Articles about Business

Do you think an equity-based compensation plan is a good way to motivate employees?   My first instinct was to write, “Yes, of course.” Halfway through my third rewrite, however, I discovered it’s a wickedly complex question. Yes, equity motivates, … Continue reading →

 The managing director heads an organization with three vice presidents under him. For the last two years the company has been run this way and has been successful in turning around. With reorganization on the agenda, it is proposed that … Continue reading →

How should we think about the importance of diversity, and how best to understand and value cultural differences? Diversity, the misunderstood child of the Age of Aquarius and Political Correctness, is an incredibly powerful tool for an organization. Diversity brings … Continue reading →

Good customer service requires more than just nice phone manners. I had a customer service need today. I called the company, whom we’ll call Canadian Mozy, and got a very nice young man named “Johnny.” He seemed to have a … Continue reading →

But offering lots of options can destroy the buying experience. I’m flying this morning. More accurately, I’m waiting in line after line after line at the airport. Once, I needed my boarding pass. Then I needed my boarding pass and … Continue reading →

Don’t be surprised when you get the expected result. Stupidity is running rampant, world wide. It’s frustrating, because the mistakes aren’t rocket science. They’re really simple stuff. People forget their actions have consequences. Let’s explore some cause/effect you should keep … Continue reading →

You have only yourself to blame for the quality of your decisions. Improve it. Start today. Are you committed to becoming a spot-on decision-maker who can make great decisions that actually guide your world? Because chances are, your personal decision-making … Continue reading →

Maybe you’ve been successfully brainwashed and just don’t know it. How would you? … Continue reading →

Your survival could depend on it! Are you up to date with your user experience? I have been coveting my friend’s iPhone. It is true I have both a Palm Pilot and a Blackberry but the iPhone is getting more … Continue reading →

Sometimes decisions aren’t worth the cost of deciding Click to hear the original Get-it-Done Guy podcast. [Subscribe at iTunes (search for "Get It Done Guy") or http://GetItDone.QuickAndDirtyTips.com] This article is a reprint of an episode of my new podcast. You … Continue reading →

Click here to listen to this article as a podcast. The love of money isn’t the root of all evil; arithmetic is the root of all evil. More specifically, counting. Don’t get me wrong; counting was a wonderful invention. It … Continue reading →

Click here to hear this article as a podcast. I’d like to share with you a LinkedIn exchange I had on the topic of whether Being Nice is a good business strategy. Questioner Is there power in being nice, with … Continue reading →

What is strategic thinking, as opposed to tactical thinking? You know you’re talking strategy when your topics include… Continue reading →

Why Overhead isn’t necessarily bad. Click here to listen to this article as a podcast. I never thought I’d be able to grow up and say, “Mom, I’m not just a productive businessperson, I’m overhead!” Many people think overhead is … Continue reading →

What’s the difference between profit and cash flow? Often, it’s the difference between success and bankruptcy. Before we begin, let’s use clear language. I won’t say “income” because different people mean different things by that word. I’ll say “revenue” to … Continue reading →

A CIO’s job description: limiting technological adoption, insuring financial responsibility, linking technology to internal & external strategy. Continue reading →

Viral marketing has become such a common buzzword it almost has the status of a real world. You can tell it’s still a buzzword, though, since it’s used largely without regard for its meaning. Here’s how to tell the difference between real viral marketing and simple PR fluff. Continue reading →

The very language we use to talk about business issues lets us engage in psychological denial of accounting … creativity. Continue reading →

“Leverage” has become quite the overused buzzword. Here’s what it actually means and why not to use it. Continue reading →

Executives, CEOs, and entrepreneurs talk about fund raising as if it were somehow a good thing. It’s not. Fund raising inherently destroys value, and should only be done in dire circumstances. Continue reading →

Every business needs a business model. Yet two businesses that do exactly the same thing may have very different business models, leading one to succeed, and the other to fail. What is a business model, and how do they work? Continue reading →

Talking about businesses like “B2B” or “B2C” is silly. It confuses an industry (like “steel”) with a distribution channel. There’s no reason that B2B businesses should have any similarities, other than the selling process, whatsoever. Continue reading →