Fountainhead Consulting Group, Inc.

01/15/2025

Just 6 Days Until the Release of My 4th Book, Work Less, Make More and Have Fun in Your Business -

We Turn Your Business Into a Fountainhead of Profitability and Personal Satisfaction for You

01/08/2025

Release of My 4th Book, Work Less, Make More and Have Fun in Your Business -

We Turn Your Business Into a Fountainhead of Profitability and Personal Satisfaction for You

02/04/2022

“Good Morning, How is Your System Doing Today?”

Most likely, you have heard that question from a medical professional.

As human beings, our literal very existence is dependent on our “system”.

A question regarding how we are doing is critically important.
Likewise, an assessment of how a company’s systems are operating is crucial -because a business is also dependent on its “systems” for existence.

A multitude of systems are utilized throughout a company’s operations and from a technology standpoint they can be low, medium or high tech.

Examples of various levels of technology used in systems include:

Low Technology Systems

There is an increasing concern, even among IT professionals, that people are becoming too reliant on, and maybe addicted to, technology. There is re-renewed interest in paper-based planners that enable a person to organize their day, week, and month in a very visual way. So says Omar Finley, owner and CEO of The Listening Tree, a bookstore in Atlanta, Georgia that specializes in literacy and learning.

Use of a paper-based organizer system enables the user to take a break from phones, emails, social media posts, and virtual meetings, and be more intentional about their schedule, as compared to just reacting to incoming phone calls, emails, and social media posts.

Medium Technology Systems

Many restaurants have had to transform themselves with new systems as a consequence of COVID-19. For example:

• Menu ordering from QR codes
• Online and mobile app ordering
• Social distancing and sanitizing procedures
• No touch payment systems using a mobile phone
• Employing “ghost kitchens” to facilitate lower cost and faster delivery

Some new restaurants have been designed from the bottom up with the use of labor-saving systems and ones that accommodate to our current pandemic.

For instance, addressing both of the above objectives, recently opened Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is contactless and highly automated. The kitchen and staff are separated from customers by glass, food is ordered via an app, and the food is delivered to customers via a wall of Amazon pickup location like lockers with glass doors - so personnel do not come into physical contact with customers.

These and other systems have enabled Brooklyn Dumpling Shop to keep their costs down and ensure the protection of their personnel.

High Technology Systems

Something that was just science fiction several years ago is now reality - hundreds of knee-high robots delivering food! Starship Technologies has developed a fleet of robots that can hold around four large pizzas and they are now delivering food at over 20 college campuses, and some cities around the world.

They travel about 5 mph and utilize GPS, cameras, sensors, and laser scanners to navigate sidewalks and even cross streets autonomously. Many other companies are competing for this market, and some of their robots travel up to 25 mph on roads, versus on sidewalks.

According to Dennis Maloney, Senior VP and Chief Digital Officer at Domino’s Pizza. the reason many companies are embracing systems of robots is, “There is no store in the country right now with enough delivery drivers,”.

Systems Are The Backbone Of A Company

Low, medium, and high-tech systems are the backbone of a company. Therefore, it is incumbent for organizations to improve their systems so they can operate more efficiently and serve their customers better.

But how does an enterprise go about improving their systems?
Below please find a diagram of our Structure of Success™ methodology that, reading from the bottom up, shows a business’ “Execution” starts with its systems.

Using my upcoming book, Work Less, Make More and Have Fun in Your Business as a framework, I would like to explore how an organization can go about improving its systems.

Looking at the above diagram, it is important to note that systems are used in all six areas of a business:

• Vision & Leadership
• Marketing & Sales
• Production
• Finance & Administration
• Human Assets
• Information Technology

Systems encompass both your overall plans and detailed processes. Your processes are the detailed blueprints for how you want to operate each of the six areas of your business. No two businesses would have the exact same systems because they are unique to each business.

Plans Are General In Nature

Your plans state how you want things to operate within your business at a broad level. They are specific to each of the six areas of your organization, and they state from an overall standpoint what your methodology will be for accomplishing things within your company.

Your plans lay out the game plan for the operations of each of your six areas and are general in nature, while the exact details of your plans are specified in your processes, which reside beneath your plans.

Detailed Processes Are Required

Processes are the detailed procedures and courses of action that are necessary to carry out your overall plans. These are written documents that identify the necessary steps to follow to produce effective and consistent performance in each area. Processes need to be completely in synch with your plans and are the executable portion of your systems. Processes specify how everything is done and who does it within your business.

Eventually a process should be developed and documented for literally everything in your business. For example, processes may include opening your business in the morning and closing it at night, the details of your sales efforts, how you: develop your product, close the books at month end, do performance reviews, carry out planning retreats, upgrade the software on your network, etc.

Systems and their detailed processes are key for your business. There are three steps that must be completed with regard to your processes:

1. Identify your processes
2. Optimize your processes
3. Fully document your processes

Processes are critical to fully satisfying your customer 100% of the time. Without the correct processes in place, you will end up with inconsistent results. This can lead to customer dissatisfaction, which leads to inability to reach your Vision for your company. Systematizing your organization using optimized and documented processes ensures that as your business’s volume grows while your product quality does not decrease—which can easily happen as you scale up your operations.

Development Of Your Processes

There are three fundamental keys to defining the processes for your business.

First, optimized systems are developed for all the activities, actions, and procedures that take place within your business.

Second, each step of every process is fully documented in writing; nothing is left to chance for the executers of the process to figure out on their own.

Third, personnel are fully trained on them, and the processes are used by personnel consistently. Written processes are available to the personnel executing the process. Keep in mind that the ex*****on of processes leads to outcomes which are measured via metrics.

Most businesses start out in a trial-and-error mode, which hopefully leads to discovering what works and what does not work. Thereafter, a company needs to solidify its processes.
How does an organization figure out its best processes and optimize its overall systems?

Use Of Peer Group Teams

When a company is first solidifying its processes, or if they have no written processes in place, an excellent way to develop optimal processes is to gather all the persons who are involved with a particular function and as a team figure out the best processes.

For instance, let us say that you have five salespersons. Up to now you have let them fulfill their sales responsibilities as they saw fit. You have one superstar salesperson, one very good salesperson, two average salespeople, and one below-average salesperson.

If you and all five of your salespeople get together in one room and share in detail how each executes his/her sales activities, you can jointly determine the optimal sales process. You also obtain buy in from each of the salespeople, since they are participating in the formulation of the optimal sales process.

A key benefit of doing this is that it increases the percentage of your staff who will adhere to the process because they have been included in defining the process and it ends up being “their” process.

Periodically the team that defined the process or a group of people who represent all the users of the subject process should meet to discuss any suggestions about the process. While only an authorized individual or group can approve actual changes to the process.

A key part of documenting the final optimized process is to record why the process was solidified as it was so that all future users of the process understand the analysis and logic used to develop the current process.

Where To Start

Begin by making a commitment to employ the best possible systems in your company and then utilize the following four steps.

First, identify your systems and their detailed processes. Just leaving things up to each person in your company to do their job as a they see fit will not provide you with the consistent results you desire.

Second, by doing research or using peer groups, optimize your processes so they are best they can be for providing your desired outcome.

Third, fully document your processes, including why the process does things a certain way.

Fourth, using all of this information, ensure your personnel are fully trained on your processes.

If you could use assistance with optimizing your company’s systems, please contact us using the information below so we can be a resource to you in this critical area.

Fountainhead Consulting Group, Inc. is an Innovation and Business Planning firm. During the past 21, years we have shown over 1,200 companies how to achieve their goals by using our unique, comprehensive, and systematic FastTrak Innovation Program™, Innovation Academy™, and Structure of Success™ methodologies. Using the components in these methodologies, each month we examine an aspect of how to transform your business or organization into a true 21st Century enterprise.

Office: (770) 642-4220

[email protected]

01/27/2022

Innovation and the Coronavirus Pandemic

The world-wide Coronavirus pandemic has changed virtually everyone’s life.

As we deal with this is a terrible situation it is important to keep in mind that innovation can be used to address many of the challenges the world is now facing.

Just like President John F. Kennedy’s commitment in 1961 to "land a man on the Moon, and return him safely to the Earth" ushered in decade of incredible innovations, so can the fight against the Coronavirus and the preparation for future pandemics, provide mankind with tremendous innovative advances.

To get some perspective of the possibilities of innovations that might be developed in our current Coronavirus pandemic just look at some of the innovations that resulted from a “all hands on deck” effort to try to land a man on the Moon:

1. Air purification technologies
2. Artificial limbs
3. Freeze-dried foods
4. Insulin pumps
5. Materials that improved radial tires
6. Memory foam
7. Polymers for heat resistance
8. Solar cells
9. Technologies required for CAT scans and MRI’s
10. Technology necessary for LASIK surgery
11. Water filtration technology
12. Wireless headsets

But, keep in mind the goal for true innovation should not just be the acceleration of current trends like online operations, hosted-environments, and the gig-economy, but truly new innovations.

The overarching objective for innovations should not just be to ameliorate short-term difficulties, but ones that address long-term challenges that will exist after the Coronavirus crisis.

Three Foundations of Innovation

To foster innovation in each of our lives we need to focus on the three foundations of innovation, which are:

1. See every problem we incur in our daily lives as an opportunity for an innovation

2. Innovations are not limited to some magical new invention, but include wide range of ideas that result in “doing something in a better way”

3. There are 9 different types of innovation, not just new products and services

What are these 9 different types of innovation?

1. New products and services—Using innovation to develop new products and services (e.g., a new cell phone or cloud-based service).

2. Cost reductions and productivity gains—Applying innovation to lower operating expenses or to become more efficient (e.g., a process to reduce wasted material in a manufacturing activity or using new software that enables field service personnel to be more productive).

3. Customer experience improvements—Separate from new products and services is coming up with ideas to improve your customers’ overall experience in interacting with you (e.g., giving customer support personnel greater latitude and power to solve customer problems during the first call).

4. Employee satisfaction and engagement increases—Using innovative thinking with regard to how employees are treated that enables you and your personnel to work as partners (e.g., developing a true team environment or implementation of an incentive compensation plan tied to customer satisfaction surveys).

5. Supply chain and vendor interaction enhancements—Working with suppliers and vendors to explore joint development of innovative initiatives so that you and they operate in concert (e.g., Wal-Mart’s joint development of RFID [Radio Frequency Identification] inventory tracking with its supply chain).

6. Market reorientations—Applying an existing product or service to new markets (e.g., Arm & Hammer utilizing their baking soda in laundry detergent, toothpaste, pet care, etc.).

7. Business organization restructurings—Using innovative thinking to establish new ways to organize and operate your company to provide competitive advantages (e.g., Hewlett Packard’s reorganization into Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Hewlett Packard, Inc.).

8. Environmental impact advances—Applying innovation to environmental issues (e.g., development of a system that provides real-time monitoring of specific smoke-stack pollutants that enables immediate adjustment of the equipment generating the pollutants).

9. Societal enrichments—Using innovation to improve a society (e.g., having prison inmates train service dogs who are provided to returning soldiers to help with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Two Related Coronavirus Crises

Health experts have stated that there a two separate, but related Coronavirus crises.

First, the Coronavirus health pandemic itself and second the epidemic of loneliness and isolation being felt by people as a result of the “shelter in place” and social distancing guidelines being practiced by so much of the world.

In this newsletter I would like to look at how innovation can be used to address the seclusion and lack of companionship challenges that we will face as long as it remains unwise to gather together.

To address this isolation, we have to create a virtual environment that can emotionally sustain and support people.

To do this we will need to see an eruption of creativity and innovation as people use technology to create a nurturing virtual ecosystem.

This creativity can evidence itself in two basic ways.

First, improving existing technology, such as ways to improve video chats and push critical information to cell phones. As we use the current tools there will be plenty of opportunities for seeing ways to improve them.

Second, developing entirely new innovations. This involves going about your day and when the thought “I wish…” or “Wouldn’t it be a great idea if…” comes to mind, then come up with a solution that will address the issue.

Examples of “Shelter in Place” Coronavirus Innovations

Let’s begin by looking at some of the things people are doing already to survive.

In addition to the expected things where people are using a smartphones and various forms of video chats to stay in touch with those who are physically distant, we are now seeing virtual yoga classes, virtual dance lessons, virtual church services, virtual dinner parties, that are not just one way, but involve interactive, two way communication.

People are using Facebook groups to share information that assists neighbors in dealing with the current pandemic situation. Also, a group of public-school teachers, created a Google Doc to share ideas regarding how to teach students during a state-ordered school closure.

Users have added innovations to multi-player online gaming platforms and people that can’t party in person have created “cloud clubbing,” which is virtual party in which D.J.s stream music sets on apps like TikTok and Douyin.

Related to the entire area of virtual human interaction, the prior innovation of Social Media was supposed improve humanity, but unfortunately it was used by some persons and organizations to sow distrust and discord. Hopefully the coronavirus crisis will cause people to come together and break down barriers, rather than erecting them – and there are early indications this is occurring.

A positive outcome from this crisis of isolation would be that the internet would be used to connect with each other, share information and resources, and develop solutions to the challenges that we will face for a while.

The desired outcome from these innovations is we create a virtual environment with is interactive, not just a passive one in which people just read or watch media because research has shown that people who use social media actively by messaging, participating in chats, and making comments are happier than those who are passive consumers of information on the internet.

Where to Start

While you encounter a problem or difficulty as you are practicing “sheltering in place” and following social distancing guidelines and you say to yourself “I wish…” or “Wouldn’t it be a great idea if…” remember to:

1. See that problem as an opportunity for an innovation

2. Related to the difficulty, think of ideas that can solve the challenge and result in “doing something in a better way”

3. Keep in mind there are 9 different types of innovation, not just new products and services

Hopefully the innovations you come up with not only address the current situation of loneliness and isolation, but one that solves or addresses a long-term or overall challenge.

Also, keep in mind that there are 100’s of millions, perhaps billions of people experiencing the exact same difficulty as you are, so there is a huge potential market for your innovation.

If you could use assistance with developing innovations as we are practicing “sheltering in place” and following social distancing guidelines, please contact us using the information below so we can be a resource to you in this important area.

Fountainhead Consulting Group, Inc. is an Innovation and Business Planning firm.

During the past 21, years we have shown over 1,200 companies how to achieve their goals by using our unique, comprehensive, and systematic FastTrak Innovation Program™, Innovation Academy™, and Structure of Success™ methodologies.

Using the components in these methodologies, each month we examine an aspect of how to transform your business or organization into a true 21st Century enterprise.

Office: (770) 642-4220

www.FountainheadConsultingGroup.com

[email protected]

08/09/2020

Building a Team of Innovators to Conquer COVID-19

This week a Phase 3 clinical trial of the very promising COVID-19 vaccine known as mRNA-1273 began.

The vaccine, which was co-developed by the U.S. biotechnology company Moderna, Inc., and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will involve approximately 30,000 adult volunteers who do not have COVID-19.

The “mRNA” stands for “messenger RNA” and RNA is short for Ribonucleic acid, which is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. Both RNA and DNA are nucleic acids.
The mRNA-1273 vaccine signals the body’s cells to create a virus protein that hopefully will elicit an effective immune response in the patient.

Coronaviruses like COVID-19 are spherical and have spikes protruding from their surface, giving the particles a crown-like appearance. Kind of like how “stick tight” weeds adhere to your clothing, these spikes bind to human cells, allowing the virus to gain entry. Therefore, the vaccine was developed to target the spikes.

Lightning Quick Timeline

Knowledge gained from prior studies of viruses related to COVID-19 [which cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)] allowed both Moderna, Inc., and NIAID to fast track the development of the vaccine – as is shown by the below lightning quick timeline:

1/11/2020 - Chinese authorities published the genetic sequence of COVID-19

1/13/2020 - Moderna’s and the NIH/ NIAID infectious disease research team finalized the sequence for mRNA-1273, and Moderna began to mobilize for production

2/7/2020 - The first clinical vaccine batch was completed and underwent analytical testing

2/24/2020 - The vaccine was shipped to NIH/ NIAID

3/16/2020 - Phase 1 trial of mRNA-1273 begins

5/29/2020 - Phase 2 trial of mRNA-1273 begins

7/27/2020 - Phase 3 trial of mRNA-1273 begins

There are three keys that enabled this unprecedented innovation development timeframe.

Key # 1 to the Development of the mRNA-1273 Vaccine - Expertise

Moderna used and built upon their expertise in advanced messenger RNA (mRNA) science to create a medication that was designed to elicit the body’s own cells to produce proteins that can result in the arresting of the COVID-19 virus.

Tal Zaks, Moderna’s chief medical officer stated that if the Phase 3 trial is successful the company will continue to use its knowledge in mRNA science, delivery technology, and manufacturing to provide the vaccine to the public on a large scale.

Just like Moderna understood and applied their expertise to try to solve the COVID-19 challenge, any company needs to assess its strengths with regards to innovation and play to those.

To be successful with innovation a company should perform an assessment to determine its core competencies. This includes identifying the unique capabilities of the business that could be leveraged to advantage in other markets, applications, and sectors. The goal is to work from an organization’s strengths and base of knowledge instead of starting from zero in an entirely new market about which nothing is known.

This is exactly what Corning did when it leveraged its knowledge in glass and related materials to create a product used for flat LCD displays (for cell phones initially, then laptops and desktop monitors, and lastly for LCD TVs and larger displays). This type of thinking led to major innovations that were developed in each of Corning’s business sectors, including the creation of four new product lines. These efforts literally turned the company around from having loses to huge profits.

Key # 2 to the Development of the mRNA-1273 Vaccine - Collaboration

Obviously, the development of the mRNA-1273 vaccine was a huge project that required collaboration between Moderna, Inc., the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, clinical trial resources, and many others.

If the Phase 3 trial is successful, cooperation and coordination with regulators, policymakers, investors, public health organizations and governmental organization will be required for the commercialization of the vaccine. All of these are outside Moderna, so a collaboration mindset needed to be present throughout the project.

Likewise, keep in mind that for large innovation projects you may need to collaborate with people, resources, and organizations outside your company.

Key # 3 to the Development of the mRNA-1273 Vaccine – Innovation Teams

Our company, Fountainhead Consulting Group, Inc. has several clients in the pharmaceutical industry and in discussing the development of the mRNA-1273 vaccine with them they shared it would have required expertise from the following areas:

• Infectious disease specialists
• Chemists
• Biologists
• DNA Experts
• Virologists
• Epidemiologists
• Pathologists
• Physicians
• Geneticists
• Statisticians
• Data scientists
• Quality Assurance personnel
• Regulatory authorities
• Production specialists

This means a true team approach would have been used by Moderna in executing this project. This concept is described as the creation of an Innovation Team.

But How Do You Create an Effective Innovation Team?

Numerous studies have shown that for innovation to be successful, it is imperative to utilize teams comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds. What’s more, noted innovation experts like Clayton Christensen stress that the 21st-century approach to innovation necessitates working in teams.

The utilization of cross functional/cross-departmental teams is an absolute key to bringing ideas to market, but how does one go about selecting the best team members for effectively developing innovations?

A study by Mills and Cameron found that curiosity and persistent interest are two of the best attributes to look for in choosing creative team members.

Other studies have revealed that team participants should also be selected on expertise, knowledge acquired through work activities, creative traits, and the ability to develop original and novel solutions to problems.

Research by Shalley and Oldham indicated that creating competition among groups that were comprised of skilled team members can enhance creativity, motivation, and innovation. Therefore, giving the same innovation assignment to two or more groups may be advantageous.

Applying This to Your Company or Organization
To ensure a successful outcome from any large innovation project, make sure to put in place the following three foundations.

First, perform an assessment to determine your core competencies and unique capabilities that can be leveraged to advantage in other markets, applications, and sectors. The goal is to work from an organization’s strengths and base of knowledge instead of starting from zero in an entirely new market about which nothing is known.

Second, keep in mind that for large innovation projects you may need to collaborate with people, resources, and organizations outside your company. So plan accordingly and establish those relationships.

Third, utilize cross functional/cross-departmental Innovation Teams comprised of members with diverse backgrounds. Choose individuals based upon their expertise, knowledge, curiosity, and mindset.

If you could use assistance with effectively applying these three innovation foundations in your company or organization, please contact us using the information below so we can be a resource to you in this crucial area.

Fountainhead Consulting Group, Inc. is an Innovation and Business Planning firm. During the past 17, years we have shown over 1,200 companies how to achieve their goals by using our unique, comprehensive, and systematic FastTrak Innovation Program™, Innovation Academy™, and Structure of Success™ methodologies. Using the components in these methodologies, each month we examine an aspect of how to transform your business or organization into a true 21st Century enterprise.

Office: (770) 642-4220

www.FountainheadConsultingGroup.com

[email protected]

It’s required in order for your company to benefit from the worldwide middle class explosion from 1.8B to 4.9B people by the year 2030.