David Harding: How talking less and listening more is critical to your professional development
Some 70-80 percent of our waking hours involves some form of communication. Of that, just 40 percent is spent listening. And from my experience, that’s generous. I think that equation should be reversed. It’s time to recommit to listening. Here’s a better way of approaching a conversation: Minimize both internal and external distractions. Turn off […]
Peer advisory groups: How CEOs can overcome challenges, achieve balance
You only know what you know — you don’t know what you don’t know. Today these words are more relevant than ever with global markets, uncertainty and volatility, rapid change, market disruption and a changing workforce. Leaders need to find ways to not just survive but to thrive in this new normal. The most effective […]
Editor's Note: In the age of machines, people make the difference
Email is simultaneously the best and worst thing that exists in an office. I can be contacted nearly instantaneously from anywhere in the world, which is amazing. However, much of the business that I conduct on a daily basis is done entirely through email, which is a shame. There are people I work with whose […]
Building a resilient and innovative workforce in a time of perpetual doubt
Pick up the newspaper these days and serious economic turmoil, widespread political unrest and, frankly, just some weird weather patterns are pervasive. How do you prepare your organization for the future when confronted with the challenge of perpetual doubt about how that future is going to look? How do you lead your organization when the […]
How your legal adviser can help minimize risk
Risk is inherent in any venture. There is risk from employees, owners, products, customers – even the weather. In order for an organization to protect itself, it’s important to have an integrated risk management program in place. Insurance is a key component of such a program, but a company’s legal environment plays a huge role […]
Michael Jarrett: Hiring for character
Having the right staff working to better your business will make it productive and profitable. And we believe the most important factor when assembling the right staff is finding people with excellent foundation skills of character, integrity, honesty, values and work ethic, above experience. Having honest employees with excellent character, work ethic and great problem-solving […]
From the Chamber: Daniel C. Colantone
One of the great things about my role at the Greater Akron Chamber is that I’m leading an organization that’s helping drive economic development and prosperity for the people of Greater Akron (Summit, Portage and Medina counties). We’ve been around for 107 years, and with so broad a mission, it’s my job to keep us […]
Anthony Margida: Forging good partnerships
Think back to your childhood for a moment. If you are like me, you probably disagreed with your siblings or parents. Sometimes our disagreements would digress to the point of, “But you said … ” in an effort to try to win an argument. Unfortunately, I rarely, if ever, won arguments with my parents because […]
On-the-job training: Sarah Forrer has to learn on the fly to keep up with Main Street Cupcakes’ growth
At eight months pregnant, long after Main Street Cupcakes had closed for the day, co-owner Sarah Forrer sat at a table with her sister discussing logistics. “All I wanted to do was go to bed and we were sitting there talking to a logistics company in Washington state,” she says. “And I remember we got […]
From the Field: Steven L Marks
We were in the final stages of finding out if a prospect was going to buy our product — a custom cookie for a midsize national chain. It was a very large account and one that would be very important to our growth. Several months had been spent wooing the prospect. A price was on […]