With companies of all sizes adapting to a constantly changing economic landscape, it’s more important than ever for CEOs and other stakeholders to understand the pros and cons of chasing revenue vs. earnings when making financial decisions. In this blog post, we’ll explore why income streams depend largely upon whether

By: Gary Cohen In reviewing recent surveys of top leaders by The Conference Board, Bain, World Economic Forum the six most significant and top challenges CEOs face that need to be addressed by organizations are: Attracting, Growing and Retaining trustworthy and capable Leadership Integrating Social Responsibility into the business model.

By: Gary Cohen If you consider that when I was in college in the early 1980s, the world population was 3 Billion people. Today the world population is 7 Billion. While death by disease, war, and famine are down significantly the complexity has more than doubled. Take a look at

The quality of an organization’s meetings is often tied to the quality of the organization’s overall work. Like effective organizations, effective meetings have clearly defined roles and objectives. There are four different types of meetings: decision-making, informational, creative, and motivational. While every meeting type is important, decision-making meetings are perhaps

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been dramatized in plenty of science fiction movies. In these films, the robots gain consciousness, realize that humans are their enemy or simply unnecessary, and attempt to destroy them. While it doesn’t seem likely that robots will be attempting to eradicate the human race anytime

“How to Prepare for a Meeting without Getting Eaten Alive” should be the name of one of Harvey Mackay’s books. Late last week I was having breakfast with my dear friend Ken Fink, who does wealth management for billionaires. He said that Harvey Mackay’s CEO round table group is by

Leadership Goals are accomplished by great leaders by using the process known as GPSing. You must first begin by asking goal questions, then position Q.

Leadership Efficiency can be costly to the sustainability of an organization. When you strive for efficiency you can lose your sense of purpose.

4 Ways to Improve Your References People often list references as quickly and thoughtlessly as if they’re filling in their birth date or contact numbers. They don’t, however, bother to find out what their references will say about them. You might be surprised what some references say about their former

How to lead an efficient and effective meeting Communicate the importance of attendance, participation, and punctuality. If key staff members don’t show up, cancel the meeting. If their absence has been approved in advance, have them delegate their decision-making responsibility to someone else in the meeting. Make sure all agenda

An interview with Nicholas Kralev, author of Decoding Air Travel: A Guide to Saving on Airfare and Flying in Luxury Interview by John LeTourneau, Executive Coach, CO2 Partners About the Author: Nicholas Kralev is a writer, educator, and speaker on global travel, diplomacy, and international affairs. A former Financial Times

When I ask leaders where they are most productive, they often say on the plane. They enjoy being unplugged for several hours, and they get more done.  Avoid using wifi on planes if you can. And if you’re not on a plane, imagine you are for the next few hours.

Sometimes not feeling like you belong has more to do with you than with the others in the group. Try changing the question. Instead of asking yourself “Do I belong?” or “Why don’t I belong?” ask, “How do I belong?”

An executive coaching client of mine wanted to build a monster company with floor after floor of employees. After plowing deep into his purpose, he realized that was someone else’s dream. What he really wanted was a lifestyle business that allowed him the opportunity to engage passionately in his avocations.

An executive coaching client of mine wanted to build a monster company with floor after floor of employees. After plowing deep into his purpose, he realized that was someone else’s dream. What he really wanted was a lifestyle business that allowed him the opportunity to engage passionately in his avocations.

It is strategic planning season for businesses. As an executive coach and strategist I am spending a great deal of my time working with companies on their planning for 2011. It is always amazing to me how many executives have decision making criteria in their head to evaluate what is

Take a survey to see how you stack up against your peers in asking questions as a leader.

For those who are not familiar with Kevin Maney he is an author and journalist who has interviewed many of the biggest names in business in a career spanning 25 years. His most recent book is Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On and Others Don’t, published in the fall of

For those who are not familiar with Kevin Maney he is an author and journalist who has interviewed many of the biggest names in business in a career spanning 25 years. His most recent book is Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On and Others Don’t, published in the fall of

  By Markets Media Magazine

Last night Dan Pink, author of Whole New Mind (excellent book) spoke at Ted Mann hall at the University of Minnesota. As he was speaking, Obama was giving his acceptance speech. Somehow the connection between what Pink was speaking of and the fact that the Democratic Convention was happening a

Just Ask Leadership: Greatness Happens When You Ask! The research is complete on Just Ask Leadership. We conducted two focus groups, and in the first focus group we beat out the two bestselling books that we were compared to. In the second focus group we beat out one of the

Q: I lead a small company, and I manage it very tightly. In meetings, I find I am the only one offering ideas, while others do not contribute. Although my ideas have really worked to grow the company, I feel I am doing it alone. What should I do? A:

Q: I have four people reporting to me, and I feel like none of them are accountable, there is no accountability. What can I do to make them more accountable? A: Establishing accountability is a common challenge for entrepreneurs and managers. I suggest using a process I learned from a

We have more individual choices than ever. We can choose from sixteen movies at a megaplex, eight different kinds of orange juice (low acid, some pulp, not from concentrate, etc.), and countless shoe brands and styles. Is it any surprise that we want to be free to make choices in

Q: I am a sales manager for a business services firm in Minneapolis. I am responsible for all new business revenue for my company and I have 5 sales people that work for me. Of the 5 sales people only one is a star performer. The issue I am having

Q: I am a sales manager for a business services firm in Minneapolis. I am responsible for all new business revenue for my company and I have 5 sales people that work for me. Of the 5 sales people only one is a star performer. The issue I am having