Many rust-belt company CEOs blame their company’s failure on everything under the sun: automation, offshore labor, AI and even their own employees. What these CEOs don’t realize is, the No. 1 reason their company failed had to do with themselves — they decided to live in “happy land” and live off the successes of yesterday. They chose to ignore the margins and new technology; … [More]
Five Ways to Cultivate Innovation and Problem Solving
Automation is a great way to drive costs out of operating a business and free up time for the humans to do what humans do best: think strategically and solve problems. But it’s not possible to just flip a switch and turn on the problem-solving gene in employees who’ve never been asked to think critically before or, worse, have been discouraged from speaking up. Here are … [More]
Brands Under Fire
Nike. Starbucks. Patagonia. Nordstrom. Uber. Budweiser. Pepsi. NFL. What do these brands have in common? They’ve all been at the center of a firestorm of social and political controversy, poster children for the risks brands face today as they sit squarely in the crosshairs of a politicized marketplace. The news seems to carry a new story every day of another brand … [More]
From Customer Service Mishap to Opportunity
A couple of months ago, Frontier Airlines provided us with a brilliant case study on the importance of customer experience. It’s a great example of how one simple customer service failure can have serious consequences in the form of a social media maelstrom. It began when poor weather conditions caused Flight 1756 from Des Moines to Orlando to be diverted to Atlanta on July … [More]
ROI: Return on Involvement
Imagine this conversation between two shoppers at a car dealership: Consumer #1: “I want the one I read about in the latest issue of Car and Driver magazine: It has a six-cylinder turbo engine, a double-clutch transmission, a 90 strokebore, and 10:1 compression ratio.” Consumer #2: “I want a red one.” Obviously, these two people differ quite a bit in terms of their … [More]
Tackle the Pain of Business Change
Forget what they say about love. It’s change that hurts. Corporate leaders say it is the biggest challenge they’re facing today. Constant change makes it difficult to remain relevant and to create value for customers. What is worse is that most people don’t know how to manage the changes they believe are essential for their business to thrive. Whether it’s introducing a … [More]
Is Technology Costing You Credibility and Influence?
You’re the boss, the leader, the master of business; yet your team is becoming increasingly frustrated with your over use of technology in the workplace. Employees cannot express how your behavior is challenging their willingness to act upon what you say. Influence is essential to running a successful organization and can be earned only through the development of trust, … [More]
Snaring the Right Web Designer
The Web designer you ultimately choose will play a critical role in the digital success of your business, which is why you need to be able to ask the right questions and identify obvious red flags during the interview process. Recognizing and avoiding red flags can be the key to protecting yourself against a bad business deal. When it comes to hiring a Web designer or … [More]
A World of Difference in Leadership
Leadership has been a hot topic for several decades, and the ways women lead has landed at the top of the discussion. Although the pace has been less than dazzling, women have found their footing in every level of existing organizations or have created organizations to provide an environment suitable for them. I should know. I was one of the women who founded a company and … [More]
Capitalize on New Facebook News Feed Algorithm
Recently, Facebook announced some significant changes to its news feed algorithm that will, ultimately, affect both users and businesses. According to reports, Facebook’s executive team saw that news articles and marketing ads were creating an imbalance in the platform, drowning out all the personal moments people had to share. The new algorithm aims to correct this imbalance, … [More]
Attitudes toward Supplier Integration: the U.S. vs. China
Employees don’t always agree with company initiatives. On the one hand, leadership may be committed toward an organizational change that many company employees view negatively. Downsizing is an obvious example, but new technologies or new techniques may also have this effect. On the other hand, employees may have a positive view toward an initiative that leadership refuses to … [More]
Successful Entrepreneurs May Be Their Own Worst Enemy
Do I risk what I have for more? This is the ultimate question that nearly every successful entrepreneur faces following the building of wealth through their business. The mantra of “If you’re not growing, you’re dying” has been preached to entrepreneurs at every business seminar or within every best-selling business success book, so one would assume that continued growth is … [More]
In Perspective: The U.S.-Mexico Border
My first academic position was at New Mexico State University in 1991. On my first day there, I was shown a plan to improve border crossing operations from Mexico to the United States. I’ve been involved in Mexico-U.S. issues ever since. Since I study transportation and logistics issues, I initially spent considerable time understanding, explaining and evaluating the … [More]
Managing Conflict: A State of Understanding
I’ve had thousands of conversations with managers in recent years, and in almost every one of them, a manager is struggling with trying to change behavior — his own or someone else’s. And it’s usually someone else’s. The struggle with that behavior is mostly caused by the lack of understanding of it. Too many of us don’t understand our own behavior, let alone someone else’s; I … [More]
The Surprising Truth about Humans and Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is not new but, suddenly, everyone seems to be talking about it. We have hit an inflection point with computing power and data that is finally allowing for commercial applications of this technology, and that’s what all the excitement is about. It’s only going to get faster and better from here on out. Along with talk about the new possibilities, … [More]
Leadership Power in Listening
As a brand strategist, author and public speaker, I rely upon my voice and storytelling ability to make a living. I’ve observed that my interpersonal communication style is less 1:1 and more “broadcast” in nature. I get in a room full of people, position myself directly in the center, and hold court. At a leadership conference featuring 10-hour days of training and intense … [More]
What Corporate Social Responsibility Looks Like in AZ
What pops into people’s heads when “corporate social responsibility” is mentioned? Most likely it is a large company with happy employees, in a building with sleeping pods in the breakroom, engaged managers who create a fun environment for their team, and a lengthy list of how the business acts in an environmentally friendly way. What might not be top of mind are small to … [More]
Healthcare Fallout on Small Business
Employers Need a Stable Individual Insurance Market by Andrew Cavenagh The Affordable Care Act’s (Obamacare) health insurance exchanges are poised to collapse. By 2018, nearly 40 percent of all counties nationwide are expected to have only one insurer participating in the exchanges. More insurers are expected to leave the exchanges in the coming weeks. Tens of thousands of … [More]
