Howard Schultz stepped down as chief executive of Starbucks in 2000, at the height of its success, only to return 8 years later to turn it around. See http://bit.ly/9CCFjm for related stories of other CEOs.
I am so impressed with this long interview (an excerpt itself), that I want to share some quotes from it, and [...]

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Every manager knows that a good hire is someone they like who does a great job. No problem there. But which is most important – good chemistry or good job skills? Neither, you say. Without both the odds are against success. Yep, right again!
So what’s the secret? Why is getting both so hard for many [...]

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Keeping control of your Company’s vision and its execution is essential if you are to create wealth – even after you relinquish the CEO seat.
I learned a lot from two CEOs I knew well, who each let go of control of their companies to new management at the height of success, after an IPO, but [...]

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Everyone we know who is seriously trying to grow their company is handicapped by the shortage of good people. Yet hiring skills are often the weakest among line managers and CEOs who actually perform the critical interviews that lead to hiring decisions. Often there is not even sufficient effort spent to quantify what kind of [...]

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Keeping your life in balance is more important during a downturn than during your busiest working years. So many pressures are working against you when you have no work or less work: pressures about identity, meaningfulness, finances, security and your future. If you let the work or the search for work consume you, along with [...]

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August 10th 2010
Internet retail sales increased to an aggregate $32.9 billion in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2010, according to research firm comScore. That’s a 9 percent increase over 2009’s total, and represents the third straight quarter of increases after the previous weak sales during the downturn.
“The second quarter’s continuation of the first [...]

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A lot of emotional energy and time is consumed by worrying about the larger economic conditions that affect us personally and professionally. It is easy to say “Don’t worry” and difficult to do. Like with depression and rage, (see http://bit.ly/aMs2Rz)  action often overcomes dread. The energy of worry can be re-directed into useful actions.
So, you [...]

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When the Internet first began connecting the world, there was some talk (and some great science fiction) about folks never leaving their homes, living through avatars, jacked into the Net, devoid of face to face social contact.
Well, the worldly web has gone local, personal and green, re-generating neighbors and creating sustainability.
When Craigslist www.craigslist.org  first replaced [...]

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We are going to explore here the dark side, the righteous side and the upside of your battling through the emotions that accompany economic conditions you cannot control.
Recessions and depressions are depressing. Industry downturns can be worse, because you see other colleagues in other industries thriving, while there is nothing for you to do. Worse, [...]

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When I recently wrote on “8 suggestions on behavior when conducting business in foreign countries” http://bit.ly/aBrsCv  one reader recommended that I write a similar piece on doing business in the U.S.   Here it is.
1. Learn to accept the informality of being called by your first name immediately. No disrespect is intended. Americans enjoy informality and [...]

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