“Brains, on the whole, are like hearts,
and they go where they are appreciated.”

Robert McNamara
1916-2009

Former President of Ford Motor Company
Former Secretary of Defense

The Ikea Effect

The founder of Ikea, Ingvar Kamprad passed away on January 31. His extraordinary success (he was number 10 on the world’s richest persons list) in bringing a new business model to an old category is the stuff of business legends. What was so different about his offering?

Vistage’s premier speaker on the art and science of persuasion, Dean Minuto, in a brief blog posting. identifies a fundamental aspect of human nature that Mr. Kamprad understood in creating his remarkable company.  Dean’s posting plus three short (less than one minute) videos explains this insight and how you might use it to enhance your offering.

100% of Nothing

Many executives are seduced into believing that the mere fact of significant revenue growth is sufficient evidence of success, and perhaps even dominance, of their market space. However, too many of these same CEOs fail to ask whether their market is still growing…or maybe even declining. This short article from HBR should serve as a cautionary tale that “dominating your category can be a flawed strategy.” The end result of capturing your market might be 100% of nothing!

Is Your Email DOA?

It’s difficult to imagine a time when email was not the indispensable tool of business it has become. But like any tool, there is a right and wrong way to use it. Inc Magazine suggests  these typical first sentences of your email will all but guarantee that your email will be “dead on arrival.” 

Econ Recon

The new tax laws offer generous options regarding accelerated depreciation and  many companies will no doubt rush to take advantage of them. In a half page posting, ITR Economics’ Alex Chausovsky identifies three industries that are great candidates for additional investment in the near term. Is yours one of them?

Mark Twain once remarked that ‘it ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Dr. Brian Wesbury might agree with Twain in his latest blog posting about what created the bull market of the past nine years. Specifically was it the Fed or the productivity of the underlying real economy that has driven the market? You decide after reading his short analysis “QE and Its Apologists”

Shameless Plug – The Power of Coaches

How do we improve in the face of complexity? Dr. Atul Gawande has studied this question with a surgeon’s precision. He shares what he’s found to be the key in his TED Talk: “Want to get great at something? Get a coach.” Having a good coach provides a more accurate picture of our reality, instills positive habits of thinking, and helps us breaks our actions down and then build them back better than they were. “It’s not how good you are now; it’s how good you’re going to be that really matters,” Gawande says. Who is your coach?