Doug Clark: Why you need to consider outsourcing
There’s a good reason why the old adage, “a jack-of-all-trades, master of none,” has remained in our lexicon hundreds of years after it was coined. It’s because we recognize that almost no one — especially those of us in the world of business — can maintain an equal level of excellence across every single business […]
Make it count
A few years ago, one of my friends embarked on what he deemed an ambitious, yet simple plan: Write a New York Times Best Seller. “Ed” had reason to be optimistic: His first two books had sold well and he had successfully leveraged them to launch a burgeoning consulting practice. Ed also had a nationally […]
How Steve Bilt helped both the dentists and patients at Smile Brands get exactly what they needed
There are lots of ways to run a successful dental practice, which became one of the biggest challenges facing Steve Bilt and his leadership team as they contemplated the future of Smile Brands Group Inc. “Defining a simple agenda that supports what your customer wants and needs, understanding who that customer is and then delivering […]
How Lyndon Faulkner repositioned his team at Pelican Products for a new opportunity
As one company after another made dramatic spending cuts in response to the recession five years ago, Pelican Products Inc. found itself headed in the opposite direction. It was December 2008 and Pelican had acquired its nearest competitor, Hardigg Industries, doubling its size to become the largest manufacturer of equipment protection cases in the world. […]
Workplace makeover: How Northeast Ohio companies are overcoming challenges in 2013
If you had any doubt about the recession being in the rearview mirror, consider this tidbit from the ERC/Smart Business Workplace Practices Survey. In the last 14 years, only two years — 2009 and 2010 — have returned results with Northeast Ohio companies reporting the poor economy as their toughest challenge. For the 11th year, […]
Pat Perry: In pursuit of a better workplace
Workplace practices and policies ranging from innovative flexible work arrangements to the debate over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were topics of this year’s ERC/Smart Business Workplace Practices Survey. Watching the discussions around these events unfold serves to reinforce the fact that the decisions we make as employers have the ability to significantly impact the […]
G.A. Taylor Fernley: Why your people needed to be reminded of your core values at every turn
It is all well and good to have organizational values. That’s the easy part. How do you keep them alive? How do you position them to be a living, breathing part of your company’s DNA? That’s the hard part. Organizational values can provide a moral foundation for taking the high ground in tough times or […]
Changes to lease accounting are coming. Are you ready?
Any business that leases anything for an extended period of time — generally, more than one year — will be impacted by a proposed new accounting standard. “This may appear arcane to some, but the new rules will have a major impact on the reported financial position of many companies. It has been estimated that […]
Rakiec & Porter: Is it time for you to optimize?
How can your company improve its business results? One way is by optimizing your firm’s use of patents. The right strategies for leveraging patent properties can provide long-term advantages and a leg up on the competition. The following strategies are useful starting points for enhancing business outcomes through patents: Consider patents’ financial qualities The same […]
William Onion: How to survive and thrive when the boss unexpectedly leaves the company
As the business partner who remained in the office, leading the company and being charged with keeping the train on the tracks, I developed my own critical advice to plan for and survive an unexpected crisis like this one. I had no idea that a phone call saying, “Mike’s in the hospital with a fever,” […]