Known in its Tempe location for incredible Mediterranean and Italian food, La Bocca Urban Kitchen + Wine Bar added locations in Chandler and on High Street in North Phoenix in recent months. This eatery is famous for its made-from-scratch pizzas and all-fresh and high-quality ingredients that take the flavors of these regions to an authentically delicious level. The perfect … [More]
Dining on the Corridor
A drive down the Camelback corridor passes some of the best dining establishments in the Valley. Here are a few that we suggest returning to in the evening for a drink and dinner. Go and enjoy … The Gladly This subtle yet grandiose restaurant and bar has quickly become a Valley standard for great food and drink. The bar is central to the entire place, and the mixologist … [More]
Commonsense Leadership
From rallying the team to hitting it out of the park, every leader needs to understand the mental game. It’s what separates winners from survivors, and champions from second place — it’s what gives one’s team the edge, and the strength to forge ahead through adversity. This book shows how to boost performance with tips and advice gathered over 45 years of working with major … [More]
High-Growth Levers
Mark Faust’s strategies show how even businesses in the most dire of times still have a set of responsibilities, a path and processes they can follow that will optimize their chance of turnaround and long-term success. Leading corporate strategist Faust proves that a business can see positive growth with the application of action plans like assessing pressures and trends and … [More]
Lead Like a Guide
Discover the leadership strengths of world-class mountain guides and see how developing and applying these principles can help one reach for the highest summits in work — and in life. Maxwell teaches key leadership lessons gained from a decade spent traveling with world-class mountain guides and more than 200 top business school participants. He shares insights drawn from … [More]
Feedback: September 2016
Question: As a leader of a nonprofit working with many local business leaders as members of its board of directors, what leadership skills and values do you find most valuable? Debbie Esparza Senior Associate Girl Scouts – Arizona Cactus-Pine Council Sector: Nonprofit Valley Leadership Institute class 35 There are several leadership skills and values that are present in … [More]
Shark Tanks and Cat Drawings
A favorite pastime at our house is watching the popular television show “Shark Tank,” where real-life entrepreneurs have the opportunity to receive investments from billionaire investors, called “The Sharks.” At first our two boys, aged 12 and 13, were bored to tears and begged us to switch back to their adored anime cartoons. However, over time, they started getting into the … [More]
Why Nonprofit Boards Should Prioritize Generational Diversity
Today’s emerging workforce is the largest and most diverse in American history. According to The Millennial Impact Project, it numbers nearly 80 million strong, and will account for 50 percent of the workforce by 2020, less than four years from now. Despite their position as an emerging economic and social force, young professionals are not proportionally represented on … [More]
On The Board and In The Spotlight
What drew you to this organization? I came to the Alliance via my board work for the Arts & Business Council — having transitioned one of its programs, Business On Board, to the Alliance, I was invited to serve on the board. It’s one of our programs that I think has tremendous potential for growth. What would you say is one of the biggest challenges for a businessperson … [More]
Nonprofits and Elections Are Intertwined
In the middle of this noisy election season, I ask the question: What is the connection between elections and nonprofits? The answer, in short: They are intertwined. This may surprise many of you, so let me explain. First, I will explain what I don’t mean. You may have heard a lot about “dark money.” This is spending to influence elections that is not channeled directly … [More]
The Nonprofit/For-Profit Connection
On the first day of school the small girl walked to her teacher, one of her tiny shoes in hand. She held it out to the teacher, who gave a puzzled look. “I need to borrow a pencil, please,” the girl said. Former teacher Barbara Blalock learned that the last school the little girl attended had so few resources students had to trade something for supplies, until the supplies … [More]
Overtime Overview: New Rules Take Effect this December
After more than a decade without change, the U.S. Department of Labor has introduced new regulations governing exemptions from overtime pay. The regulations apply to the enforcement of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The changes are effective December 1, 2016, for most covered organizations. Employees in exempt jobs are not eligible for overtime pay. Non-exempt positions … [More]
Working with Nonprofits
Catherine M. Valenzuela President – East Valley, Arizona Business Bank Arizona Business Bank recently assembled most of the agencies that serve Maricopa County’s children in foster care for a roundtable discussion on how we can work together to spread the word about the recent tax law changes regarding charitable donations to these organizations. It was gratifying to sit … [More]
Arizona Nonprofits: Economic Power, Positive Impact
A recent statewide study examined the economic impact of Arizona’s nonprofit sector, the results of which were published in a report titled “Arizona Nonprofits: Economic Power, Positive Impact”. In the May 2016 issue of In Business Magazine, we reported on the direct financial impact of more than $22 billion the nonprofit sector has on the state economy. So how many people … [More]
Pokémon Go Reminds Businesses to Protect Confidentiality, Trade Secret and Privileges
The newest, hottest game, Pokémon Go, was downloaded more than 7.5 million times on iOS and Android phones in less than a week after its release. The free-to-download game is bringing in $1.6 million in daily revenue in Apple’s iOS store alone, based on in-app purchases. This augmented reality game is currently on the fast track to overtake social media apps in terms of amount … [More]
Stop Being Boring
Yes, I’m talking to you! I’m talking to the person who walks around the networking event asking everyone their name what they do for a living. The answer to both of those questions is: “Who cares?” When you ask me those questions, it’s really just a generically boring ice-breaker — all you’re trying to do is get a conversation going so that you can tell me what you do … [More]
Hearing Loss in the Workplace
Noise-related hearing loss is a major occupational health concern. Thousands of workers, annually, suffer from hearing loss because of workplace noise. Even when it is short-term, noise can cause a temporary change in hearing. Noise is measured in decibels (dBA). A small increase in decibels results in a huge change in the noise and the potential damage to a person’s … [More]
Management Development: The Power of Manager as Leader
Using social power can help us better understand and compare the roles of manager and leader. Managers can develop and leverage personal leadership skills to increase their effectiveness in getting results through people. Although the definition of “leadership” can easily be found in the dictionary, understanding what it truly means to be a leader is a complex topic and the … [More]
