Toyota, what have you done?!?

Want to see how to destroy a great reputation that took years to build in just a few short weeks?  You might want to talk with Toyota.  In their quest to become the world’s largest car company they made a mistake that GM was often considered guilty of.  They let quality slip. That alone probably … Continue reading “Toyota, what have you done?!?”

Changing the Way We Hire

Throughout my career, I have been on both sides of the hiring scene. I have dealt with the frustrations of finding a position that best matched my abilities and beliefs, and I also played various roles in hiring at every company I worked for. In either case, I would say the objective was the same: … Continue reading “Changing the Way We Hire”

The Year of Performance

If the feedback I have been getting from executives holds true, 2010 will be the “Year of Performance.”  There is a common theme that has been popping up in virtually every discussion I have had over the last few months.  And that is quote:”We believe we are at a point where we have the right … Continue reading “The Year of Performance”

A Discussion on Change Management and How to Make it Work

In my September newsletter I discussed the concept of change. Largely I see the majority of us resistant to change (which I would doubt there would be many arguments against this) and as a society/business community expecting change to happen instantaneously. We are very much in a “now” society. Technology has spoiled us to the … Continue reading “A Discussion on Change Management and How to Make it Work”

Business would be wonderful if I could just fix all these damn problems!

Is that something that you said to yourself? Maybe even thought it a couple times? I think every business owner or executive has come across a point where they wished they knew all the answers. Every business has its challenges. We may think the grass is greener at another company in another industry in another … Continue reading “Business would be wonderful if I could just fix all these damn problems!”

Several months ago I began a new journey that started by simply asking a question. What that question led to was a new direction that could potentially make my business grow to where I dreamed it would be. It all started earlier this year (2009) when I was doing my usual search through LinkedIn. I … Continue reading “”

The importance of buying local to the economy.

Natasha Vora is a friend of mine who owns Indocara. Her company specializes in bringing textiles and furnishings from Southeast Asia to sell in the US. She has a small retail shop located in downtown Madison as well as an online presence at www.indocara.com. Though Natasha and I come from very different backgrounds, we do … Continue reading “The importance of buying local to the economy.”

Invention out of necessity

What if you could reinvent your business or your product and grow by 20% this year, would you do it? My guess is probably so. Today I read an article on Inc. Magazine’s website (twitter inc5000 if you are interested.) about a small chemical company that did just that. In Max Chafkin’s article, he shared … Continue reading “Invention out of necessity”

Opportunities Exist: Are you ready for them?

Growth is possible anytime, anywhere, in virtually any industry. All too often we miss these opportunities over concerns and fear from what we see occurring in the marketplace. Yet businesses who are poised to grow now will be miles ahead of their competition when the economy shifts. Why would I say this? It’s simple, because … Continue reading “Opportunities Exist: Are you ready for them?”

Charter Doesn’t Get It.

Charter doesn’t get it Posted Thursday, January 29, 2009 Charter Communications is near bankruptcy and it looks like there may be no way out of it this time. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has sunk a bunch of cash and lost $7 billion in the process. Could this have been avoided? You bet! I have been … Continue reading “Charter Doesn’t Get It.”