can you think of a business that has drifted with no meaningful disciplines? How about Enron? Or a business that drifted with no vision? Blockbuster comes to mind. How about a business with no clear path forward? Sears. Enough said, right? On the other hand, businesses with strategy, disciplines, and vision write a different future. […] The post My Life s Work: Don t Allow Your Business To Drift appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Define Your Purpose Business and life always come back to purpose. Leaders are purpose driven. Estee Lauder, Walt Disney, Sam Walton, and David Packard, for example. It is your purpose that secures your life s work. To achieve your life s work you need to escape the tyranny of the urgent today. Estee Lauder and Walt Disney […] The post My Life s Work: Purpose Driven Leadership appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Tom Brady, in the 4th quarter of his career is getting stronger and keeps delivering championships. Warren Buffet turned 89 this summer and continues to bring it having amassed 99% of his wealth after his 50th birthday. And, no matter what the prior decades delivered, it is in the 4th quarter of your career that […] The post My Life s Work: It s The 4th Quarter appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Today we are going to look at the fifth component part of The Innovative Distributor model, transformative leadership with Chuck Salewsky and Dave Anttila, partners with ibeauthentic. In this conversation we are going to hear their views on why and how we must move our leadership structure from the one person at the top controlling […] The post Leaders Insure Everyone Leads appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Today we are going to look at the fourth component part of The Innovative Distributor model, business model innovation with Chuck Salewsky and Dave Anttila, partners with ibeauthentic. We begin by getting their input as to why they believe 85% of distributors are thinking that they need to rethink their business model before somebody else […] The post e-Commerce and How Distribution Sales Will Evolve appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Today is the third of five inspiring and informative episodes with two partners of Menominee, Michigan based IBeauthentic. Chuck Salewsky, operating manager and partner along with Dave Anttila, director of business development and partner share their wisdom with us. Prior to founding iBeauthentic, Chuck and Dave grew a privately held beauty supply distribution business from $12 […] The post 100 Million Dollar Growth By Breaking The Sameness Trap appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Today is the second of five inspiring and informative episodes with two partners of Menominee, Michigan based IBeauthentic. Chuck Salewsky, operating manager and partner along with Dave Anttila, director of business development and partner share their wisdom with us. Ibeauthentic is a creative and innovative organization who has created a unique culture which is attracting […] The post Intentionality of Culture – The 5 Pillars appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Today is the first of five inspiring and informative episodes with two partners of Menominee, Michigan based IBeauthentic. Chuck Salewsky, operating manager and partner and Dave Anttila, director of business development and partner share their wisdom with us. IBeauthentic was formed to offer alternative solutions to the professional beauty industry through talent and technology-based offerings. […] The post Standing Where You Want To Be – The Power of Vision appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Today s guest, returning for our third conversation is Ken Salyer, the founder and CEO of wall covering distributor Tri-Kes. Today Ken shares his insight on the importance of creating a value proposition that allows you to break through the marketplace clutter and sameness trap so many distributors are stuck in. Ken describes the fundamental belief […] The post Creating A Brand That Breaks Through The Clutter & Stands For Something with Ken Salyer appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Today s guest, Ken Salyer the founder and CEO of wall covering distributor Tri-Kes has peered into the future and sees a world where instantaneous is too slow. Technology has changed customer s expectations to having access to information before they even know they want that information. As a result Ken and the leadership team at Tri-Kes […] The post Digital Transformation In A World Where Instantaneous Is Too Slow With Ken Salyer appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Today s guest is Ken Salyer, Founder and CEO of wall covering distributor Tri-Kes. Ken and I explore the importance of culture and how they have intentionally nurtured a culture based on a joint set of beliefs the organization lives everyday. Ken describes that the speed with which people in the organization have to make decisions […] The post Culture at the Speed of Today with Ken Salyer of Tri-Kes appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

As Don McNeeley looks at the dysfunction in Washington, our school systems, and even industry today he sees the greatest gap in the history of our nation between the need for leadership and the supply of it. This is one reason he is so committed to growing leaders as President and CEO of Chicago Tube […] The post Leadership Is In Greater Demand Than Ever appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Don McNeeley, is the President and CEO of Chicago Tube and Iron (CTI) which celebrated 100 years of consecutive profitability earlier this year. In this fourth of five conversations I have with Don, he explains the CTI business model and its evolution over the years. More importantly he explains the why behind each evolution. The […] The post Business Model Innovation Or Exit Strategy? appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Has the term commodity ever been used to describe what it is you sell? Have your customers said in no uncertain terms I get get the same thing down the street for less? Or how about your sales team, have they come to believe that the only way they can sell this stuff is if […] The post Commoditized Hell? Here s What You Must Do with Don McNeeley appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

I m naturally drawn to Don Mcneeley, president and CEO of Chicago Tube and Iron (CTI). I love his story and the story of CTI. 100 years of profitability doesn t happen by accident. The culture that allows for 100 years of profitability doesn t happen by accident. At the core of both stories – that of CTI […] The post Capitalism, Country, Culture And Your Life s Work appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Our guest is Don McNeeley, the president and CEO of Chicago Tube and Iron one of the largest specialty steel service centers in the United States with ten branches throughout the Midwest and in Monterrey, Mexico. The company recently celebrated it 100 year anniversary with an amazing performance record of 100 continuous years of profitability. […] The post Points of Inflection and 100 Years Of Continuous Profitability appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

You know in this age of disruption, in this VUCA world … Those of you that listen understand what VUCA means, V-U-C-A. Right? Velocity, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. That’s the world in which we find ourselves. How do we lead change, transformation and innovation. How do we lead our teams in this environment? That’s the […] The post Leading With Values With Steve Riddell appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Steve Riddell is the Chief Sales Officer – Telesales with Sprint. In this episode we explore Steve s insights regarding the fourth component part of The Innovative Distributor – business model innovation. Steve has been an innovator his entire career. most recently at blinds.com and now with Sprint. He has a history of is taking a […] The post Competing With New Business Models In Disruptive Times With Steve Riddell appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Steve Riddell is the Chief Sales Officer – Telesales with Sprint. In this episode we explore Steve s insights regarding the third component part of The Innovative Distributor – value proposition. Now I got to tell you, what you and I know after listening to Innovate for the Future is that it’s compelling value propositions that […] The post Why Innovators Don’t Need To Compete On Price With Steve Riddell appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Steve Riddell is the Chief Sales Officer – Telesales with Sprint. In this episode we explore Steve s insights regarding the second component part of The Innovative Distributor – culture. What you and I know is that if we’re going to lead change, transformation, and innovation, the foundation of that is the culture that we have. […] The post Creating Extraordinary Growth Through A Culture of Innovation With Steve Riddell appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Steve Riddell is the Chief Sales Officer – Telesales with Sprint. In this episode we explore Steve s insights regarding the living and working in the age of disruption. We find ourselves managing our careers, our futures, our organizations in the age of disruption. In my book INNOVATE! we introduced the concept of VUCA – that […] The post The Age of Disruption Is an Age of Opportunity With Steve Riddell appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Steve Riddell is the Chief Sales Officer – Telesales with Sprint. In this episode we explore Steve s insights regarding the first component part of The Innovative Distributor – vision. As Steve frames vision he describes the imperative nature of crafting your Unique Strategic Aim. Steve describes for us how your Unique Strategic Aim becomes the […] The post Defining Your Unique Strategic Aim With Steve Riddell appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Following my first conversation on vision with Scott Weaver, president and CEO of APR Supply – the microphones were off but our conversation continued. So I turned the microphones back on and captured another gem from Scott as it relates to using vision to drive the needed innovation within your business. Scott and his management […] The post Define Your Future With A Vivid Vision – With Scott Weaver [Re-Braodcast] appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Are you a better leader than you were five years ago? Scott Weaver, president and CEO of APR Supply certainly is. And it s not by accident. As we learned in our first episode with Scott APR s vision is to double sales every five years. Well in order to do that Scott needs to become a […] The post Intentionality, Transformative Leadership & Transformative Decisions appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Schaelder Yesco, APR Supply and Industrial Piping three distributors in three different lines of trade have created a new model of partnering that we explore in this episode with Schaedler Yesco Distribution CEO Jim Schaedler and Greg Schaedler, branch manager. Joining me for this discussion is Scott Costa, publisher of ted Magazine. You ll learn the […] The post Business Model Innovation Through Trust and Joint Ventures [Bonus Episode] appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

APR Supply found themselves in the middle of a recession that as all economic downturns do, impacted their ability to grow. And then as if in the midst of a perfect storm one of their top ten manufacturers declared bankruptcy, and another choose a distributor other than APR to distribute their product. At […] The post Making That Career Defining Decision To Innovate Your Business Model appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Following my conversation on Monday s episode Customer Centricity Without Fail with Scott Weaver, president and CEO of APR Supply – the microphones were off but our conversation continued. So I turned the microphones back on and captured another gem from Scott as it relates to value propositions. APR has developed a world class event they […] The post Event Marketing To Control The Narrative [Bonus Episode] appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

The average business out there is stuck in a world of sameness. So what do you do when your a business, a supply house, a distributor that has the same products, the same widgets, the same pipe, valves, and fittings as the guy down the street? Defining that compelling value proposition that gives the customer […] The post Customer Centricity Without Fail appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

The culture of APR Supply can be summed up by president and CEO Scott Weaver s response to the company receptionist when she asked Scott, how is day was going. Scott s reply: One north of fantastic. This mindset has embedded itself deep into the culture of APR Supply, and more than a platitude or play on […] The post One North of Fantastic: Creating and Nurturing A Fantastic Culture appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

At APR Supply, their visioning process begins with a goal to double the size of the business every five years. As I talk with APR president and CEO, Scott Weaver he explains both the why and the how of achieving the goal. They use a five-year time horizon around which he and the other six […] The post How To Double Your Business Every 5 Years: Vision At Work [Rebroadcast] appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Rod Fallow, president of Swagelok Northern California believes his primary responsibility as a leader is to create a relevant and compelling future that every employee can rally around. In our first episode with Rod, we spoke about that future he envisions. In this episode we explore the effective leadership processes and tools that have been […] The post Transformative Leadership That Elevates Performance & Accelerates Development appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Swagelok, a $1.8 billion company with 20 manufacturing facilities around the world operates under the One Swagelok business model which includes an exclusive relationship with it s distributors – authorized sales and service centers. In this episode I talk with Rod Fallow, President of Swagelok Northern California about this unique model. The exclusivity at first sounds […] The post An Inch Wide And Mile Deep Business Model appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

When many distributors struggle in defining their real value, Rod Fallow, president of Swagelok Northern California believes that it is a real, intense, and deep focus on the customer where significant value and innovation begins. While their product catalog is full of high quality and reliable fluid system products like filters, fittings, hoses, quick connects […] The post Delivering Value Through An Ecosystem Of Deep Expertise appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

While there are many unique and innovative aspects of Swagelok Northern California s, culture, one jumps out at you very soon after arriving at this Fremont California based industrial distributor. You go into most organizations, and if there are portraits of individuals on the walls, more often than not, these pictures are of the founder of […] The post Locking Down Company Culture At Swagelok Northern California appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

What would it take to become your customer s favorite story? At Swagelok Northern California, Becoming Our Customer s Favorite Story is not only their stated vision, it has become embedded into the day to day actions of every employee. As Rod Fallow, President of Swagelok Northern California will tell us, the world, our businesses, and our […] The post How To Become Your Customers Favorite Story appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Let s start with the end. In the end, what makes the difference between a good company and a great company is leadership. The ultimate success of a department, a region, an operations the success of your company comes down to you. It s leader. Leadership makes the difference. In this episode, Todd Talbot, president of […] The post Great Leaders Know How To Bungee Jump! appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

So what do you think about value engineering? It s just one topic that Todd Talbot, president of Fluidmaster and I explore as we dig into this innovative company s business model. You see, we both agree that too many use the term value engineering as code for I m going to cross reference a product number and […] The post 1 Vision + 3 Critical Paths = Business Model To Be #1 In The World appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

If you are like most, your customers have accused you of selling commodities. Am I right? In this episode, Todd Talbot president of Fluidmaster reminds us that commodities are created by industry leading firms who elect to compete on price, rather than to innovate. As the world has gotten a smaller, competitors – traditional and […] The post Accused of Selling Commodities? Time To Innovate! appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

As Todd Talbot took over as President at Fluidmaster, turnover was peaking at about 30% per year. At best an average company to be a part of. Within four years, and a intention transformation of the culture, that turnover has been slashed to around 7% and Fluidmaster is now ranked as one of the top […] The post Culture: A Leaders Full Time Job appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

How do innovative organizations achieve great things? Some believe that innovation is the result of one masterful stroke. In reality, as Todd Talbot, president of Fluidmaster describes,the boldness of innovation occurs through disciplined progress towards a vision. Fluid master is a leading global supplier of fluid management systems. Some would think that engineering the internal […] The post The Fluidmaster Way: Bold Growth Through Disciplined Progress appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Mike Smith, the President and CEO of OneSource believes that leadership is very personal. The human side of leadership involves the deep rooted caring and even love of those on your team. Not just wanting the best for each, but having a mutual respect for one another that allows for speaking directly with the individual’s best […] The post For The Love Of Leadership appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

This is the fourth in our series with Mike Smith president and CEO of OneSource Distributors, and other leaders on his team, as we explore how they lead to insure they are creating a relevant, sustainable, and profitable future. In this episode we explore Mike s view of business model innovation and how he leads this […] The post How OneSource Distributors Innovates Its Business Model appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Digital transformation and becoming a digital organization is often mentioned, without much description of what that means. In this episode, we explore OneSource s journey to become a digital organization. What does that mean .. at OneSource that means they strive to have their digital solution to be so powerful and user friendly that both their […] The post Digital Transformation: Relevance & Customer Centricity appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

On Monday s episode, Mike Smith, president and CEO of OneSource talked about the importance of injecting youth into the organization. Following that discussion, Mike suggested I sit down with three of his millennials to get their take on the business, the culture, and being leaders. In this bonus episode I talk with McKinnon Shisko OneSource s […] The post How To Empower Millennials To Respectfully Challenge The Status Quo appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Culture is talked about more and more. But what is culture and how do leaders foster the desired culture? This is the essence of this dynamic conversation that I have with Mike Smith, president and CEO of OneSource Distributors. Mike knows that fostering an engaged culture is not about the “touchy-feely”. It must be worked, […] The post Getting Ahead of the Future Through a Culture of Engagement appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

In this bonus episode, Mike Smith and I explore the need for distributors – all sales organizations actually to redefine value beyond product and services. Mike Smith is the president and CEO of OneSource distributors. He is passionate about creating tangible and measurable value for their customers. More than platitudes he has a vision of […] The post How To Redefine Value Beyond Products and Services to Economic Outcomes appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

When Mike Smith joined OneSource Distributors as their Chief Operation Officer in 2005, the owner of the company gave him a one line job description – Make technology a differentiator. Today as the president and CEO of OneSource he continues down that path as it has grown five-times since the technology differentiator mandate. In this […] The post The Future Happened Yesterday .. How Do We Get Ahead of It? With Mike Smith appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.

Those that have been in one of my keynote presentations know that I believe we as leaders have been called at this special moment in time in this age of disruption to lead our organizations into an unknown future. But how do we do that. This is at the core of today s conversation with Kathy […] The post Unleashing Your Organization s Potential Through Transformative Leadership With Graybar CEO Kathy Mazzarella appeared first on Dirk Beveridge.