It is true. Words are free. Underestimating their power is costly. Haven’t we all said something we later regretted? In some cases, we are unaware of the impact of our words for good or ill. Words have power; choose them wisely. Business leaders, for example, unwittingly stymie creative thinking with “Have you thought about this […]
Employee reviews are not only time consuming, they are also dreaded by the giver and the receiver. How can an employee review be truly useful with so much fear and loathing? Saving your feedback for an annual review, reminds me of “Wait until your father comes home.” There is a better way. Such companies as Goldman […]
Having an inspiring vision and well-crafted goals are no guarantee your business will achieve them. It is often the norm to put a vision and goals on the shelf so you can get back to work. This frustrates people, especially if they have been part of the process to craft the vision and define the […]
Giving is a worthy endeavor. It has its downsides, however. It can be dangerous on the high road of giving. Adam Grant writes in Give and Take that givers are some of the most successful people. There is more. Givers are on the other end of the spectrum, too. They are the least successful. If […]
Business owners know marketing is a key element in a successful business. However, many lose sight of the impact of internal thinking patterns. These affect your marketing efforts in powerful ways. Like the submerged part of an iceberg, they are invisible and important. 5 Tips for Smart Marketing from the Inside Out: 1) Passion. With […]
Socrates made famous the process of asking questions to require thinking-- a rare activity at times. For entrepreneurs, thinking is crucial to your success. All questions are not created equal. Clarifying questions help someone come up with their own solutions. This is the thinking part. Advising questions tell someone what he should be doing to […]
There is confusion about the difference in a plan and a strategy. Plans are useful. Strategies are scary. When you choose a strategy, you are choosing a direction that requires you to make decisions that eliminate possibilities and options. Think crossing the Rubicon. The future outcomes are unknowable. Planning, on the other hand, is knowable […]
Businesses limit success by losing focus on what is most important. Businesses suffer from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), too. For example, this week at a member recruitment reception at a business club, a new member introduced himself. He is an entrepreneur with nine start-up businesses. He is interested in meeting investors with capital for start-ups. […]
In many cases, sales have a bad reputation. You know the snake oil peddler and the used car salesman. The emphasis is not solving a customer’s problem but rather making a sale. Repel sales with these 5 selling tricks: 1. Use deception to get an appointment or make a sale. Even though you succeed, what […]
Lack of clarity at any level in your organization diminishes the possibility of success. Being unclear about the purpose of your business, for example, no one knows what strategies to pursue. If you do not know where you intend to go, any direction will do. Didn’t the Cheshire cat say this to Alice in Wonderland? […]