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Shoot for the moon
Even a miss lands you amidst the stars
By Teri KarjalaIn my coaching practice, I speak with many therapists about goal-setting or establishing “targets” to shoot for. In doing so, I have found that when we start truly identifying and writing down our goals, we usually end up achieving exactly what we have written and oftentimes something even better. So I am always encouraging my clients to think big and set grand targets, allowing for what we want to come forth in both our lives and our businesses. In a previous article, I wrote about mind-mapping. I use mind-mapping for many reasons, but it is supremely useful in looking at the
Executive wheels: The wow! factor meets tech overload
BMW's bizarre bells and whistles
By Jeff Rundles2013 BMW 335i XDRIVE SEDAN Of all the cars I review, BMW ranks among the leaders in the “Wow!” factor. The reasons: First, BMW has a great reputation, especially for performance, and many people (extra for guys) would love to have one; and, second, say what you will about car styling, BMW overall remains the leader in distinctiveness. Especially with the 3 Series BMW, which has always had an edge over the competition in get-up-and-go and handling. The 2013 335i model is no exception. With its 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, 300-hp powerplant, and 8-speed Steptronic automatic
Best of CoBiz: High-performance selling
Four surefire steps to blast through the fear
By TC NorthFear is one of the most powerful human emotions; its grip is strong and pervasive. To maximize your success in business and selling, you must learn to control your fear of sales - or it controls you. There are four kinds of sales in business: products, services, ideas and yourself. In the corporate world, you sell ideas up to your boss, down to your team and across to your peers. If you're a CEO, you're the lead on selling your vision and strategies to the whole organization. If you're an entrepreneur, you're always selling yourself, along with the products or services
One thing every manager must do
Define this for success
By Timothy LaMacchioEmployees and teams crave direction from their manager. They need a manager to communicate clear and consistent expectations about their work. Without management expectations to direct daily efforts, employees are forced to work blind, guessing about: o The purpose of the business o Their contribution to business priorities o Outcomes or goals they must achieve o Best methods and daily tasks to achieve the outcomes o Rules for completing work o Things open for discussion o Evidence of progress The results of this employee uncertainty are predictable: Floundering
Leading by lying
Re-scaling reality
By David SneedBefore the June 6 D-Day invasion, maps were drawn up showing the position of all the Germans in Normandy. Allied planes flew daily recon missions to observe everything the enemy was doing along the beaches and cliffs of occupied France. Tanks, guns, and minefields were all recorded for the soon-to-invade troops. But there was a problem. When you looked over a sector diagram (of Omaha beach say,) the small size of the map jammed gun next to gun next to gun. The whole coast appeared to be a briar patch of death. How would that make an infantry commander feel as he briefed his men on
Getting better at doing good
How technology can help
By T.J. CookThe popular technology site VentureBeat recently published a blog post by Microsoft’s director of corporate citizenship, Sid Espinosa, touting the benefits of corporate philanthropy as being both good for the soul and good for a company’s bottom line. Espinosa’s article references a recent study from the Reputation Institute that shows a 10 percent improvement in perceived corporate citizenship can translate to an 11 percent improvement in a company’s reputation and up to a 14 percent improvement in a company’s market value. As organizations see benefits to
Social selling
A new way to prospect
By Sam ReeseIn the sales world, it’s always been important to do your homework and get to know your prospects before going after the sale. For generations, that meant traveling across the country for face-to-face meetings, teeing up together on the golf course, or doing dinner to talk shop. While the goal is the same, the medium has changed drastically over the last several years. Social media has changed the way we do business, and has become a legitimate communication and sales tool. “Social selling” is the practice of using common social media platforms to target potential