In every story we hear or every event we are a part of, there is a lesson that we can draw out.

I played in a golf tournament yesterday where the money raised was going to a charity. After the round of golf, we all gathered in the clubhouse for the requisite lunch and thank you speeches. A representative from the charity was also there to tell us about how the money raised would be used. This is a critical way to let us know about the charity and how the money will help people and tie everything back to a great cause. The only problem was, the sound was terrible and the video she brought to show us could only be seen by about 1/3 of the people in the room. Sure enough, two minutes into the video, most people lost interest and started talking, which is unfortunate, but to be expected. So what can we learn from this:

• Know your audience - after a beautiful day of golf, the last thing people wanted to do was sit still and listen to speeches for extended periods - have short, pithy and provocative points when presenting to an audience with a short attention span
• Know your location - scope out the location to ensure maximum ability for people to see and hear what you are presenting
• Make a connection - think of what would be in the self-interest of the audience and appeal to it
• Be interesting - if people sense you are giving the same generic speech you have given 50 times prior, they will tune out. Speak with energy and passion and make the audience believe this is the first time you have ever delivered your speech

The fastest way to grow revenue is through your existing customer base. This requires some introspection and a few strategic conversations, but it is the fastest and most cost-effective way to increase revenue. Here are the three things you need to do:

• Know your competitive advantage - Talk to customers, business partners, advisers and colleagues to determine what you do better than anyone else. Why would a customer choose you?
• Know your target market - Determine who can most benefit from the products and/or services you offer and what their needs are. Who would most benefit from what you offer?
• Communicate effectively - Once you have determined what you do better than anyone else and who will most benefit from that, you need to find an effective means to communicate that message to potential customers. What is the most effective way to communicate your strengths to those who would benefit from them the most?

A client of mine followed this strategy when expanding into new markets and they were very successful. They held numerous meetings to review the marketplace and identified the areas where they felt they were stronger or offered better value than the competition. They then created a profile of their target customer, including what that person's lifestyle might be like and what associations and organizations they might be a part of. From this they developed a strategy on how best to reach and communicate to that customer. The result was a huge increase in revenue as well as a reduction in the time spent generating that revenue. This increased productivity allowed them to meet with more potential customers and achieve a higher conversion rate for new customers, creating an additional surge of revenue.

As my family and I were sitting down for dinner tonight on our back porch, my son ran inside to get something. When he came out, I asked him "what did you need to get." He replied "my phone, in case someone texts me." Now, what I did not tell you is that my son is not yet 4 years old and he does have his own phone, only it has no batteries and does not work. The point of this story is that he learned about texting and the need for having his phone at the dinner table from us, his parents.

Is this a good example for us to set for our kids, that we need to have our phones with us in case someone calls or texts us? It scares me the lesson that we might be teaching our children. What happened to make instant communication so necessary? I remember never having my own phone line (let alone a cell phone) and my friends had to call my parents to speak to me. I remember my first cell phone, which was the size of my arm and cost about $20 per minute. I remember working for a major company that only had one email address for the entire company! I am not waxing nostalgic here, nor am I feeling sorry for myself. I am all for innovation, but this is crazy.

My son should be learning how to read, how to ride a bike, how to climb a tree...the last thing he should be learning is that he should have his phone at the table in case someone texts him. This spills over into the workplace where people are expected to be available 24 hours a day. It is up to the leaders to set a precedent. If you want to encourage work-life balance, don't send people emails at 10pm at night or on the weekend. When someone gets an email from their boss, they will feel obligated to respond. Don't call people at 8pm on a work day and expect them to be available to talk.

As a leader you need to set the example, don't bring your phone to the dinner table.

For the success of any business, engagement and leadership must come from the top down. This does not mean that only top management can lead an organization or its initiatives, but it is very hard to drive change when the CEO is not engaged. Having worked with dozens of companies over the years, I have seen the difference between success and failure. Failure looks like a time-consuming, important initiative that has no sustainability. Failure looks like a lot of money and effort spent with no long-term impact on the organization. Failure looks like a waste of the organization's time and money. Failure looks like a de-motivated workforce and internal battles. But enough about failure, what does success look like?

Success looks like an initiative that is championed by individuals or team from all levels of the company. Success looks like a change that creates long-term benefits for the organization. Success looks like something that outlives the CEO's tenure. Success looks like people being engaged and passionate about their organization.

Many times the difference between success and failure is the level of support and engagement from the CEO. CEOs are there to inspire, to lead, to provide direction, to communicate, to make hard decisions and to engage employees and business partners. Without that, organizations cannot expect to implement initiatives successfully.