Author Archives: Susanna Hooper

Buy-In: Would You Say Yes To You?

Growth | By Susanna Hooper| November 21, 2011, 12:22 pm
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Getting buy-in isn’t just a step in the process of execution. It may start with key people in a meeting where you present a case and have them buy-in, but it almost always seems to require having the same people (and more!) buying-in all along the way. Just because you get it once doesn’t mean it sticks. The common denominator to having people buy-in is not just the case you are presenting. It’s you. Would you say yes to you on … Read more…

How to Get Your Confidence Back in 3 Simple Steps

Leadership | By Susanna Hooper| October 6, 2011, 3:16 pm
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The game of life is the same as the game of business. If you’re in the game at all, you are trying to make stuff happen. And why you are doing that is because you can imagine something – something is possible – and to you, that possibility is cool, maybe even amazing. Ultimately, it matters to you. So you’re working to make it happen. But along the way, it’s inevitable that you’ll run into obstacles, disappointments, dead ends. Inevitable … Read more…

Tolerating “Almost”

Breakthrough, Transformation | By Susanna Hooper| September 16, 2011, 2:13 pm
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“Good enough is no longer good enough.” I’ve heard this around organizations a lot recently. It’s easier said than done to turn a “good enough” mindset into a high performing one. Mediocrity is like gravity. It seeps into our offices, meetings and culture…lulling us into a quiet tolerance. “I won’t push you if you don’t push me.” This is all around us – “almost great,” and sometimes it’s just “almost good.” I was a consistent 3.7 as a student from … Read more…

Fostering an Innovation Mindset

Transformation | By Susanna Hooper| July 28, 2011, 10:42 am

In the Harvard Business Review post, “Innovation’s Nine Critical Success Factors,” Mark Sebell and Jay Terwilliger write that organizations cannot innovate productively unless the underlying factors are in good shape. Some critical success factors include a shared vision of the future, a fully aligned strategic innovation agenda and visible senior management involvement. I can’t help but think about what kind of leaders and thinkers this must take. To have an innovation organization that operates at high levels in all nine … Read more…