Why Is Business Writing So Bad?
This is a post about the poor state of writing in business, and how some of it comes from how we’re taught in school. I say this because aside from my day job, Internet startup, and new son, I also teach a section of business writing at my alma mater, Drew University in New Jersey.
Doing [...]
No Time to Plan
It is not often that I find myself without words. I usually have plenty to say about any topic imaginable. But recently when speaking with a CEO who had asked my advice about how to deal with a particular challenge in his business, I was rendered speechless. This CEO had recently lost a key supplier [...]
Problem-Solving is Key in Salary Negotiations
Are you looking for a job or wondering what – if any – raise to expect this year? Here are a couple suggestions for negotiating your salary and other terms of employment, especially in this tough economic environment.
Assuming your employer or potential employer will reciprocate, Problem-Solving Strategies typically work best in negotiating compensation.
What [...]
How to Revise an Email So That People Will Read It
“People think that the first draft is the big event and that revision is cleaning up afterward. But the first draft is really setting up the chairs, tables, and cups, and revision isn’t cleaning up after the party, it is the party.”
“All first drafts are terrible. I don’t care if you’re Hemingway.”
“What comes out unfiltered [...]
The Brand Called YOU
Personal branding is about unearthing what is true and unique about you and letting everyone know about it. As a brand, you are your own free agent: you have the freedom to create the career path that links your talents and interests with the right position and the ability to move both vertically and horizontally, [...]
The Top 10 Ways NOT to Attract New Clients
They say marketing has a bad name. But I maintain that NOT marketing has a much worse name. If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner interested in attracting new clients, are you still committing any of the 10 deadly sins listed below?
10. Make sure nobody can really understand what business you’re in. Use buzz-words [...]
A Quick Summary on How to Lead with Your Heart
As its longtime CEO, Cass Wheeler has helped to build the American Heart Association into one of the most respected nonprofits in the world. In his book You’ve Gotta Have Heart: Achieving Purpose Beyond Profit in the Social Sector, he shares the secrets to AHA’s success and inspires readers to make their nonprofit organizations the [...]
Want to be a better leader? Watch your language.
Every CEO, manager, or supervisor I’ve ever met has had the same goal: improving the organization and those in it. Some of the solutions can be quite complicated. Here is a simple one: Replace your negative language with positive words that are powerful, authoritative and strategic.
The problem is that most managers and leaders, mindlessly, [...]
How To Avoid Being Blindsided in Business
An exit strategy is a plan that sets a course for your career. It answers the question “what’s next?” What all executives must realize is that you shouldn’t be asking that question only after you get downsized or something else happens TO you. An effective plan also functions as a personal safety net.
An exit strategy [...]
How to Grow Your Business with Little or No Investment in Infrastructure or Advertising
In my long career in the business trenches – as a successful entrepreneur, the CEO of large marketing services company and an advisor to a wide variety of famous companies and brands -I have discovered that the best way to expand the size, scope and profit of any business is to grow it from the [...]