I came across an interesting passage in Seth Godin’s Linchpin yesterday evening that I wanted to share with you, as always, with a few of my thoughts on the topic. Godin noted a seismic shift in the way work happens in our era, as distinct from earlier times and summarized his thoughts in this description of the …
The success of any group of people depends upon the allegiance of its members to the goals and values they share in common. It follows, then, that leaders in any organization must take the time to imbue every aspect of the organization with the qualities it holds dearest. In the case of my companies, our …
I've found in business as in life that there are two options for projecting a refining influence into the world around you: inspiration and legislation. The first, my favorite, requires the most out of you and those within your sphere of influence, but also yields the most sustainable result. The second is typically employed more …
“Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you're put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” - Vincent van Gogh To my mind, the growth and development of people is the highest calling of a small business owner …
I spent a little time thinking about organizational process flows and corporate structure the other day and realized that although the two are often depicted as being linear and flat, the reality of both is that they are multi-dimensional and often conditioned by a fair degree of uncertainty. The formal models taught in business school …
Continue reading Creative Impulse, Creative Field: A New Corporate Structure
To master anything you must first master the fundamentals. The fundamentals, those pesky building blocks that stand between the novice and the master, can be found in any activity you might consider. They are the scales and the chords on the piano, the coordination of the ailerons, rudder and elevator in the airplane, and prospecting, …
When it comes to life lessons, the hardest are often the most valuable. I had two conversations yesterday that reminded me of one such lesson I learned years ago and I am pleased to share it with you today. The principle around which this lesson centers is simple and well-known, but not often heeded: cut …
While I am incredibly grateful for the education I received at the Carroll Graduate School of Management at Boston College, I must admit that there was one area of function that I was not adequately prepared for as I moved on from school to the "real world" of owning and managing small businesses. I was …
I had the good pleasure of attending Cavalia's Odysseo in Atlanta yesterday evening and the performance was riveting! Our tickets came with a tour of the stables and an opportunity to ask questions of the show's Equestrian Director, Benjamin Aillaud, and my thoughts this morning center around an answer he gave to a member of …
"Living in an air-castle is about as profitable as owning a half-interest in a rainbow. It is no more nourishing than a dinner of twelve courses—eaten in a dream. Air-castles are built of golden moments of time, and their only value is in the raw material thus rendered valueless. The atmosphere of air-castles is heavy …
Gregory Hake 