Listen, learn and lead: retired Navy Adm. Mike Mullen talks about being in command
Leaders often talk about how the traits of accountability and transparency helped make them who they are, but to retired Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, who served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for four years under President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, leadership is quite simply how you listen, learn and lead.
Beyond conversion
Consider this business scenario: You’ve landed a big account for your company by converting a highly prized prospect into a valuable client. The new client has hired you to handle a specific scope of work and is counting on your team’s ability to deliver work that goes above and beyond. While nothing is more important […]
Watch your margin
You would think someone like Douglas Merrill would be a heavy multitasker, with multiple devices in hand, fielding several conversations — both real and virtual — simultaneously. But you would be wrong. Merrill, who was the CIO at Google until 2008, doesn’t like to multitask. He says that when you do it, you aren’t using […]
Is your next big thing built to last?
My 7-year-old son Cole recently gave me a Rainbow Loom bracelet, which is made of linked rubber bands. It is today’s school-age children’s craze, and Novi, Michigan-based Choon’s Design LLC is churning out the kits at a record pace. With more than 1 million units sold in the last 24 months, Rainbow Loom is the […]
Lee Ellis: Four healthy ways to improve business reputation and results
In Patrick Lencioni’s latest book “The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business,” he points out that the greatest competitive advantage you can have is to be a healthy organization. He’s right. So what exactly does that look like? Well, let’s take a closer look at the other side of the coin — […]
November Movers and Shakers – People and companies making a difference in Northeast Ohio
EY recently announced promotions of seven professionals based in its Northeast Ohio offices. Doug Campbell was promoted to partner. He is a member of EY’s Transaction Advisory Services practice. Campbell has more than nine years of experience serving private equity and corporate clients on the buy and sell sides, and he has extensive carve-out divestiture experience […]
Kirk Zehnder is making Earnest Machine a stronger company
When it comes to running a family business, some decisions can mean the difference between running the company for a few years before selling it and keeping the business in the family for generations. Kirk Zehnder stood at that crossroads a few years ago with Earnest Machine, and it took some critical decisions to find […]
Robert Peterson is working to make Corporate College a better training provider
Unlike most college campus presidents, Robert Peterson doesn’t have a background in academia. He’s spent more than 30 years in the private sector working for Squire Sanders, EY, Park Corp. and I-X Center Corp. When Corporate College, a division of Cuyahoga Community College, went looking for a new president in 2012, however, that’s exactly the […]
November Cleveland Deals Page – Acquisition resurgence
Corporate acquisition activity is seeing a resurgence, signaling optimism for an uptick in the M&A market. Year-to-date, aggregate deal value exceeded the comparable period last year by more than 40 percent, supported by a solid flow of large cap deals, with September reining in Verizon-Vodafone and marking the second largest M&A deal on record. The […]
Matthew Figgie and Rick Solon: Redesigning a product for profit
Company executives are always seeking ways to grow their businesses and increase profitability. Sometimes, brand-new products and services are needed to drive growth. Looking at improving existing products or services, however, is often the best approach. Redesigning them, even with a minor change in materials, process or labor, can lower costs and improve quality, which […]