“Building a Business”: Vol. 35

The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.

 

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Article published – February 9, 2009

BUILDING A BUSINESS: Diving into the daily details can tell you a lot

Simply signing the payables, ‘walking around’ can reveal savings, innovations

“Never neglect details. When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.” – Colin Powell

It’s a phrase we’ve all heard ad nauseum, but yes, the devil’s still in the details. How does a business leader retain perspective on the more strategic elements of his company while capturing and controlling sufficient details to calibrate and validate the execution of that strategy?

Here are a few proven methods to uncover and gain insight into some of these intricate details. (more…)

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Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

Procrastination is the subject of an interesting NY Times article. Apparently, there is some science to this nagging infirmity we all share.
If you don’t belong in that category because while it appears you’re delaying, you’re only trying harder to find a better answer, nice try. There actually is almost no correlation between perfectionism and procrastination.
Also, for those of us who waited until the night before the final and then pulled an all-nighter? The research shows that we do not perform better; we just think we do.
The good news? (more…)

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Employees are like napkins . . .

CFO Magazine recently interviewed three business leaders about headcount reductions. There are some valuable nuggets in this article:     Cut outputs - not inputs. The cost of hiring and training often outweighs the savings from force reductions. Don't overlook employee recognition. Have a short-term cash flow projection - no…

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Vol 33: What does your business stand for?

The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.

 

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Article published – January 12, 2009

BUILDING A BUSINESS: It’s ’09: Do you know what your business stands for?

by Lary Kirchenbauer

“I coulda had class, I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody … instead of a bum.” – Terry Malloy

The night sky is etched in vivid black and white tones, and in the back seat of a chauffeured car prowling the streets of Hoboken, N.J., a lawyer for a mob-connected union boss confronts his brother, Terry Malloy, about testifying against the mob in court.

Malloy, despondent over these threats, is stunned when his brother pulls a gun to emphasize his point. Their relationship had reached a nadir, and Malloy was distraught that his brother helped dismantle his fledgling boxing career. In his dark lament, he delivers the memorable line quoted above – that he “coulda been somebody.”

Our moms also told us to “be somebody” – although our behavior at a particular moment may have altered her tone … “Be somebody better than you’re being right now” or “Get off the couch and quit loafing.” (more…)

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