Get More Done – Interrupt Your Interruptions
Constant interruptions reduce focus and effectiveness. Learn how the human brain handles interruptions (poorly) and how to work more effectively by stemming their flow.
Holly Green
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image source 47% of small-business owners manage their marketing efforts themselves. In today’s competitive landscape, small businesses need to think creatively to capture the attention of potential customers. Traditional marketing methods are often too expensive or ineffective, so it’s essential to find innovative ways to stand out. Considering all that, here are some creative marketing…
image source The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has massively transformed into a thriving hub for business and commerce. With its strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and favorable business environment, the UAE offers immense opportunities for entrepreneurs and established businesses alike. This article delves into the various aspects of growing a business in the UAE, highlighting the…
Image source Hey pals! Let’s have a conversation about how our classrooms are getting super smart with DEEPBRAIN AI avatars. These avatars are like super-smart computer buddies who are making our learning time way better! DEEP BRAIN AI avatars are like magical friends in our class. They help our teachers teach in a super cool…
Effective leadership is the cornerstone of any thriving business. A leader’s role is multifaceted, requiring a diverse set of skills to navigate the challenges of today’s dynamic business environment. This article delves into five critical competencies that are indispensable for any business leader, shedding light on their importance and offering insights into how they can…
The battlefield for top-tier talent is no place for the faint-hearted. It demands enticing perks and brand prestige and a deep, demonstrable commitment to employee rights. Companies at the forefront know this secret: the brightest candidates seek a workplace where rights aren’t merely respected—they are celebrated. This realisation isn’t a light bulb moment; it’s a strategy…
Launching and scaling a small business comes with no shortage of questions and uncertainties. Here we tackle some of the most frequent queries entrepreneurs have relating to legalities, marketing, technology, hiring, accounting and more. How Do I Choose The Right Business Structure? Factors like tax treatment, liability, investment needs and record-keeping determine ideal structures. Most…
The “Short Pass” Approach to Winning in Business
The long bomb is one of the most exciting plays in football. Lofting a well-placed ball into the hands of a receiver streaking down the field can instantly change momentum and turn a losing effort into a dramatic win. But is it the best strategy for reaching the goal line? In 2012, NFL quarterbacks collectively…
Why Winning is So Hard
News flash – winning is hard! If you don’t think so, just ask the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, who got spanked by my Broncos on this season’s NFL opener. Of course, they didn’t plan to lose that game. In fact, they had every intention of winning. But sometimes things don’t go according to…
A Tale of Gut-Wrenching (Literally!) Innovation
Logan Ebert was born without most of his esophagus, the tube through which food travels from the mouth to the stomach. From day one, this healthy, happy teenager who just graduated from high school had to be fed through an artificial tube just to stay alive. When his parents began researching “esophageal atresia,” as the…
Are Dumb Rules Killing Innovation in Your Company?
Innovation is the process of coming up with new ideas and/or putting together existing ideas, products or services in new and different ways to achieve value. In order to do that, we sometimes have to first get rid of the obstacles that are getting in the way. One quick and simple method for eliminating barriers…
Five Strategies for Managing Risk in Your Business
Is the U.S. losing its competitive edge?A recent article on wsj.com suggests we might be – at least when it comes to pushing the envelope in the business world. According to Risk-Averse Culture Infects U.S. Workers, Entrepreneurs, the level of risk-taking in our society is currently on the downswing. The article points to four long-running…
The Six Drivers of Innovation and Change
I ran across an interesting article the other day – “The Driving Forces of Change” (http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2013/07/18/the-driving-forces-of-change/). It discusses six major forces driving innovation and change in today’s world: 1. Commoditization. The constant pressure to drive prices and margins lower. 2. Digital revolution. New technologies level the playing field by giving small companies the same computational…
Zombie Management: 5 Tips to Keep Your Team from Going Brain Dead
Have you seen the latest Zombie apocalypse movie, World War Z? Sure, it’s way over the top (what Zombie movie isn’t?). But it’s a lot of fun, as long as you don’t expect too much. And I came away intrigued with one of the concepts in the movie. The main character, Gerry (played by Brad…
Talking to Your Car Can Kill You!
If you follow my blog, or perhaps have checked out my new book Using Your Brain To Win, you know I’m not a believer in multi-tasking. And the evidence continues to grow that it is not only unproductive, but in some cases downright dangerous. Did you eat breakfast in your car on the way to…
Three Innovation Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
When was the last time your company came out with something really new? How long has it been since you totally reinvented a critical business process that resulted in significant cost savings or productivity increases? If you can’t remember (or you can remember but it’s been so long you don’t want to admit it) you…
Five Steps to More Engaged Employees
According to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace: 2010-2012 report, employee engagement levels remain stagnant in the U.S, with only 30% of American workers saying they feel “engaged, involved in, enthusiastic about, or committed to their workplace.” Which means that seven out of every 10 employees are just going through the motions. That’s no way…
Open Up and Say AHHHHHH: Time for a Midyear Check Up
Summer’s here and we’re almost at the midpoint of the calendar year. Which means the #1 question on every business leader’s mind should be: how are we doing on our journey to winning? To find out, it’s time – once again – to check in with the strategic plan to see where things stand. I…
Big-Time Change Ahead for College Campuses
Last week I wrote about how disruptive innovation from mobile technologies is turning the banking industry upside down. Now it’s higher education’s turn. As a parent footing the bill for a college student, I say it’s about time! An article in the Wall Street Journal reports that since 1990, the cost of attending college has…
Your Phone is Now Your Bank: Are You Ready for Disruptive Innovation?
Does your bank fit inside your cell phone? If not, it soon will. And if today’s banks don’t come to terms with this fact very soon (as in starting yesterday), they may no longer exist in 10 or even five years. How’s that for disruptive innovation? I just finished reading Bank 3.0 —Why Banking Is…
It’s Time to Engage with Employee Engagement
Time for me to get up on the soapbox again. I recently came across a survey conducted by SilkRoad, a “leading provider of cloud-based, social talent management solutions.” In other words, they do the human resources thing. Their survey polled nearly 800 HR professionals on a number of issues related to engaging and energizing employees…
Taking the Mystery Out of Innovation
Many people see innovation as a mystifying process that requires blinding flashes of creative insight to come up with new products that change the world. In reality, there’s nothing mysterious about it. As defined in the dictionary, innovation is simply “making changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.” Those blinding…
How to Suck at Leadership
Have you ever woken up in the morning and said to yourself, “I’m tired of being a good leader. Today, I want to suck at it.”? Well, today’s your lucky day! As someone who strives to keep up with the latest in leadership, it recently occurred to me we have tons of books, videos, blogs,…
The Third, Fourth and Fifth Most Powerful Words in Business
When was the last time you got stuck, I mean really stuck, on a problem in your organization? The kind where you not only couldn’t find a solution, but weren’t even sure why you were stuck in the first place. For example, you’re way behind your annual sales goal and no one seems to know…
Time For a 1st Quarter Checkup
A lot can happen in three months. The Vatican can elect a pope from Argentina. We can now carry knives through airport security. And Dennis Rodman can become BFF (best friends forever) with Kim Jong Un of North Korea. Who in the world saw that last one coming? Which begs the question: if all this…
