In business, there are really only two choices: do something or do nothing. One choice leads to growth and sustainability and the other, well, allows more room in the marketplace since there is one less player in the game. Every organization eventually faces the truth, change is the only constant. If an organization fails to […]
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7 Things to Do Before Your Next Performance Review
Performance reviews, while not necessarily the most effective way to do business, are a realistic part of the work year for many employees. Many people find the review process stressful, but I believe a great deal of the stress and anxiety around performance reviews can be reduced or eliminated with proper preparation. Try working through […]
The Biggest Obstacle to Innovation in One Word
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. This wonderful quote of Leon C. Megginson is still so relevant in this fast changing world. Trying to do things differently or to do different things within an organization is hard. Being […]
Family Business Owners, Dream Big! But Also Consult a Finance Expert
“Many family business owners who come to us for help complain that they always have a scarcity of time and money,” according to leading family business expert Don Schwerzler. “In fact, that is why many family businesses never achieve their true potential. They get so caught up in the ‘tyranny of routine’ that they fail […]
Responsibility Diffusion: A Critical Impediment When Growing a Family Business
“Responsibility diffusion is a critical impediment to successfully growing a family business. And, the larger the family business grows, the larger the problem becomes!” opines Don Schwerzler, an internationally recognized family business expert who has been studying and advising family business owners for more than 40 years. As a family business expert dealing with growth and profitability […]
How Do You Brainstorm Great Ideas?
Were you also part of a so-called “brainstorming sessions,” where both the process and the results were very disappointing? A lot of them are done in the wrong way. The spiritual father of the brainstorming technique is the American Alex Osborn. He describes when a group works together, the members should engage in a “brainstorm,” […]
Succession Planning Obstacles and Guidelines in Family Business
You have to find the obstacles, then overcome them… fly over them, dig under them, outflank them to move around them. And it is often the ones that you didn’t see that cause you the biggest problems! Succession planning for family businesses is just like a physical obstacle course. Every family and family business situation […]
10 Reasons to Stick your Neck Out!
Eight years ago, I called my business “Resolve Gets Results,” because the world “resolve” connotes both the determination to succeed and the problem solving mentality essential in business. When I first started blogging 8 months ago, I didn’t know where it was going to take me or quite why I was doing it. I had a gut […]
My Boss Is an Ass
Let’s face it. Your boss might not be the most emotionally evolved mammal on the planet. Chances are you will have to deal with (or have already dealt with) a boss that is all too like the chicanery you see from Dunder Mifflin’s leadership team. No matter what you do, it’s never enough. Your results […]
Are Women Good for Business?
Do women or men make better leaders? Recently, McKinsey republished an article from 1976 entitled ‘Sex bias – still in business’ with the following 2014 introduction: Despite much talk of equal opportunity for women, discrimination persists in business. This 1976 McKinsey Quarterly article, part of a series celebrating our 50th anniversary, shows how companies should correct […]
I’m Your Boss, Not Your Friend: 10 Reasons Why Your Boss Shouldn’t Be Your Friend
Is it ever OK for a manager to be friends with their employees? Believe me, this isn’t just a question brand new manager’s struggle with (and most of them do). It’s an issue a lot of experienced managers are questioned about as well, and many of them don’t think it’s a problem at all. The […]
Our One-on-one with the World Leading Expert on Family-owned Businesses, Don Schwerzler
Don Schwerzler is arguably the world’s leading expert on family business. In fact, he has been working and advising in this field since 1967, a track record of almost half a century. Don has been published in many leading business magazines, newspapers, and trade magazines. He is also the founder of the Family Business Institute and runs […]
