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Personal
Dumbest Business Advice Ever
July 29, 2008
"Never Give Up" I'm always a big fan of Inc Magazine, but when they had this advice on the cover I had to say something. It's not that you should give up - it's that saying "Never Give Up" makes…
CEO Mindset
Try to NOT Make Everyone Happy
July 9, 2008
Seth says: If you are willing to satisfy people with good enough, you can make just about everybody happy. I'd say If you want to make everyone happy you'll HAVE to be satisfied with good enough. [read the whole story…
Leadership, Management
The Frustrating Part about Employees
May 21, 2008
Animal trainers have a saying "It's never the animal's fault" Because animals don't speak, trainers need to find non-English methods to communicate what they want. If the animal doesn't perform, they try to find a better way to communicate, they…
Productivity
Want Effectiveness and Productivity? Use a Checklist!
March 4, 2008
I mentioned this before but I don't think I gave it the focus it deserves. The focus it deserves is actually in this New Yorker article and a shorter one in Fast Company. But consider this key quote If someone…
Personal
Politics and Business
February 16, 2008
I usually keep politics out of this blog, but I'm writing this piece not to change your political views as much as challenge how you think about the relationship between business and politics. Many years ago I was a member…
Productivity
For Time Management, Use a Timer
February 12, 2008
I got this idea from a client - Thanks, Kendra. In meetings when they have an topic on the agenda they allot a certain amount of time to it. Then they set a timer at the start. It keeps the…
Information & Communication, Productivity
Incredible Results From a Simple Tool That Everyone Can Use
December 7, 2007
What would you pay for a tool that could transmit the wisdom of your smartest people out to everyone in your whole organization? One that is able to reduce errors in the most complex activity and achieve consistent results time…
Management
Manager’s True Role in Your Company
December 4, 2007
Joel Spolsky recounts his move from a Microsoft to (eventually) Juno Online Services in New York. Eventually, though, I started to discover that the management philosophy at Juno was old fashioned. The assumption there was that managers exist to tell…

Company View, Organizational Design
The One Thing Company Founders are Worst at
October 23, 2007
...is acknowledging what they are worst at. They think they're good (or good enough) at everything. But consider that every company needs to get results in four areas. This means the company needs skills such as: Designing a product customers…
Business Model
Assumptions that won’t ASS-U-ME
October 2, 2007
I'm sure you've heard that when you ASSUME it makes an ASS out of U and ME. Here's a way to make assumptions that work. Investors all know that business plans are fiction, or rather fairy tales (fiction sometimes has…