Brand vs. brand–On Befriending Uncertainty and Change You can either resist change, or, as organizational change guru John Kotter says, exercise “change leadership.” To be a change leader is not to manage and control the responses of your stakeholders. Rather, you embrace their responses and ride the wave of change... read more →
Sep
12
Sep
11
It is one thing to study war and another thing to live the warrior’s life. —Telamon of Arcadia, mercenary of the fifth century B.C.E., as quoted in The War of Art, p. 61. Felix Baumgartner’s historic Mach 1+, 119,846’ free fall to earth on Oct. 14, 2012. By virtue of... read more →
Sep
10
"To have a firm persuasion, to set out boldly in our work, is to make a pilgrimage of our labors, to understand that the consummation of work lies not only in what we have done, but who we have become while accomplishing the task." -David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea (emphasis... read more →
Sep
09
Business owners tell me they have two scarce resources: time and money. In order to create a business that provides both revenue and time, the owner needs an arc reactor that powers the vision of the business and gives life to every staff member. For the owner, keeping her arc... read more →
Sep
08
When I visited with my dad’s physical therapist, I learned something fascinating about balance. As people age, they begin to worry about falling. They tend to start looking down at the ground in front of them to be sure they won’t trip over something. Ironically, that posture will most likely... read more →
Sep
07
Is it Possible to Effectively Plan for Risks and Contingencies? Owners of small and mid-size businesses face all kinds of risks. Some disasters cannot be avoided, but the consequences of most of them can be managed by practicing good business planning. A disaster can be something that impacts the entire economy... read more →
Sep
06
ABA’s Timeless Treasures Series Taken from: The Business Guide, Twenty-Sixth Edition, 1891 Business Maxims The ABA Insider is published by American Business Advisors, Inc. to provide business and personal improvement information and ideas. All material is presented to provide general and broad information only. The information found in this... read more →
Sep
05
Last week we looked at one citizen who did a public service for 95 million Americans. We explored how this kind of modeling is the first step in creating a culture within which you can build great employees who become principled future owners. These are the kind of people who... read more →
Sep
04
The opposite of play is not work—the opposite of play is depression. – Dr. Stuart Brown We often believe that the most basic rule of business is work. “Work more, work longer and work harder” goes the mantra. Both from my observation of business owner clients and from listening to... read more →
Sep
03
“Servant selling.” It sounds like an oxymoron. Isn’t the goal of every business to make money? To increase the lifetime value of a client (to my firm)? Last week, my post demonstrated how there’s scientific support behind this notion of servant selling. Clearly, this concept undercuts the conventional wisdom of... read more →
