We see what we expect to see. It’s a well-documented psychological phenomenon. We have virtual blind spots that are created by our brains when something appears that is not expected. As business leaders, we become so passionately entrenched in our strategic vision that we can fail to see evolving trends. James Kerr writes about Business […]
What lessons in leadership are left to us by Sally Ride, the first female American astronaut to be launched into space? She died July 23, 2012 at 61 of pancreatic cancer. She was president and CEO of Sally Ride Science, a company she co-founded in 2001 to improve science education for kids, which she called […]
In reflecting about our Dogfish Head Brewery tour, I was impressed with everything about the company, down to the creative use of fonts on the utility cupboards. To me, it embodies the essence of small business strategy, marketing, branding, and customer experiences. They live their strategic story. It’s not just the beer they produce. It’s […]
About a week or two before our annual trip to the Delaware seashore, my husband starts getting excited. It’s not just the promise of sand, sun, and the boardwalks. You see, he’s a huge beer aficionado with his particular favorite being Dogfish Head Brewery. Dogfish Head Brewery is based in Milton, DE with a great brewpub very […]
What lessons can we learn about leadership and Joe Paterno? I’m a Penn State grad. I was a huge fan of Joe Paterno and had looked at him as someone to emulate. Like so many others who graduated from PSU, the Penn State child sex abuse scandal hit me hard. Jerry Sandusky truly deserves to be […]
Businesses are just starting to use social media as a key strategy for growth. Some are hesitant, however. I don’t think social business is ever going away, although the tools are rapidly changing. Many small businesses aren’t clear which tactics are best for their company, and how to get the most out of their social […]
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer seems to be taking the spot of Steve Jobs for bad leadership, but without all the charm and genius-like persona of Steve J. While it’s always easy to take pot shots at the biggies with billions, how are the leadership mistakes of Ballmer relevant to entrepreneurs and small biz leaders? Vanity […]
What if there were some sort of Miracle-Gro to accelerate your business growth? Recently I came across some statistics, and I was really surprised. It was about athletes. When an athlete starts marking down his or her achievements regularly, his success gets at least 20% greater! No extra trainings, no new equipment… nothing else changes […]
You’ve more than likely known for some time now that social sites and social networking aren’t just for chit-chatting. Used wisely, they’re a gold mine for businesses: for sales and marketing, as well as for managing customer relationships and company reputation. Like many business leaders, however, it’s confusing to know just how to participate successfully […]
Constructive Criticism for Business Leaders Constructive criticism focuses on what people have done and can do, rather than targeting their character or personality. If people believe their failures result from personal, unchangeable deficits, they lose hope and stop trying. Let them know that setbacks and mistakes result from circumstances they can change. It’s not easy […]
