What has happened to our attention spans? Has our busy world shrunk them to the point where we can’t concentrate but for a few moments? Are we all like hyperactive children with caffeine doing for us what sugar does for kids? Has Twitter convinced us that any thought can be expressed in 120 characters or […]
Archive | November, 2015
The Difference Between a Controller and a CFO
Often I get involved in the hiring of accounting staff for clients. This can be an accounting clerk, a specialized accountant (such as payroll or accounts payable), a full-charge bookkeeper, a degreed accountant or a Controller. All of these positions I consider part of the accounting staff and are involved with the accounting records. These […]
To Sell is Human
Daniel Pink has written another thought provoking business book. His past efforts include Free Agent Nation, Drive and A Whole New Mind. Pink and Malcolm Gladwell seem to have the Midas touch as authors. Both make a point with their books that is backed up with research to support that point. Plus, both are master […]
In Praise of Profit
The most popular business books seem to be on the “soft” topics. Things like managing people, setting your BHAG/mission/vision/values, creating happy employees; stuff like that. I’m an avid reader of this kind of stuff. But, at a certain point, don’t all of us as business people have get on with it and make money? Charlie […]
What Business Are You Really In? Who Are Your Bees?
During the course of business planning, did you or any of your advisers ask, “What business are you really in?” A few years ago I was touring wineries in Eastern Washington. These weren’t “foo foo” wineries with beautiful buildings and perfectly tended rows of vines. This particular winery was down a dirt road, through the vineyard, that […]
Steve Jobs
This official biography of Steve Jobs isn’t a new book; it was published in 2011. I finally got around to reading it after an associate gave it a high recommendation. Being a couple of years old, used copies are readily available. I went to the most efficient market I know of, eBay, and found a […]
Is Critical Thinking an Endangered Skill?
My premise is that there isn’t enough critical thinking. I’m here to promote more critical thinking. There are many enemies of critical thinking. One enemy of critical thinking is political correctness. The worst place for this is on college campuses, where critical thinking should be the order of the day. Instead, political correctness results in […]
Getting Naked
Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni was recommended to me by a business associate. Lencioni is one of the most popular authors of business books. I had previously read just one of his books, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. While the book was well written, I wasn’t a fan. Perhaps because I read the book […]
Even Harder than Writing the Plan: Executing on that Plan
I have written of the difficulty of writing a Business Plan. This was based on experience with clients who have struggled to write their own plans. As a result, we are now collaborating and making good progress. The hard thought that goes into crafting a good Business Plan is real work. Usually, a good […]
Writing a Business Plan–Why is it so Hard?
My topics are often the result of recent experiences with clients. This is no exception. I am currently in the midst of writing Business Plans for three of my clients. And I’ve got two more that I will probably be starting soon. In all cases, we started with the business owner desiring to write the […]