Joe, a friend and client, told how he and his sister convinced their little brother to hold his pencil in his right hand. Decades later, his sibling is still right-handed, yet remains a lefty when it comes to sports and chores.
What makes us cling to certain mindsets while changing others?
If you’re like most business owners, you may remember the days before the great recession of 2008 as a time when you understood what it took […]
For years, we’ve gone to the school of hard knocks and learned by doing. In private business, this is often the most practical and affordable option. We’ve learned in the following sequence:
Our jobs,
The company culture,
Additional jobs,
How to manage,
How to lead.
These steps work particularly well when employees do several jobs. Cross training is also critical, especially for businesses with unpredictable sales levels.
But now, with the profound changes of the 21st Century business, outside skills, such as […]
Remember when you started your career and parents, advisors or mentors provided the advice ‘pay yourself first’. They were telling you not be distracted by shiny objects and to look forward.
Did you listen? Probably not!
Strategic thinking is a business owners ‘pay yourself first’. Putting out fires, handling that long-time customer that always asks for you helps you feel in control. But, isn’t that why you hired a staff?
A recent article by John Campanelli of Crain’s […]
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Let’s paraphrase the immortal words of motivational speaker Matt Foley (aka Chris Farley) in his timeless skit on Saturday Night Live. He puts a brave face on his personal misery by coaching younger people to succeed in the future. Quickly, it becomes terribly evident that in fact he is the one with the problem.
Look at Radio Shack. For decades, RadioShack brought the next “must-have”, “ripped from the headlines” gadget to Main […]
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Recently at my 30th year MBA reunion, I had the privilege of hearing Eric Anderson the chair of the Kellogg School’s marketing department talk about how he is helping NASCAR to reinvent itself to serve 21st Century racing fans. He talks about how NASCAR got Coca-Cola to invest upfront to support NASCAR’s effort to increase its attractiveness, as the CEO of NASCAR said, “To avoid becoming dangerously irrelevant.”
Amongst many changes NASCAR […]
Remember the transporter room in Star Trek?
While every other fantasy of Gene Roddenberry has become reality, we call still imagine going back in time to correct a mistake or go forward to look into the future.
Who wouldn’t snap up such a machine in a heartbeat?
But, there really is no need; you’ve had a transporter room all your life. It’s called your mindset!
Your thinking can stay focused on your 20th century success, lamenting over why things […]
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We’ve all heard of Uber and many of us love Uber. But, even Uber can make mistakes.
Last week I was taking a taxi from Chicago’s Midway airport to the North Shore. I opened my Uber app and requested a ride. Much to my surprise, a Yellow Cab showed up claiming to be an Uber. He informed me that City Hall had forbidden Uber to pick up fares from the airport. My […]
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In the hit TV series, survivors of a worldwide plague prevail by staying one step ahead of infected zombies who feed off the living. The “living” outsmart their fallen brethren or fall victim to the walking dead.
In the 20th century, smaller companies survived by scampering around large corporations with their “walking dead” bureaucracies and decision-making. Private business thrived by offering excellent customer service, responding to emerging customer needs, and customizing solutions […]
Recent research shows, employees don’t take other jobs for money, but rather for reasons like “it’s too stressful” or “nobody listens to me”. Everyone says, “You have to provide your employees an open, empathetic and appreciative environment.” So how do you do this?
Step out of your ego and work in the spirit of enabling their success.
Respect those who don’t fit into your company and offer new stories, reasons and ideas
Walk the talk! Immerse yourself in […]
There’s an old saying, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. But is it the smartest?
Do you watch your peers but gripe about why their businesses are not doing well?
Here are my five favorites….
1) “The best practices of my industry demonstrate how out of touch my business is. But I rely on them because there’s no alternative.”
2) “My industry is in the dumpster, I’ve talked to all my friends are in the industry but their […]
