Let’s just say my thinking has evolved… After I met my birthfather, Richard Callaway, I became convinced we are so completely hard-wired to be who we are, there’s really little we can do to move the needle. (See my previous blog: “There’s No Training After Toilet Training”.) And yes, I still do believe human beings…
The work we do at RESULTS.com gives us the rare privilege of being able to study thousands of businesses, working closely with them to identify the right goals and approach to developing a successful business strategy. We observe what works, and what doesn’t work in the real world, across a variety of industries. By having…
They also believe that marketers are not focused enough on results to drive incremental growth. My observation is that most companies seem to have a pretty good handle on the sales function of their operating model. They track things like appointments, meetings, orders, and conversion rates in their CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems, and it…
One of my businesses is TranquilEase. I hold a patent for a portable Heated Stadium Cushion with a frame. Patent # 7438356 – a very nice product. Perfect for those frozen tundra games at Lambeau Field or a interminable, boring, and cold spring track meet where your kid competes in two events (one at the…
Once upon a time about 18 years ago, my company was going through a very, very, difficult period. We were about to lay off 20% of the team. We were losing money. Personally, I was close to being clinically depressed. While she never admitted it, I am quite sure my wife Laura was about ready…
I just finished the Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs. It’s an excellent book about a very complicated man. All through the book I kept asking myself, “Would I hire a Steve Jobs to run my company?” It’s a difficult question on several different levels. So in some coherent fashion, I’ll take a stab at…
My dear wife (who by the way is also my Editor-in-Chief) and I were discussing stressed and distressed businesses. She works as a banker by day with problem business loans, so she gets to see lots of business stress as do I. She asked me, “So John, what percent of stressed businesses are suffering mainly…
I recently re-connected with my favorite TEC Speaker of all time, Ed Ryan, of MPR Inc. in Chicago. www.buildwiththebest.com. I hadn’t talked to Ed in a long time so I hiked on down to Park Ridge IL to see him. Ed was my first TEC speaker in 1991. When he opened his TEC talk, he…
I love the Internet! One of the best things for me is the ability to find long-lost friends. We all have certain teachers who made a difference in our lives. For me it was my 9th Grade Social Studies and Home Room Teacher, Rod Buchen. Rod was a young teacher when I was a High…
Most business folks I know are frustrated Marketing experts. Or maybe not frustrated, but marketing experts nonetheless. Me, I am a frustrated HR expert! I continue to be really interested in this new, four-generation workplace that has evolved and the role that technology is playing in new ways to work. And since I want to…