Recent revelations by disgraced “hero” Lance Armstrong raised speculations about the future of LiveStrong, the charity Armstrong founded to fight cancer in the aftermath of his own cancer-fighting experience. Although some anticipate a short-term drop in LiveStrong’s fundraising, many believe the nonprofit will survive because its core mission goes far beyond the image of its … [More]
Women at the Top: Are They Making a Difference in Business?
Yahoo’s recent appointment of Marissa Mayer to CEO when she was pregnant with her first child had many women cheering and others wondering just how effective she will be juggling a high-pressure job and a new baby. One thing is for sure: It opened up more dialogues about women breaking the barriers and advancing to the C-suite. Missing from the discussion, however, was any … [More]
Take Service to the Stratosphere
Service is everywhere. But there is a vast disconnect between the volume of service we need and the quality of service we are giving and receiving. Businesses have turned a very simple human concept into a catastrophic cliché. They remain blind to the fact that true service comes not from demands and dashboards, but from a basic human desire to take care of other … [More]
The Strength of ‘No Blame Game’ Leadership
When you arrive at the office each morning, you find yourself in a blame-free zone. Your team attacks projects proactively and with confidence. When a problem arises, everyone involved “owns it” and takes corrective action. Bob in marketing says he’s personally responsible for an event flier going to the printer late and stays late to overnight them to the client. Meanwhile, … [More]
Leadership: Business Trumps Politics
A global leadership management group, The Korn/Ferry International, polled business executives and found 65 percent felt a business professional would do a better job leading this country than a politician. The survey noted that 43 percent agreed with the statement that “a corporate CEO is better skilled to serve as U.S. President,” while 34 percent disagreed. Of those … [More]
Strategic Planning Vitalized
It’s that time of year again: strategic planning season. As annual planning and preparation tasks begin popping up on corporate calendars across the country, leaders cringe at the distraction. Given the current atmosphere of uncertainty, many executives approach planning with urgency and impatience — simply looking to get it over with — rather than approaching the process with … [More]
The Life, Death & Rebirth of America’s Global Leadership
One of the main challenges of the U.S. economy is mind-set. As trade borders become seamless and the world becomes more dependent on technology, U.S. companies and their executives must scramble to acquire the tools and skills necessary to survive and thrive in the increasingly competitive global market. The basic reason for our nation lagging behind and suffering from a … [More]
Creating a Corporate Dynasty
Winning businesses follow the championship formula: People + Personality + Process + Purpose = Dynasty. People, naturally, are the first element needed to be in place in order to build a business with sustainable success. It is the people at the top — plus their personality traits along with processes and their purpose in life — who provide a more complete answer to identifying … [More]
Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know
Management guru Jill Geisler provides a practical, step-by-step guide — based on real-world experience and respected research — and lessons that will transform managers and their teams. It’s a workshop-in-a-book, designed to produce positive, immediate and lasting results. Geisler offers concrete steps for improving each element of management, including collaboration, … [More]
Seek and Defuse: How to Recognize Anger in the Workplace
Workplace violence in the U.S. is a persistent and dangerous problem. How bad is it? A statistic from the U.S. Department of Labor indicates that homicide is the fourth-leading cause of occupational injuries. And it is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace. But the real tragedy is, so many of these violent incidents could be avoided if employees and leaders … [More]
Leadership Succession: Empowering the Company’s Future
Though there are many reasons for introducing new corporate leadership — a reinvigoration of a business’s long-term vision, a retirement or, worst case, an unexpected illness or death — the steps required for a healthy, successful succession are almost carved in stone and, best case, the result of vision, development and preparedness. “Succession is a process, not an event,” … [More]
Who Can Lead the Economy to Recovery?
It’s time we stop the cycle of complaining — politicians complaining about President Obama, Obama complaining about Congress and Congress complaining about taxes — when it comes to the stuttering economic recovery. The truth is, none of these people have that much to do with the growth of our economy. Tax and monetary policy can influence growth, but the onus is on business … [More]
Building a Culture of Trust Empowers Your Company
Do your employees trust you? The brutal truth is probably not. It may not be fair, and you may not want to hear it, but chances are that previous leaders have poisoned the ground on which you’re trying to grow a successful business. Make no mistake: Unless you and all the leaders in your organization can gain the trust of your employees, performance will suffer. And considering … [More]
Employee Engagement: The Proven Key to Increasing Productivity, Revenue
Over the past few years, most front-line managers have been forced to accomplish more with less — less in resources, less time, fewer costs. While a lot of companies have succeeded in maintaining or increasing their bottom line (despite unfavorable economic conditions), they’re also beginning to see the unfortunate side effects of that success. To wit: Employee engagement … [More]
Empower Your Business
By now, you have adopted all seven habits of highly effective people, know how to win friends and influence people, and are still trying to think and grow rich. Still, if you’re like most business owners, you’re just too busy to read all the great self-help business books, attend all of your industry’s top conferences and keep track of the latest words of wisdom dispelled by … [More]
Staying Power: Survive Economic Downturns
Goodmans Interior Structures Adam Goodman credits his father for giving him sound advice when he joined their family-owned business, Goodmans Interior Structures, in 1993: “Stay agile. You want to be able to duck low when the sail’s boom comes around,” Murray Goodman told his son. The older Goodman had seen Arizona weather several economic downturns since their … [More]
