An often-cited marketing maxim is that women control approximately 80 percent of all consumer purchases. They are the ultimate consumer and decision-makers, and should be taken seriously. While attending a private briefing with Shimon Peres, president of the State of Israel, my wife, Harriet, asked him what he believed was the greatest achievement of the [...]

On Dec. 16, 2009, the  SEC  issued rules that will require  additional commentary in the preparation of the 10K.  Information calling for director qualifications and  contributions to their respective boards will be required. The  questions that have been raised actually open a discussion at  the board level regarding philosophy of skills and  contributions of individual [...]

I often hear colorful stories from colleagues and clients about young people in their organizations.  In response to making copies, while wearing flip-flops, “You should hire someone to do this kind of stuff so you don’t waste my talent.’”  What about the young woman who didn’t understand why everyone kept saying she had to ‘pay [...]

The pressure Wall Street places on companies to meet arbitrarily defined goals in this environment is staggering and can drive even decent ethical people to skate along the edge of reporting integrity. As directors, we are the shareholder’s last backstop to ensure integrity in thisprocess. I believe the SEC is increasingly viewing it thatway. It challenges us all [...]

There are countless books on best practices for employee motivation. An Amazon search yields more than 8,000 titles. Combined with lectures and journal articles, you could probably spend the next two years wading through all the information. Many of these writings were sound and offered excellent tools. I intentionally used the past tense “were” and [...]

As we begin a new year, it is critical to establish that this represents a new opportunity. Despite current economic times, the beginning of 2010 is no different. Successful people make resolutions in their personal lives and their professional lives; they seize the moment whatever it may be. Those who sit aside and decide to [...]

I just spent the day engaged in one of the most important activities a business leader can perform in these difficult economic times. No, I’m not looking at ways to cut expenses. On the contrary, my goal is to expand the learning opportunities for my team. Invest in your best assets. Expand? While it may [...]

The economic recovery continues to be problematic for the county and, as a result, regulatory pressures on  public companies and their boards remain high with no signs of abating.  Instead of waiting until regulatory  bodies start weighing in on ways to maintain high quality board performance, let’s exert some common  sense and get out ahead [...]

With less than 10 weeks remaining in 2009, there are undoubtedly millions of people who will be happy to see this year come to an end. It’s been a rough one, not only for the global economy, but for U.S. employment in particular. Unfortunately, there continue to be major challenges ahead of us, even as [...]

As a business leader, you realize how important communication is to the success of your organization. But what is even more critical than communicating itself – particularly in today’s challenging economic climate – is the way you engage with your colleagues and team and how you present your message. It’s what I call “purposeful communication.” [...]