I was visiting someplace last week and I was introduced to four new people. Actually they weren't new to me, I had meet them many times before, I just hadn't recognized them working together so well. I don't want to say where that someplace was, it could be anyplace, just make sure it's not your place. Actually, it was no place, but it could have...
Time is the most democratic of resources. It can't be bought or sold, traded or tricked. It is equally distributed amongst the rich and the poor, the old and the young. Everyone gets the same allocation, twenty-four hours each day. Over the long run, it's how we utilize our time that determines our fate. Regardless of where they began the race,...
Who saves the paper clips in your office? I remember my first management job well. The year was 1972. I was 25 at the time and had just finished a 5 year tour in the Marine Corps. I was in training to become one of the assistant general managers in a small manufacturing company. As part of the training process, I was to spend a certain amount of...
Two business owners were lamenting over the poor economy. "There's nothing you can when the customers don't come in", one said. "All we can do is hang on until things get better." They asked for my advise. I recalled a message I had read a number of years ago. It was titled "To The Kid On The End Of The Bench" and was published in the Wall Street...
The path to success is full of sharp turns, detours and forks in the road. If you find yourself heading in the wrong direction, only a quick turnaround will get you back on track. Competition, recession, interest rates, new technologies, and governmental policies are only a few of the road blocks that today's businesses have to negotiate....
It's the kind of story that's not very funny, but everybody laughed when they heard about it. Fortunately there was a happy ending. "Captain Accused of Leaving Passengers on Sinking Ship" read the headline. It was a story so absurd that it caught everyone's attention. Could it really have been true? The captain and his senior officers...
Ask a business owner what time it is and they'll probably reply, "why do you want to know." A penchant for secrecy is a common characteristic of business owners. Secrecy is an acquired trait. When a business gets started, there just aren't too many people to confide in. As a result, the business owner learns and becomes comfortable with secrecy....
In Hollywood's version of the Old West, the hero gets up each morning, straps on his six guns and goes out and shoots at everything that moves. Not all that different from our hero of today's West, the independent business owner. Strap on the guns and head to the office. Never knowing what evils or opportunities the morning mail might bring, our...
Most all of us own, work at, or depend on one. They form the nucleus around which every village, town, and city are built. They dominate the headlines, dictate our life styles, and consume most of our waking hours. "Business" is such a ubiquitous institution, it might seem too simple a question to ask, but, just what is a business? The dictionary...
The development of the nuclear "triad", the ability to maintain effective offensive capability on land, on sea, and in the air, is a cornerstone of our country's defense policy. Developing a strong "management triad" should be a cornerstone of your business policy. The essence management can be elusive at times. It's a word that's used to...