Simon Sinek on Leadership: Get People to Trust You

An entrepreneur modeling great leadership in front of his employees

Simon Sinek’s leadership views center around establishing trust. Sinek believes good leadership creates trust within the business, and how to establish the trust necessary to be a great leader. Trust is a gut feeling—it exists in the limbic brain and can’t be rationalized. That’s why we trust certain companies even when things go wrong, and mistrust other companies even though they do everything right. Here’s more on Sinek’s advice on leadership from his book Start With Why.

Defining Target Market: Know Your Customer & Differentiators

A dart board representing defining your target market

How can defining your target market help you reach your ideal customer? A target market is a specific, defined segment of people whom a company targets with its marketing efforts. In other words, defining your target market means identifying your ideal customer—the people who have an affinity for the products or services you offer. Here is how defining your target market can help you propel your sales.

Hedgehog Concept: Complete Guide—What It Is, How to Use It

A hedgehog representing the hedgehog concept

What is Jim Collins’s “hedgehog concept”? A hedgehog concept is a simple concept in response to the complex facts of reality. The principle was introduced by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great, in which he argues that truly great companies are oriented around a hedgehog concept. If you think thinking like a hedgehog can help your company in the long run, we have a breakdown of Collins’s advice on using the principle to your advantage. We’ll cover the Good to Great hedgehog concept, examples, and the questions to ask yourself and your team to find your own hedgehog

Business Meeting Schedule: When to Set Company Priorities

Employees holding a business meeting

Meetings are a core part of any business’s agenda. But what exactly are you supposed to talk about during the meetings? And when is the best time to schedule them? According to Gino Wickman, the author of Traction, you only really need to schedule two types of meetings throughout the year. These meetings are essential to ensure your business is on track and maintaining your company’s vision. Here is how to set an optimal business meeting schedule where you can communicate your priorities to employees, according to Wickman.

Culture of Discipline: Good to Great Businesses + Examples

Culture of Discipline: Good to Great Businesses + Examples

How can you foster a culture of discipline in your own workplace? A culture of discipline is a workplace culture in which everyone gauges their actions against the company’s common goal. The concept is detailed in the book Good to Great, in which he argues that truly great companies have a culture of discipline. We’ll cover Jim Collins’s culture of discipline, why it leads to success, and how to develop one.

Manipulative Advertising: 6 Dirty Tricks and Examples

Manipulative Advertising: 6 Dirty Tricks and Examples

All businesses need to motivate customers to do something, whether that’s buying a product or a service. Does manipulative advertising work? What are the most common strategies of manipulative advertising? If you’re a buyer, how do you spot them? If you’re a seller, should you use them? We’ll cover the six most common manipulative advertising tactics. We’ll look at their pros and cons and discuss whether they actually work, or if there’s a more effective way to advertise.

Use of Technology in Business—Why New Isn’t Always Better

Use of Technology in Business—Why New Isn’t Always Better

Should the role of technology in business be large or minimal? Good-to-great companies engage with groundbreaking technologies in a very specific way: Rather than bet the house on the technology itself, they think deeply about how the use of technology in business can serve the company’s Hedgehog Concept. We’ll cover the surprising statistics that say that the best businesses don’t list technology as a key factor in their success. Learn the best role of technology in business, from Jim Collins’s Good to Great.

Golden Circle Marketing—The Key to Apple’s Success

A dart board representing Golden Circle marketing

Golden Circle marketing is a marketing strategy promoted by Simon Sinek in his book Start with Why. Golden Circle marketing depends on your WHY, your central belief. It’s the concept that motivates you to get out of bed in the morning. In terms of an organization, Golden Circle marketing is the reason you’re in business. We’ll cover examples of Golden Circle marketing and look at how to use Golden Circle Marketing to maintain a successful business.

This Is Why You Dream: Book Overview (Rahul Jandial)

A woman sleeping in a bed

Why do we spend a third of our lives dreaming? In his book This Is Why You Dream, neurosurgeon Rahul Jandial argues that dreams aren’t random mental noise—they’re essential neurological processes that keep your thinking flexible, process difficult emotions, spark creative breakthroughs, and help form your identity. Through firsthand observations and cutting-edge research, Jandial explains how dreams work, what they reveal about your inner life, and how you can actively shape them. In our overview of This Is Why You Dream, you’ll also learn how to interpret your dreams using a two-step method based on brain science, manage recurring nightmares,

The 3 Steps for Assessing Adaptive Challenges

Leadership: What are the Major Traits of a Good Leader

Adaptive challenges are problems with unknown solutions which, by definition, require a fundamental change in order to be solved. There are two steps to solving such challenges: 1) diagnosis, and 2) treatment. In The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky recommend that you start by examining your organization to determine what resources you have available and what obstacles you might anticipate. Then, examine the challenge itself. In the article below, we’ll outline their recommendations for both.