We all want to learn how to create the kinds of relationships that will keep our customers, clients and staff coming back for more.  And if we were honest, we would probably extend this wish to virtually all of our relationships. There really is a simple recipe for this. It is: Say what you mean, Listen with your ears and not your ego, Mean what you say, Then do it!

I recently gave a business talk at a swanky New York City hotel and got robbed by one of the attendees.  Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised: it was a gathering of entrepreneurs. I was there to talk about a book that I recently co-authored: The CEO and the Monk: One Company’s Journey to Profit and Purpose.  I’m the “monk” side of the story, having spent 15 years in a monastic community as a Catholic priest before venturing into the world of business.  Actually, the work’s proven to be quite similar, except the pay’s now a lot better.

Grace moved swiftly down the hallway towards the cafeteria, nodding hello to those she passed. Some looked her in the eyes with stares that would freeze fire. Others kept their heads down as if looking for a pin on the grey slate floor tiles. Phil was the only one who managed a sheepish hello. She knew what was coming. Rumors were flying. This all-hands meeting was meant to put them to rest.

Leading thinkers in business are discovering that the traditional strategies of differentiation through product, price and service are not nearly as productive as building a solid base of steady customers who look upon them as partners -- partners who seek to establish P.R.I.M.E. Resource® relationships with a smaller number of key suppliers and do whatever is necessary to maintain those relationships.

Fact-based decision making enables a company to shift from intuition and emotion driven decisions to data-driven decisions. By deploying a systematic approach to data and data analysis, the CEO and the leadership team can acquire the necessary information and insights needed to understand the challenges and opportunities facing a business and use these insights to enhance decision making and set a course of action.

Packaging makes both brand and product tangible to the consumer. We could argue that it is the singularly most important touch point because it delivers both into consumers’ hands. Not only should brands be sticky; packaging should be, as well.

Downshifting is a viable solution for those of us who find maintaining an externally imposed "standard of living" stressful and meaningless. It's about finding a quality of life that transcends all of that and concentrates on living according to our core values. I hope that, whatever your circumstances, you will find here some of the information and inspiration that you need to recognise your dilemma as the wonderful opportunity that it is!

When should Contingency Plans be developed?  The answer is: Whenever your organization’s planning team is faced with the possibility, no matter how slight, of  uncontrollable events that could alter the rationale and foundational assumptions of your strategic plan. Make Contingency Planning part of your organization’s resident expertise.

A spate of articles about the Obama brand have, in my view as an expert on marketing, neglected the brand's strategy and focused its verbal or visual expressions. But far more important is the distinction between the short-term brand, "Candidate Obama," and the long-term brand, "President Obama." To win against Senator McCain, Obama will have to more distinctly shape the "President Obama" brand as well as its promise to Americans in a strongly persuasive manner. 

Private company research can be a frustrating task for an internet researcher.  For those researchers who accept the task must provide themselves with a flexible framework in which they must ask the right questions to the right individuals or use tools that may not come to mind immediately.

December 21, 1998—a brisk winter day in Saudi Arabia. I was stationed on my first combat deployment, flying missions to enforce the Iraqi southern no-fly zone. Inexperienced and quite nervous, I was scheduled to take off on only the fourth combat sortie of my career. It was a mission I’ll never forget.

One primary leadership skill is the ability to focus an organization on its goal or mission.  Simply stated, a leader must be diligent to “keep the main thing the main thing.” What are some practical steps to implement the leadership skill of “clear focus” when applied at the organization or  “big picture” level?

Marketing messages that never reach your prospects are one more reason it's critical for your success to tell people what you can do for them over and over, instead of expecting a single communication to do the trick. In all your marketing efforts, plan from the outset to reach out to each prospect multiple times, using more than one method.

Michael Shenker has written a most engaging and inspiring story of one CEOs journey to enlightenment. Here is Chapter 10 - Daily Formula for Success. Enjoy!

Competitive Advantage in the Complex Sale. Everyone wants it. Challengers need it. Losers whine about it. Winners have it. How do you get it? And ...What’s love got to do with it? Steve Kayser interviews Robert McKee, legendary guru of Hollywood storytelling and the best-selling author of "STORY."

When we look back at the successful team or organization changes we've been involved in, most -- and certainly all major ones -- were driven by "monomaniacs with a mission." Sometimes the champion, a passionate person pushing hard for a change or improvement, had a powerful organizational sponsor and someone running interference for him or her. Other times, he or she was on their own at first and built a strong change coalition or team of change champions.

The environment has taken center stage recently in the American media. Going "green" has become trendy among everyone from Hollywood elites to suburbanites. Perhaps "environment" should be the word at the center of leadership conversations as well. Consciously or unconsciously, leaders cultivate the environment in their workplaces. Some are lush climates where leaders flourish and thrive, while others are toxic environments where leaders either leave or wither from the pollution.

The only thing that matters about customer service is ‘wowing’ your customers, and creating an ongoing, lasting, emotional connection and relationship. It’s about a deep engagement and creating the ‘wow’ experience repeatedly. It’s beyond being consistent. It’s about having a mindset that serves to create a continuing set of ‘wow’ moments for your customers over time.

There are just a handful of functions that determine all corporate performance. If they are improved by 25% the bottom line improves by 40%. The Corporate 360°® is a unique web-based diagnostic instrument that creates an in-depth analysis of the Critical Functions and presents that in terms of a Balance Sheet and an Income Statement. Within hours the information can be in the hands of management. With that, triggering improvement is easy. Readers of The CEO Refresher will receive a $1,000 discount on this powerful tool. >>Read More