Every business exists to serve a need and therefore to bring value to people
There is more discussion than ever about how to build a “great company culture.” All the news stories and top workplace award recognitions are basically litanies of perks — the more luxurious and indulgent sounding, the better. Our company was recently recognized as the No. 1 Small/Medium Workplace in Illinois, and we do have our […]
Preparing our future workforce through collaboration, knowledge and design
Smart businesses educate and prepare employees for the future of their company. The state of Illinois, in all of its change and challenge, is being smart by working to educate and prepare its future workforce through collaboration, knowledge and design. The secretary of education for the state of Illinois, Beth Purvis and her commitment to […]
How to cultivate a spirit of intrapreneurship
Intrapreneurs channel inventive thinking to promote growth and encourage change within their organizations. They infuse creative energy so that every employee — and the company culture as a whole — can benefit. As leaders, we can cultivate intrapreneurship by providing trust, freedom and the resources people need to be successful and create a forum for […]
Bay Area event showcases all that is great about the written word
To view the fully Uniquely Northern California feature on Litquake, we invite you to visit our enhanced Digital Edition of Smart Business Northern California.
Midsized companies occupy a sweet spot in the U.S. economy
Why do midsized companies perform so well? They occupy a sweet spot between instability and stodginess.
Play your game — not your competitors
How much time do you spend worrying about your competition? Are you always looking over your shoulder or checking out what they are doing? Part of this answer depends on how mature your business is and part of it depends on you.
Coaching your salespeople to use their time to maximize prospecting time
Are your salespeople planning their workdays to maximize prospecting time? In other words, whatever the optimum time is to contact your company’s prospects/customers, are your salespeople’s schedules cleared to make cold calls, face-to-face meetings, setting appointment, making conference calls with prospects or servicing client accounts? Or, are you scheduling travel time, sales meetings, training, etc […]
Plan ahead for smooth business transitions
Business leaders are responsible for planning an organization’s future. This typically includes a multiyear business plan, but another component is succession planning — the process of selecting and growing people to fill key roles in the future.
Seven characteristics of leadership
Last year, a business partner of ours asked me to present to a group of up-and-coming managers on leadership. This forced me to reflect on the lessons I have learned that might help steer a professional toward a successful future.
Visualize where your brand stands
A company’s purpose, cause and belief are as important as its brand offerings.