Would Edison Hire You?…Is Your Purpose in this Picture?….Are These Trends Your Friends?….Econ Recon: The Leading Economic Indicator in the World is….

“Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible. And then he gets discouraged.

That’s not the place to become discouraged.”

Thomas Alva Edison

 Would Thomas Edison Hire You?

Thomas Edison was the Steve Jobs of his day. His impact cannot be underestimated (imagine a world without the light bulb, phonograph, or movie camera). It must be remembered, however, that in addition to being an incredibly creative inventor, many of his contributions would not have been possible without the employees he hired to create and market these inventions.

Would you have been hired by Edison? Find out! Smithsonian Magazine has published the employment test he required of those applying to join his organization.

Is Your Purpose in this Picture?

Successful people usually have a well-defined purpose in life. That they have one and that it’s well defined is usually quite clear, but how he or she arrived at it often isn’t.  Here’s a compelling graphic that may help you or a young person in your life understand how to uncover a life purpose by discovering the intersection of some simple qualities..

Are These Trends Your Friends?

There’s an old saying in  stock market investing that “the trend is your friend.” That’s only true in business if you see it coming…. and respond effectively. Vistage Speaker on Blue Ocean Strategy Andrea Simon is regularly asked by Forbes Magazine for her take on what to expect in the year ahead. In 2014 she spent time with over one thousand CEOs and other C-Level Exec. Find out what your peers told her by checking out Dr. Simon’s 2015’s Top Business Trends From The Trenches as recently published in Forbes.

Dr. Simon’s website has materials that those of a strategic bent may find interesting. SHAMELESS PLUG: Dr. Simon spole to the Upstate CEO and Key Executive Group meetings last week and provided incredible insights on how to innovate and move our businesses into “Blue Oceans.”

Econ Recon: The Leading Economic Indicator in the World

Manufacturing employment used to be a great leading economic indicator of manufacturing activity. Manufacturing is making a comeback, but the numbers employed in it don’t really tell the story and their usefulness in that regard is waning says Vistage Staff Economist and ITR Economics CEO Brian Beaulieu. Learn more about this and what  (or where) he thinks is the Leading Economic Indicator in the World.