The statue of Silence, a remarkable work of art sculpted in the 1870s

This beautiful and historically unique statue played an important role in the writing of my books about Montreal, Montreal: City of Secrets, which documented the close ties between Montreal and the Confederacy during the Civil War and Savannah, Savannah: Immortal City and the second book Savannah: Brokers, Bankers and Bay Lane provided the most thorough...

Management is failing to educate workers on the workings and benefits

Example: “if employees were to save $50,000.00 per year by correcting a recurring shipping problem, the saving would go directly to the bottom line.  If their company was retaining 10% of its total revenue (after expenses), that $ 50, 000.00 contribution represents $500,000 that does not have to be sold.  In a tight economy how many jobs might...

Radically shifting markets, a plethora of price challenging products,

ever changing technology, and the unrelenting hand of time are making the aging owners of small to midsize (SMB) companies vulnerable. For many, this is a new and uncomfortable mindset. Fiercely independent, hard working, and resilient, a significant number are reluctant to consider...

The speaker at this  large aboriginal conference noticed attendees,

Clarence Louie is everything that was advertised and more.   Fortunately,  he is aboriginal himself. If someone else had said these things—for example, the white columnist standing in the back of the hall with his mouth open, they’d be viewed as racist. Instead, Chief Clarence Louie is considered one of the most interesting and innovative native...

Today’s post   is not intended to be partisan although many readers

The mess we are in was not caused by presidents, members of congress, the judiciary, or constitutional tenets.  Rather it is being caused by a combination of; the untoward influence of special interest groups, a disregard for economic reality (most  politicians and a plethora of their advisors have no personal business experience),  dysfunctional...

Webinar synopsis based on  content the E book: Secure Corporate Viability

Many businesses are haunted by profit inhibiting ghosts—remnants of the industrial age. Decisions are often unknowingly based on outdated assumptions, attitudes, and behavioral patterns.  My work branded me as, “The Corporate Exorcist”.    The title, although adequately descriptive, did not win favor with executives who were faint of heart...

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...

Many organizations have decades of planning and operation advances woven

into the fabric of everyday life.  Enhancements such as just-in-time inventory management, total quality processes, lean manufacturing, and a plethora of continuous improvement mutations, served us well—until for the first time in history, we were broadsided by a  “mega...

Should the owners of small to midsize businesses be worried about the

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