Our economy is no longer in recession  but recovery is painfully slow

.  The good news is that you survived—and no doubt,  you learned from the experience.  Wisdom comes from experience, and meaningful experience usually comes from making mistakes.  Life in the post-industrial era (what futurist David Houle calls the shift-age) is moving so...

We have evolved into what futurist David Houle calls the “Shift Age”.  

I recently talked with Bob Riddell who heads up the business consulting division of Tribridge: a successful IT services firm (2012 Microsoft Dynamics Worldwide Partner of the Year) headquartered in Tampa, FL.  No doubt, they will continue their winning ways, but the Tribridge leadership team has charged Bob with expanding their heritage of selling...

28% of CEOs say current economic conditions have improved compared to

It isn’t the just big manufacturers, oil companies and railroad operators that are struggling to hire skilled workers.  The latest WSJ/Vistage small-business CEO survey indicates unfilled job openings are holding back business growth. WSJ’s Emily Maltby stops by Mean Street to explain. Photo: Reuters.  The “Help Wanted” sign...

The late Stephen Covey left us a significant legacy–namely his best

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Much of what experienced marketing and sales managers know about their

trade is no longer producing—buyers are less accessible.  Spending more on traditional advertizing or adding sales boots on the ground could be a losing proposition. The title of a new book by Mike Lieberman and Eric Keils captures the essence this shift—Fire Your Sales Force...

CEOs face many watershed moments when the value of an established partner

, major account, product, supplier, bank, or employee is questionable.  IN my 35 years of coaching the CEOs of large and midsize businesses, I have witnessed a recurring and consistently costly hesitation to sever unproductive relationships—even when metrics and gut feelings...

Physiologists call it being ‘centered’ and athletes refer to it as

entering the ‘zone’.  There are other names for this special state of being—where a person or team thinks, feels, and performs beyond their habitual limits.  Those wishing to take the lead in an increasingly turbulent world must have the capacity to inspire self and others...

How you attempt to influence others counts – It counts in how you

You are influencing all the time. From interviewing a top candidate for a position that you’d like to fill or recommending a new course of action in a staff meeting to suggesting where you and a friend may go to lunch, life is a series of influencing opportunities. First, it’s important to distinguish ethical influencing from coercive behavior...

If you are serious about growing your top line, there is no better way

The perfect pay plan is straight commission plus bonus if they achieve super high level.  But that’s not always possible. Some will not accept not having some base, so the second best is a small salary plus commission on each sale.  You could pay a significant salary plus bonuses at various levels, but that is not as desirable.  Never pay salary...

grow profits and owner equity by creating transferable wealth and wisdom

The National Federation of Independent Business — which always seems to have the gloomiest or, depending on how you look at it, realistic data — found small-business owners’ confidence in December had risen for the fourth month in a row. Their headline: “While Economic Winter Continues, It Appears to be Getting Warmer.”...