When changes disrupt your business from market shifts in your industry, or from larger economic downturns, it is imperative that you re-assess the market’s response to your offerings that have been working prior to the disruption. This means that you must ask these...
What more is there to say than this? It is an imperative to all CEOs. It is a discipline which must be learned, and applied, and applied again, and not neglected, until it is in your very nature. If you run a product company or service company or consultancy, you must...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
I was asked recently to share suggestions from my experiences in my international work. Here are eight recommendations for conducting business in foreign lands. 1. Listen more than you talk. When you do talk, begin your suggestions, expertise, and advice with, “In...
Between industry crashes and major economic downturns, my business has survived 5 downturns, and returned to thrive afterwards. A colleague asked me to offer advice to entrepreneurs about how to survive economic downturns. I sent him a list of 6 strategies: 1. Create...
A quick thought on some behaviors I have seen from energetic entrepreneurs, particularly in technology, and often those starting their first ventures: they are too excited. Now, high energy is a great asset in a CEO. And excitement about emerging technology is a plus....