In the lyrics of 70′s rockers ELP, “Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, we’re so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside.” After a few months of self-fulfillment, and recharging of the batteries, I think I’m ready to resume this blog where I left off. I’ve had some great customer [...]
I love that saying on several levels. Nothing frustrates me more as a manager than the employee who builds a wall of secrecy around his area of responsibility. You know the type. They build an ever increasing list of things that only they can do. They guard the processes and procedures with their lives in [...]
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the need to adapt or die. Today I read an article that illustrates exactly why. Kodak announced today that it will be discontinuing production of Kodachrome film effective this month. The article talked about how sales had dropped to a point it no longer made sense to [...]
I just returned from a week in New York City. Paraphrasing what NFL quarterback Jim McMahon said on leaving BYU, “My favorite view of New York was the one in the rear view mirror on my way out.” That’s not entirely true, or course, but there is certainly some truth there. I had fun [...]
I spoke with the owner of a very successful business the other day. They have a unique business model that has worked phenomenally well since they opened the business. They have experienced double digit growth month by month from their inception — until the last few months. Like many businesses in the USA (and the [...]
In this time of economic trouble, many people are losing their jobs. As they go out into a sometimes hostile marketplace looking for a new job, they find that there are few positions in their field. The trap many of them fall into is saying, “I could do that.” What that means is, “I [...]
After writing about what I learned from business from coaching baseball, I realize that everything we learn in life — no matter what the source — prepares us for everything else we do. I could write a similar series on business lessons I learned from flying, or rock climbing, or back-country skiing, or search [...]
Nobody gets a hit every time they step up to the plate. Sometimes you just plain strike out. What I’ve learned from watching people who strike out is this: If striking out teaches you something, then there is value in striking out — it’s the cost of the education. If you strike out, then immediately [...]
Hit and run is a big part of baseball. You can make giant strides against your opponent if you execute it properly. Of course the risk is, if not done well, you lose your advantage. It’s also important that there be an element of surprise. It’s not that your opponent doesn’t know you may be [...]
Have you ever noticed how inexperienced outfielders always take 2 – 3 steps in before running backwards and watching the fly ball soar over their heads? It’s hard-wired in us to move toward the target. But what we really should be doing is watching (and analyzing) where the target is going to be, not where [...]