Bo knows baseball. Bo knows football. But does Bo knows business? You bet he does. Bo the baseball player, Bo the football player, and now, Bo the business consultant. "Just do it." That's the advice that Bo gives us in his well known ads for the Nike shoe company. It's profitable advice for most managers. It is rare to find a business that could...
A magnet is a seemingly ordinary piece of metal that is surrounded by an invisible field of force which affects other magnetic materials nearby. A manager is an otherwise ordinary individual that, when working, appears to be surrounded by an invisible field of force that affects others nearby. All magnets have two poles. A north pole always...
"Control". The word itself has negative connotations. Most control systems are viewed as an intrusion by those being monitored. Few of us like being "controlled". The purpose of any control system is to insure that plans are being followed and goals are being met. If things aren't going as planned, changes have to be made. This "control" aspect...
The changes that impact a business range from a simple moving of the coffee pot to the relocating an entire business. Change comes with the adoption of new technologies, different markets, new bosses, altered schedules and modified standards. Regardless of the magnitude, change will always be threatening to some. As any manager who has been...
Have you stayed with your diet this week? If it's a good program, it is leading you to adopt the changes needed for a healthier life style. You know, a balanced diet and regular, moderate exercise; the common sense stuff you knew you were going to have to do all along. How about your management program? Has your Search for Excellence uncovered...
The American consumer is spending over 33 billion dollars per year trying to lose weight. Diet plans and weight reduction programs have enjoyed considerable success. They have a large audience of potential customers. Despite forking over billions, there aren't many people that don't already possess the common sense needed to manage their weight....
"The head bone's connected to the back bone, the back bone's connected to the leg bone...." The old song reminds us that the human body is a system. While the parts are marvelous individual creations, they are of little value unless connected in a healthy system. A business is also a system. It consists of a variety of different parts, people,...
Success was earned by doing, so the natural tendency is to keep on doing. Why change? One reason might be because the opportunities that gave rise to your initial success may change. Other opportunities, better yet, may develop. Typically, the managers of closely held businesses, often the founders, have excellent survival skills that have...
Big business must take advantage of its "bigness" to be successful. Big business is capital intensive, has greater market shares, and enjoys economies of scale. Small business must also capitalize on its inherent size advantages. Small businesses are people intensive, have flexibility, and enjoy proximity to their markets. With the complexities...
At the start of the New Year, it's traditional to pass along some wisdom that, if followed, will improve your fortunes in the days ahead. To that end, I want to suggest a management principle, that is not always easy to follow, but that will serve you well when practiced. Managers frequently seek the answers for two basic questions. First, why do...