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Think for a minute about what would happen if your employees were better motivated. Would there be fewer problems at work? Would you get to spend your time doing different things? What kind of things? Would it mean more money…

And why that's a good thing! Just like a bicycle built for one doesn't usually grow into a bicycle built for two, there is not a linear continuum from small company to big company like there is from little kid…

It's a statistical fact that people with bigger feet are better at spelling than people with smaller feet. Why? ... They tend to be older! Sorry for the bad joke, but ask yourself what's the difference between big companies and…

This video of Dan Ariely from TEDÂ has several enlightening and surprising ideas you can use. It's 18 min long but the last 2 minutes are an ad. Why people cheat and steal and how this can be encouraged or…

"What's new since we talked last?" I asked. "Meetings," she said. "I'm doing one-on-ones with my people, like we talked about." She is a client. Her company makes web sites and on-line products for a specialized industry. They've got a…

Here are two followups to two (unrelated) posts. Update to What Really Happened To The Economy? Michale Lewis, who wrote Liar's Poker has an article on Conde Nast Portfolio.com with an inside story about what went wrong and why. You'll…

1. Talk to people - Don't assume Talk to your customers Ask how the current situation will impact them. Ask how you can make it easier to keep their business. Talk to your vendors and suppliers (Look at point #2…

My apologies to non-US readers. We sometimes do things a little strangely here. Did you US readers know that in Australia there's a fine for not voting? or that in Canada the government just sends you a voter registration card…

And is the bailout bill a boondoggle? Spend an hour with Warren Buffett. Yes, he talks in a few cutsey sound bites, but he also talks so you can understand (at least I could) what really caused the problem and…

What a dumb question. If you're a parent, I doubt you've ever gotten an answer that comes anywhere near what you'd call satisfactory. And if you've ever had a parent, I doubt you've given such an answer. Because it's the…