Management Archives

Business Complacency: Stockholder Meetings Matter

What happens when stockholders don’t care about anything other than making money? Why should they attend annual stockholder meetings? Business complacency often happens once a company has achieved success. John Brooks warns against this apathy—particularly from stockholders who take little or no interest in business decisions—as it can cause you to be blind to internal weaknesses and external threats. Keep reading to learn more about complacency on the behalf of stockholders and the importance of annual stockholder meetings.

Why Did the Ford Edsel Fail? The 3 Reasons It Flopped

Why did the Ford Edsel fail? What can we learn from this adventure in business? In the 1950s, Ford Motor Company wasted millions of dollars on the Edsel, a car that is considered one of the biggest product launch failures of all time. In Business Adventures, John Brooks shares his analysis, offering three reasons for the failure. Continue reading to learn why the Edsel was a flop.

Toxic Communication: Why People Don’t Speak Up

What is toxic communication? How does toxic communication first arise in a relationship? You don’t want to start a fight, but saying nothing might end your relationship. According to the book Crucial Accountability, toxic communication first occurs when people choose to stay silent. Often, people don’t speak up because they either downplay the costs of silence, exaggerate the risk of speaking up, or consider themselves helpless. Keep reading to learn more about toxic communication and the three reasons people choose to stay silent.

The 7 Steps for Creating an Effective Business Strategy

What makes a winning business strategy? What factors should you take into account when designing a big-picture strategy for your business? It’s one thing to set goals for your company, but it’s another thing to know how to reach those goals. The path towards your goals is your strategy. An effective business strategy is one that is built from the ground up. Here’s a seven-step process for creating a strategy for success.

How to Hold Someone Accountable

How to Be Persuasive and Always Get What You Want

Why should you learn how to hold someone accountable? What is an accountability conversation? According to the book Crucial Accountability, learning how to hold someone accountable strengthens relationships and organizations. These can be intimidating conversations to have, but in the end, they’re worth it. Read more on how to hold someone accountable.

Company Vision Statement: Charting the Future

Do you want to make a company vision statement? How do you envision the ideal future of your company? When putting together a vision statement for your company, you need to consider not only what purpose your company serves, but also what winning would look like for your business. You need to think about more than what your company does, but why you do it. Here’s how to chart the future of your company.

How to Have an Effective Conversation

Do you want to have an effective conversation? What issues often arise when you’re looking to have an effective conversation? When having an accountability conversation with someone, new issues can emerge mid-conversation. To have an effective conversation, it’s important to know when to pivot the conversation to address the emerging issues. The most common issues you will encounter are the person making excuses and getting overly emotional. Keep reading to find out how to address these issues to have an effective conversation.

Motivation Barriers and How to Overcome Them

What are motivation barriers? How do you discuss motivation barriers? Can they be overcome? When somebody fails to meet expectations—whether that be at work, in a personal relationship, or with family—it’s often due to a motivational barrier. Motivational barriers can often be overcome by providing the person with consequences and disciplinary actions if they continue to resist improvement. Keep reading to find out how to discuss motivation barriers and overcome them.

Business Capabilities: What Do You Need to Win?

What is a business capability? What capabilities does your company need in order to win? In simple terms, business capabilities are what a company does and is able to do. If you run a business, it’s important to determine and map your capabilities so you can figure out how to reach your goals. Here’s how to identify, map, and implement your business’ capabilities.

3 Leadership Capabilities You Need to Run a Company

Are you in charge of running a company? What three leadership capabilities do you need to ensure a business’s success? In their book Playing to Win, former CEO A.G. Lafley and consultant Roger Martin explain that a good leader must have these three capabilities: 1) a systems to review strategy, 2) a systems to communicate strategy, and 3) a system to measure progress. Furthermore, each of these three leadership capabilities requires a clear and specific structure to support it. Let’s take a look at what each entails.