Mary Marshall David Brooks wrote an interesting piece this week about Communities of Character and what some schools are doing to teach this. What struck me most about the article and the school described, was the focus on kindness and caring as opposed to our traditional focus … Read more
As we start the holiday season with Thanksgiving, I like to remind myself that I am grateful every day for all those in our lives that allow us to do what we do as entrepreneurs. Let’s start with family first. As entrepreneurs, our families are … Read more
Larry Senn recently published an article that outlines the steps for effective cultural change and talks about the common reasons culture change initiatives fail. He has spent the better part of 40 years studying organizational cultures and what leads to change and therefore performance improvement … Read more
Kazuo Inamori, a Buddhist Billionaire, recently wrote a book about his success which culminates in 5 simple rules for business success, (or success in anything for that matter). The first rule is Question your Motive. I love this one because it requires that you reflect … Read more
There was an interesting piece last week on Econsultancy about 5 Digital Companies with Transparent Company Cultures. The companies cited were great examples of those doing things differently and getting better results. However, I would challenge the assertion in the article that it is because … Read more
Last week 15 small business owners from Washington State graduated from the Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders Program here in Seattle. For the third year in a row, I have had the privilege of teaching the class with my partner, Melanie Norton, from the SBA. … Read more
Apparently, that’s what employees are saying in the Achievers’ 2015 North American Workforce report. They want to “feel inspired by their leadership, valued for their contributions and aligned with company objectives.” According to the report, here is how they are currently feeling: 51% of employees … Read more
I work with a lot of small to mid-sized entrepreneurs and start-up businesses that are trying to grow. For every business, the “secret sauce” is a little different, but at the end of the day, it’s not complicated, it’s just not easy to do. So … Read more
Yes, it’s that time of year again to dust off the old strategic plan, or goals and see how you are doing. If you’ve been doing this monthly or quarterly, or even better bi-weekly, good for you, but you are in the minority. It was … Read more
I found the recent NY Times Op-Ed piece entitled “Stop Googling. Let’s talk.” very interesting for a couple of reasons. It was a good examination of what having our devices tethered to us 24/7 has done to us and how it’s changing the behavior of … Read more