When I travel I like to bring a few books along to read on the plane, in airports, on trains and just have with me as I sit in some beautiful piazza on the Italian coast not wanting to look like a typical tourist.

One of the books that I brought along on this recent trip to Italy was Visionary Business by Marc Allen or Visionari Affari in Italian. The…

“The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind”.

-          Bob Dylan

In case you missed it, or were just too busy waiting for the rapture, Bob Dylan turned 70 this past Tuesday, May 24^th. In honor of that milestone, I decided to go back and listen again to my extensive collection of Dylan albums and CDs. Every time I listen to Dylan I hear something that I didn’t hear before, a subtle phrase, the…

The “value added” for most any company, tiny or enormous, comes from the Quality of Experience provided.

-          Tom Peters

I just finished reading The Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelley the general manager of IDEO, the successful design consulting firm in San Francisco. IDEO as you can imagine is all about innovation and applying new and creative approaches not just to product design but to…

The most important decisions that business leaders make are not what decisions, but who decisions.

-          Jim Collins, Author of Good To Great

“Who is your number one problem. Not what. What refers to the strategies you…

In the recent issue of Inc. there is a page that directs readers to Inc’s online presence. There are ten different topics listed with an appropriate link to each. In this month’s issue all of the content was related to celebrating National Small Business Month. And here I thought that every month was National Small Business Month.

One of the topics,…

For those of you who may never have heard of Rube Goldberg, here is a brief bio,

Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor and author with a degree in engineering from the University of California Berkeley. He was a founding member of the National Cartoonist Society.

Best known for his “inventions”, Rube’s early years as an engineer informed his most acclaimed work. A Rube Goldberg contraption – an elaborate set of arms, wheels, gears, handles,…

Last week I posted a blog (Acknowledging the Elephant in the Room) that received a great many well thought out and passionate comments. It is the goal of any blogger to draw attention to some topic that is relevant and sparks a good deal of give and take. Needless to say…

Over the past few months there have been numerous articles, blogs and commentaries related to handling the increased volume of candidates applying for positions; the continued lack of response from companies once someone applies for a position and what if anything candidates can do; and suggested new “tools” for addressing these issues. Companies complain, candidates…

“I think work and business can be creative and exciting, a hoot, a growth experience, a journey of lifelong learning and constant surprise. But, to be honest, I think such rewards will only be yours if you learn to approach your career and enterprise with the strategy I call…THE PURSUIT OF WOW!”

-          Tom Peters, The Pursuit of WOW!

I was re-reading Tom Peters 1994 best seller, The Pursuit of WOW! and I came across a list of…

Nearly all of us faced challenges during the downturn-some more dramatic than others. The question is: how will business owners apply the lessons we've learned to make the most of their opportunities, internal and external?  - Randy Farnum, Planning For Growth in the New Normal

Back in late 2009 I wrote some content for an email campaign that went out to HR leaders, business leaders and talent…

“Only companies that can consistently bring imaginative, value-added products, services and value propositions to market will survive and grow in our rapidly-changing economy.”

-          Robert B. Tucker, Driving Growth Through Innovation

The current issue of Fast Company features the world’s 50 most innovative companies along with a Top 10 list of innovative companies in 21 key industries and 4 major emerging markets. The companies listed had all exhibited to some…

Over the years I have read numerous surveys regarding the reasons that job seekers use when looking for a job, considering a career change or deciding on a job offer. When job seekers are asked why they are looking for a new job or a career change or when asked what was their reason for leaving (RFL) their last few positions, the reasons most often sited are a lack of…

When people find out that I am the CEO of a managed recruiting services firm they typically ask if there are any jobs out there; if companies are hiring; why can’t they seem to find a job (for those who are looking); when is the economy going to turn around. I usually respond by saying that there are jobs out there; that companies are hiring; what is their job search…

Everybody wants them. Every business leader, talent manager and HR executive tries to recruit and hire them. They are the “A” players, the best of the best, the folks who make your company, your department, your division successful and profitable. They are the reason that your shareholders love you. They can save your job.

But what is an “A” player? Most would answer that an “A” player is the best of the best, the cream of the crop, at the top of their game, pretty much an…

As most of you who follow my blogs know, I am an avid reader. I read and re-read many books that are often referenced in my blogs and I am always on the lookout for interesting stories, observations and bits of information from newspapers, magazines and other blogs that I find interesting and that I think others might find interesting as well.

The February issue of Inc magazine is filled with a number of articles and observations that are all blog worthy. Two items…

Ah, the second week of the New Year! The birds are singing, the sky is bright and there is eagerness in the way people are getting back to work, planning to put last year behind them and make something great happen in 2011.

Some early economic indicators seem to have many employers putting out the “Help Wanted” signs and many candidates approaching their job search with a somewhat more optimistic outlook. Things can only get better.

Have you planned for this…

In a recent study that was part survey, part focus group, IBM researchers surveyed 707 HR leaders of companies of all sizes around the world; 600 of them were interviewed face-to-face. According to IBM’s senior VP for HR, J. Randall MacDonald, “HR leaders expect their businesses to remain focused on two equally important goals during the next three years — the need to drive growth yet, at the same…

“Let’s face it. The only thing that really differentiates your business from the competition is your people.” - Rusty Reuff, Talent Force

Originally posted on Q4B Marketing Blog…