The Internet has completely changed the world, especially the world of business. Not only have traditional businesses become more streamlined and connected, but the web has also brought along a renaissance of non-traditional businesses. Entrepreneurship has skyrocketed over the last decade, as many are attempting to become the next

“A strategy is a plan that creates sustainable competitive advantage and allows an organization to perform over time, even in the face of a changing environment.”  — Jimmy Brown Your strategic plan should do all three things Brown suggests: 1. Create a sustainable competitive advantage; 2. Allow you to perform

“A strategy is a plan that creates sustainable competitive advantage and allows an organization to perform over time, even in the face of a changing environment.”  — Jimmy Brown Your strategic plan should do all three things Brown suggests: 1. Create a sustainable competitive advantage; 2. Allow you to perform

Reading List:  What’s on yours? My reading list is usually longer than I have time to complete, but I always appreciate book recommendations. Today, I thought I’d share some of mine. I have been reading (or listening) to at least six business books per year for the last twenty years.

True networking, as it is really intended, is about connecting with people on a personal level. To succeed, you need to be likable, provide information and guidance, and also seek information and guidance.

4 Tips for Working with Search Firms There are two type of search firms: retained and non-retained. Non-retained firms work primarily for themselves and not for job candidates or employers. Retained firms represent employers looking to make a hire. Both types of search firms are trying to match job candidates

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

Put Facebook to Work You may not care about how closely tied others’ personal and work lives have become. You may not judge others’ personal choices. But you can’t control how others may judge you. Whether you like it or not, people are going to judge you based upon your

Boost Your Savvy via LinkedIn Leaders and job hunters are judged by their savvy, and LinkedIn profiles are a pretty good indicator of savvy. How does your LinkedIn profile look? Prospective employers will check out your LinkedIn profile and connections. They want to see your circle of influence, since your

Get the Picture We’re a visual culture. We used to count “readers”; now we count “eyeballs.” Even newspapers–the ones that remain–are printed in color and the ratio of text to images has tilted heavily toward images. People want to read and hear what you have to say, but they also

Résumé Recommendations Don’t use the same résumé for every job application. Re-craft your résumé based upon the specific job description as well as your knowledge of the organization and industry. Select a format that highlights your skills and achievements. Build action words into your resume. Be memorable, but not annoying.

Discover Your Hedgehog My former business partner, Rick Diamond, created a great tool to help people discover their optimal path and career goal. He took Jim Collins’ Venn diagram for the Hedgehog Concept for business success and applied it to an individual’s career search. Collins’ diagram has three circles: “What

Activate Your Goal It’s one thing to want a new job or career; it’s another thing to actively pursue it. If you don’t develop a plan with specific actions, deadlines, and accountability, what’s to keep you from getting distracted by your everyday concerns and obligations? You need leverage–both positive and

Discover Your Strengths If you haven’t tried StrengthsFinder 2.0, now is the time. When you purchase the book you are given a code to access the assessment online. Once that’s completed, you will be given a comprehensive Strengths Discovery and Action Planning Guide that is based on your StrengthsFinder 2.0

Core Values If you want to find a new position or career that’s right for you, first you need to know what you think is right given your values. What are your core values? Your core values won’t only help you find the right path and position, but will also

14 Fascinating Theories from Leadership Studies Posted on Tuesday April 10, 2012by Staff Writers at BestCollegesOnline.com If you’ve never delved into the field of leadership studies as a businessperson or college student, you really should. There are dozens of fascinating theories from the field that can help you become a better leader

As a leader, do you read and respond to e-mail as much as you used to? Or are you starting to tune out? Over a year ago, Aditya Kothadiya posited that personal e-mail has become more of a notification medium and less of a communication medium. His argument looks even stronger

If you’re like the average American, you likely see 16,000 brands in any given day. That’s a lot of competing images. No wonder so much attention is given to make logos eye-catching. Want to know what got eyes to stop or pause in 2011? Bill Gardner of LogosLounge discovered the

Leadership Development can involve shifting mindsets–from resource-building to resourcefulness. When resources are not limited, dramatic change rarely happens because there is no imperative or imminent risk. As a result, resource-building leaders often miss great opportunities for organizational and personal growth. When resources get thin, leaders tend to adopt a resourcefulness

Goal setting is a big part of what you do with an executive coach. Great coaches will limit your goal setting to that which matters most. “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe You will find this

Longtime friend, Colleague, and former client is one of the most sought after translation guys in the country. He has created this great engine that you have to try! The following is taken from Ken Clark’s Blog. Translation should be free! Or at least that’s what everyone not in the translation

Executive Coaching can help when you get stuck. There are many ways you can get stuck as a leader. It can be because of a change in your external environment in which the challenge exceeds your skill and you begin to become frustrated or your environment is without enough challenge

In the Executive Coaching 2011 Annual Survey by Sherpa Partners, they identified that business or consulting experience is by far the most sought after trait of an executive coach.

The Core Conversation: Essential Steps for Difficult Times During times of stress or economic hardship, it is tempting to give up on previous hopes and ideals and withdraw into the basic anxieties of survival. This will be an evening to revisit the core conversations of our work and vocation and

Top 10 Technologies for Working Remotely Google Apps – As a life longtime Microsoft user, migrating with each new version of Office and Outlook, I never thought I would break free. And then came Goggle Apps. It has taken time for this old dog to learn new tricks, but I

You hear about “political capital” almost every night on the news. You only wish Washington D.C.’s movers and shakers could pay down the national debt with this type of capital. Sadly, it seems to do the opposite—add to our debt by clearing red tape and authorizing more spending. “Political capital” exists

Business Partnership Communications I was in a business partnership for 18 years. As I learned then and I’ve been reminded frequently as an executive coach, partnerships thrive on communication. When communication is faulty or under-nourished, mistrust grows and partnerships get strained or fail. Sometimes a partnership clicks on all cylinders

Being recommendable can do wonders for your business. For example: One of my best friends told me that I had to go to this one particular gelateria–that it was “the best” in Italy! She said it was just two doors down on the street to the right of the Duomo in Florence.

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

Craig explained the idea behind the Results Pyramid™. The Results Pyramid was developed by Partners in Leadership® a firm known for their outstanding training in accountability. The concept is that most organization spend a great deal of time on Results and Actions the top two segments of the pyramid.

Many organizations are finding it difficult to coordinate social media enterprise wide, Radian6 has introduced a listening post and interaction product that may change the game for your organization!

This is a video on Facebook’s Brand Interaction Study. If you want to understand what is happening in social media and how it can have an impact on your organization. You will want to watch this…

Charlie Hartwell is a good friend of mine who leads a brilliant company, Ideas to Go. He presents his thoughts on transforming ideas into action.

New Organization to focus on School Superintendents Leadership. To learn more go to www.BoardofSchoolSuperintendents.com BOSS is the national organization dedicated to serving School Superintendents only. BOSS is here to help Superintendent of Schools expand their leadership capacity, refine their leadership skill, and support necessary changes in the school system they

The one who takes the notes controls the information. When you’re meeting with your boss, colleagues, or customers, take notes. Then, within 24 hours, send your notes to all participants. Ask if these notes accurately reflect the meeting and the actions that need to be taken (and by whom).

The one who takes the notes controls the information. When you’re meeting with your boss, colleagues, or customers, take notes. Then, within 24 hours, send your notes to all participants. Ask if these notes accurately reflect the meeting and the actions that need to be taken (and by whom).

Virtually everything we think and do is generated by questions. In fact, all through the day we ask ourselves multiple questions-from “What should I wear?” to “What should I do with my life?” Our self-esteem, relationships, and careers are all profoundly affected by the kinds of questions we ask. Change

Virtually everything we think and do is generated by questions. In fact, all through the day we ask ourselves multiple questions-from “What should I wear?” to “What should I do with my life?” Our self-esteem, relationships, and careers are all profoundly affected by the kinds of questions we ask. Change

Virtually everything we think and do is generated by questions. In fact, all through the day we ask ourselves multiple questions-from “What should I wear?” to “What should I do with my life?” Our self-esteem, relationships, and careers are all profoundly affected by the kinds of questions we ask. Change

Neuroscientist Dr David Eagleman considers some emerging questions relating to law and neuroscience, challenging long-held assumptions in criminality and punishment and predicting a radical new future for the legal system.

Paul Bennett, Chief Creative Officer, IDEO talks about the importance of asking the right questions.

Brain Tracy Explains the power of asking questions to make a sale.

Drew Carey asks the most compelling questions that Americans want to know the answer to.

Business Model Generation caught my eye in a book store in December – It is rare I find myself in book stores anymore given how many books are sent to me as a blogger and my preference in reading on Kindle or IPad. I think it was the graphic design

At Harvard Business School we watch the movie 12 O’Clock High before one of our classes and then we discussed the leadership lessons from the film. Albeit an old film it has great lessons for leaders. Gregory Peck (Wing Commander) and the US Air Force Commanding General tries to find

52 Incredibly Useful Sites: The Full List Here’s our entire collection of the best, most practical Websites, arranged by category. By Robert Strohmeyer, PCWorld Apr 25, 2010 8:00 pm You know all about Google’s smorgasbord of Web tools, but have you tried Measy, Topicfire, or Yammer? While a few big

I have read many books on the subject of applied behavioral economics. They jump from study to study each one more amazing than the next. This short three page white paper does a wonderful job of helping you with a pricing strategy based on how people really behave. The Retail

Burgernomics is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity, the notion that a dollar should buy the same amount in all countries. Thus in the long run, the exchange rate between two countries should move towards the rate that equalizes the prices of an identical basket of goods and services

Steve Boehlke on leadership… Author of 50 Lessons on Leading for those with Little Time for Reading.

Many people admire Collin Powell as a leader. Here is Collin Powell’s 13 Rules of Leadership.

Check out the new book by Aaron Goldman on what you can learn from Google on marketing.

Is your customer experience making you money? Costing you money? Do you know? Like a line of falling dominos, daily actions across your organization form a sequence of events that, if aligned correctly, build momentum and culminate in what every business wants-outstanding financial performance.

With a Tsunami of information hitting our society – what is needed to prepare us for decoding the news.

With a Tsunami of information hitting our society – what is needed to prepare us for decoding the news.

The smart, aware executive today is doing something different. He or she is asking questions. Almost like leading itself, “asking” has different techniques and styles. Readers will learn which ones are right and the best fit for them in this article.

Five Critical Qualities you should know about being an entrepreneur.

This is an example of a Wet Plate Portrait CEO’s may want to check out as a process to have their picture taken.

This is an example of a Wet Plate Portrait CEO’s may want to check out as a process to have their picture taken.

This is a webinar that is based on the Just Ask Leadership 360 Assessment. This is original content and varies from the book Just Ask Leadership – Why great managers always ask the right questions!

Great ways to make your presentations better!

Soltrite is offering video conferencing HD quality for your office to your PC or MAC with no expansion of you bandwidth. This is great new cutting edge technology. I continually am looking for the newest technology to use with my clients. I have not seen better than than this before.

McKinsey & Co offers a checklist for incoming CEO’s to consider in taking on a new position. They are offered in the form of 10 questions.

McKinsey’s former managing director Ian Davis offers to new CEOs advice distilled from his experience supporting executives during their transitions into the role.

McKinsey’s former managing director Ian Davis offers to new CEOs advice distilled from his experience supporting executives during their transitions into the role.

In a recent post by Mike Michalowicz (pronounced mi-CAL-o-witz), he details how he started his first business at the age of 24,  and moving his young family to the only safe place he could afford – a retirement village. With limited resources and no experience, he systematically bootstrapped a multi-million

If you want to confront persistent problem behavior, you need to combine multiple influences into an overwhelming strategy. Influencers succeed where others fail because they “overdetermine” success. Instead of focusing on a single root cause, they address all the root causes by combining a critical mass of influence strategies.

If you want to confront persistent problem behavior, you need to combine multiple influences into an overwhelming strategy. Influencers succeed where others fail because they “overdetermine” success. Instead of focusing on a single root cause, they address all the root causes by combining a critical mass of influence strategies.

I had an opportunity to catch up with Madeleine Van Hecke, Ph.D. (Elmhurst, IL) author of Blind Spots – Why Smart People  do dumb things. I stumbled onto this book while finding books based on my reading habits. It is good to know that Amazon did not have a blind

By Madeleine Van Hecke 1. “Did my mind just slam shut to an idea?” If my mind feels closed, can I at least leave it ajar? 2. “Did I just think ‘I’m absolutely sure of that!’?” The more certain I am, the more I need to question my certainty. 3.

ITIL, Six Sigma, Lean, TQM, Agile Development, Scrum, XP, APM, PMBOK, strategy maps, and portfolio management the list goes on and on. How does anyone make sense of all the management mantras? The reality is that most do not. The average organization will attempt to implement three of these, or

Today I will be interviewing Scott Belsky, Scott and I had the opportunity to meet about four years ago when I was introduced to the Action Method. I liked it so much now all my clients use it and CO2 Partners sells it on our website. When I learned that

“If a man is alone in the woods, is he still wrong all the time?” Not if he is in his Man Cave. Last week I was invited by reporter Jim Hammerand of Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal to be part of a panel of business experts to help local serial

Initial research conducted by 4ROI has shown that leaders that practice Just Ask leadership have significantly more engaged team members than leaders that do not. Selected findings of leadership assessment: • 100 % of people working with Just Ask leaders indicated that the leader was “extremely strong” or “outstanding” at

This interview with Tim Brown, the chief executive and president of IDEO, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant. Tony Cenicola/The New York Times Tim Brown, chief executive of IDEO Corner Office Every Sunday, Adam Bryant talks with top executives about the challenges of leading and managing. More ‘Corner Office’

You might think “activities” and “actions” are more-or-less synonyms. When you begin to understand the defining difference, you will never look at the words in the same way again. “Activities” are those everyday behaviors that you do, the mundane, no-change, no-gap-closing initiatives. Activities are like merry-go-rounds; you’re constantly moving, but making

I have studied at the Harvard Business School, Covey Leadership Institute, Disney Leadership Institute, and Aspen Institute as a Crown Fellow. All my instructors used the Socratic Method in teaching leadership. They asked plenty of questions, but they didn’t specifically teach the value of question-based leadership. When teachers use the Socratic Method, they

This is an amazing sales process that creates an urgency with your prospect to want to discover how you can help them build their business. If you have been struggling with getting in to meet with the senior team – Micheal Boylan’s Accelerant Process works.

This is Part III of a three part blog interview with Noah Blumenthal author of Be the Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life. Gary B. Cohen: Mary Oliver wrote the poem, “Wild Geese,” which starts: You do not have to be good. You do not

Noah Blumenthal is an international bestselling author, as well as an accomplished coach and speaker. His message, “Be the Hero” Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life, could not have been more perfectly timed for what many of us have gone through in the past several years

Noah Blumenthal is an international bestselling author, as well as an accomplished coach and speaker. His message, “Be the Hero” Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life, could not have been more perfectly timed for what many of us have gone through in the past several years

Just Ask Leadership iPhone app ranks in the top 300 Apps in the USA among other countries. The position for each country is the one last registered by PositionApp™. This is based on monthly averages. Country Position Movement Philippines 134 Qatar 139 new UK 159 Indonesia 160 Malaysia 21 India

Gary Cohen: Dan, thank you for your willingness to share your thoughts with our readers on productivity motivation. Your new book, Drive: The Surpising Truth About What Motivates Us, is a terrific read. I will be doing a full review of the book later this month for our next CO2

LinkUp’s February Jobs Report Shows Modest Gains in Job Listings on Corporate Websites. Minneapolis, MN – February’s jobs report from the Department of Labor is scheduled to be released later this week and based on data released this morning by LinkUp, Friday’s report will show that the job market was

http://www.alliedexecutives.com/ GeoTagged, [N44.97292, E93.27363] Keynote Speaker: Narayana Kocherlakota, President of The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Panel included: Dean Bachelor – CEO Platinum Group Scott J. Dongoske – President Winthrop & Weinstine Al Gerhardt – COO Kraus-Anderson Elliot Jaffee – TC President US Bank Michael Lacey – CEO Digineer Beth

Narayana Kocherlakota is President of The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He was the keynote speaker today at the Allied Executives Symposium & Business Expo for CEOs &  Business Owners. “No matter how bad things are, it could have been much much worse,” Kocherlakota said about the banking and mortgage

At the end of the year, I was shopping for a new laptop (I’m a bleeding-edge technology junkie) to take advantage of some tax benefits. I must have spent hours sorting through the labyrinth of possibilities. And part of this selection process was to maximize value. I put more time

If you earn $50,000 per year, your per-minute rate is approximately $0.40 cents. $100K $0.80 $200K $1.60 $300K $2.20 $1 Million $8.00 These figures start adding up. The total cost of a meeting for a small-to-midsize organization might be $1,000 per hour. In larger companies, the compensation packages of the

Book Review Michael Boylan-Accelerants Michael Boylan’s book, Accelerants, masterfully delivers a methodology to ascend from the trench that was, for most, 2009. He explains how to increase top line sales, compress sales cycle, and reduce the cost of sale. Does everyone on your sales team believe in the benefits that

Two summers ago my wife and I attended the Aspen Institute’s Ideas Festival with my mother. One of the many great take a ways was a keynote dialogue with Michael Sandel in typical and great Socratic fashion. He opened with the well know Trolley Dilemma. “A trolley is running out

Previous Interview Part 1 From interview with Cali & Jody Gary Cohen:What are your top 10 questions you ask your clients to move them forward toward ROWE? The questions organizations need to ask themselves in order to move toward ROWE are based on the 13 Guideposts: Cali & Jody 1)

Cali & Jody Interview for blog (Previous Interview Post) Gary Cohen: How do you get around the issue of leaders and the myth of control that is so prevalent in our culture? What breaks down the power and control in organizations so they can move to a ROWE? Cali &

Cali & Jody Interview for blog (Previous Interview Post) Gary Cohen: How do you get around the issue of leaders and the myth of control that is so prevalent in our culture? What breaks down the power and control in organizations so they can move to a ROWE? Cali &

Part I (click here) Gary Cohen: Have there been some examples that you have seen that are able to defy the fidelity belly for an extended time? Kevin Maney: Nobody’s convinced me of one so far. Though, as with any model, there are always examples that don’t fit. I’m sure

Part I (click here) Gary Cohen: Have there been some examples that you have seen that are able to defy the fidelity belly for an extended time? Kevin Maney: Nobody’s convinced me of one so far. Though, as with any model, there are always examples that don’t fit. I’m sure

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

Because many of my friends and clients are entrepreneurs, I am often asked, “How do you go about raising money?” Our early funding was entirely government grants that we received in exchange for bringing jobs to the rural communities. When my business partner and I needed to do additional fund

Because many of my friends and clients are entrepreneurs, I am often asked, “How do you go about raising money?” Our early funding was entirely government grants that we received in exchange for bringing jobs to the rural communities. When my business partner and I needed to do additional fund

(Previous Blog Post w/ Stewart Levine) Part II Interview with Stewart Levine, author of Getting to Resolution Gary Cohen: What are the Top 10 Questions you ask–or suggest to your clients to ask–when needing to find resolution to conflict? Stewart Levine: What is it, and briefly what’s your “story” about

I would like to welcome Stewart Levine to our Just Ask Leadership Blog. Stewart Levine is founder of Resolution Works and author of “Getting To Resolution.” Stewart is a creative problem solver. He is widely recognized for creating agreement and empowerment in the most challenging circumstances. He improves productivity while