This week marks the end of 2015 and brings in a new year: 2016. This week is a perfect time to reflect back upon the past year and also set goals for the upcoming year. It starts with a commitment to be honest...honest to yourself. W. Edwards Deming, the famous management guru who revitalized Japanese [...]
I am constantly amazed by people who never answer the question they were asked. The recent political debates have put a spotlight on this problem spurring me to write a second blog on the topic. But it goes far deeper than just the political debates. People all too often in business and elsewhere give you [...]
In preparing for a new teaching assignment I developed a lecture re: the contribution of marketing to management or put another way a marketing approach to management. The actual catalyst came from my notes re: team building we did years ago. The team builders gave us an exercise to teach someone using only questions. So [...]
I read a blog written by Lazlo Bock, the head of HR at Google. It was titled "5 Sure Fire Tips To Get That Promotion". Each of the tips had value: Get feedback all the time, solve your boss's problem, think 3 moves ahead, ask for the promotion, and have a firm grasp on reality. [...]
Criticism can be positive; criticism does not need to be negative as many people seem to believe. I had a view of the negative when I went out for coffee this morning at the local coffee shop in my town. One of the young counter people had placed an order for a breakfast sandwich but [...]
One of the best pieces of advice I received from a former mentor was "Don't chase a bad decision". People chasing bad decisions happens all too frequently in business. Many people deceive themselves into believing their decision was sound and a little more time will prove them right. All too often the "little more time" [...]
Never Use Sports Metaphors Never use sports metaphors if you want to be successful in business. Sports, particularly professional sports are huge in this country and have become a big business. However, the lessons we can learn from sports do not translate well to business including the business of sports. Americans have a great affinity [...]
