Don't Be a Wimp: Show Courage Under Fire

Four years ago I wrote and cross-posted here at Escape From Corporate America the article below for the American Express OPEN Forum.  Has much changed since then?  Not really.  Especially my last point:  Don't be a wimp.  Show courage under fire.

Read:  16 Ways to Dodge an Economic Crisis

How to Make a Date to Innovate

As busy as we are running our companies, we still have to set aside time for our personal lives to ensure we nurture and cultivate the relationships that matter. But let me ask you this: Do you set aside time from your business to innovate?

Well this article I authored for the American Express OPEN Forum may help you with that. It begins with ...

Turn off your smart phone. Shut down your e-mail (or at least turn off the ping noise that sounds when you get a message). Put on something comfy. Squirrel yourself away with your laptop in tow where nobody, I mean nobody, can disturb you, because this is your time to make a date to innovate. This is my fourth installment on innovation.

Read the entire article: Make a Date to Innovate

What do you do to inspire innovation at your firm?

A Guide Toward Bold Innovation

My latest contribution over at the American Express OPEN Forum.

Check it out and if you like it, say so via a Tweet + hit the Thumbs Up button (at the bottom)! Many thanks.

The Art of
BOLD
iNnOVatIoN

Spontaneous Innovation

My latest post for the American Express OPEN Forum:

2010: Spontaneous Innovation

If you like, hit the thumbs up button at the bottom and the Tweet button at the top!

Many thanks.

P.S. Two posts in a row featuring adorable babies!

Death of a Business: 5 Signs

My latest contribution over at the OPEN Forum, "The 5 Deadly Signs of Business Decay."

Here's one:

2. The word 'new' has been eliminated from everyone's vocabulary. If you haven't launched one new "something" - project, product, service, technology or talent, for example - in well over a year (nowadays, with technology, it's more like every week!), you're in a downward spiral toward not just mediocrity but "Dullsville," and no one will pay attention to you, let alone buy from or consult with you. Experimentation or calculated risk-taking is essential, and if it dries up, so does the business.

Find out if any of these signs are happening at your business. I sincerely hope not! If they are, do something about it!

What It Takes To Become a High Performance Leader

Wrote this article for American Express OPEN Forum to help folks fulfill their own version of the ideal, fully developed high-performance leader.

Here's the lead:

Achieving high performance in tough times is a serious challenge small business owners face. The ultimate goal may be extraordinary business performance, but you can still get comfortable and slip into mediocrity. To obliterate status quo, do you have what it takes to become a high-performance leader? Ten traits characterize the people who do.

See what you think. Hope you get some value out of it. We will add the feature to our blog's e-library on the right sidebar.

"10 Traits of High-Performance Leaders"

How to Achieve Double-Digit Business Growth

Just finished this article for American Express OPEN Forum on, "5 Actions for Double-Digit Business Growth."

I hope you find it useful.