Business Archives

Management Versus Leadership: The Key Difference

Dare to Lead: Book Overview and Takeaways

Do you want to inspire your team members? What is the difference between management versus leadership in the context of organizational management? Both management and leadership are important for any organization, but many companies suffer from too much of the former and a lack of the latter. The key difference between management versus leadership is that leaders focus on the organization’s people, whereas managers focus on the organization’s things and objects. Keep reading to learn about the difference between management versus leadership, and how to be a better leader in your organization.

Unique Marketing and Branding: Why They Don’t Matter

Are you looking for a better way to promote your brand? Is unique marketing the most effective strategy to use? Unique marketing creates brands that stand out against competitors, but it won’t help attract customers in the long run. Instead, marketers should focus on continuing their brand that already works, considering most consumers don’t care about branding. Keep reading for Byron Sharp’s reasoning for why unique marketing is a waste of time.

What Happened to Xerox? The Rise & Fall of Innovation

What’s the story of Xerox’s innovative efforts? Where did they go wrong? People can spend years working hard to achieve success, then relax once they get there. John Brooks explains how this complacency can make you blind to threats and weaknesses. He describes how Xerox’s commitment to innovation led to its success—and how its subsequent neglect of innovation led to its decline. Continue reading to learn what happened to Xerox.

How to Build Strong Organizational Relationships

What are organizational relationships? How are they essential in the day-to-day operation of a company? According to Stephen Covey, the author of The 8th Habit, relationships are the core of organizations. Creating constant communication with your team is what keeps an organization running smoothly and builds strong organizational relationships. Keep reading to learn how to strengthen organizational relationships.

How Niche Marketing Strategies Hurt Your Business

What is a niche marketing strategy? Why are they so popular, yet drive so many businesses to fail? Niche marketing strategies aim to sell a company’s products to a very small and specific audience. However, Byron Sharp in his book How Brands Grow says that limiting your target audience can make you lose potential customers who aren’t a part of that specific group. Let’s look at how niche marketing strategies work, and why it’s better to advertise to a larger demographic.

Delivering Your Speech: How to Make an Impact

What is the key to delivering a truly great speech? What do all great speakers have in common? When it comes to delivering your speech, how you present yourself is just as important as what you say. If you want to give a truly great speech, it isn’t enough to have the perfect words, strategies, and setup—you also need stage presence. The way you present yourself makes the difference between a forgettable speech and one that leaves your audience inspired. Here are some things to keep in mind.

The 1962 Stock Market Crash: Panic on Wall Street

Where can panic on Wall Street lead? What’s a “flash crash”? In his essays on Wall Street, John Brooks discusses how letting gut reactions override logical thinking can lead to dire results. He uses the 1962 stock market crash as an example. Continue reading to learn about this incident and what it teaches us about economics and human behavior.

David Lilienthal: One of Wall Street’s Good Guys

Who was David Lilienthal? What can you learn from his story about working with purpose and transitioning from one career to another? The people of Wall Street may have a reputation for pursuing profits at all costs, but John Brooks says that there are those who’ve managed to balance this pursuit with a sense of purpose. Brooks profiles David Lilienthal, former chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and, later, chairman and CEO of the Development & Resources Corporation (D & R). Brooks traces Lilienthal’s career trajectory and how he navigated the transition from public servant to big businessman. Continue

Why Subscription-Based Business Models Don’t Work

Are you considering a subscription-based business model for your company? Are you looking for new ways to increase revenue from existing customers? For many companies such as Netflix, subscription-based business models are the only way to gain profits because they’re “subscriber-only” services. However, that doesn’t mean subscription-based business models are meant for every business. Learn why Byron Sharp, the author of How Brands Grow, believes that subscription-based business models don’t work for a lot of businesses.

How Brands Grow: Byron Sharp’s 3 Rules of Marketing

What does How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp explain about marketing? What are the main takeaways from the book? Marketing professor Byron Sharp’s book How Brands Grow says that while many people consider mass marketing to be “dead,” it’s actually more effective than modern marketing used today. To support this claim, Sharp creates three rules that every marketer should follow if they want their business to reach a wider audience. Continue reading to learn more about Byron Sharp’s three rules of marketing in How Brands Grow.