An award winning, board certified second grade teacher at my kids’s elementary school does a great job of encouraging her students to read. I believe that great readers are also great business leaders, and since I want to do a great job of leading my business, I read a lot. I’m also on a mission to land this particular teacher for my son, who will start second grade in 2012. (Planning is everything, you know!)
I visited her classroom this morning to introduce myself and noticed that one wall is covered with this fantastic illustration entitled: “Strategies Good Readers Use.” Children are pictured beside speech bubbles containing tips for getting the most out of the reading process. I loved it so much that I had to share it with you. Continue Reading…
In tough financial times, many businesses scale back. This is understandable since resources, money in particular, are scarce. Also in tough times, small and independent business owners have an advantage. The technology we need to successfully lead our businesses costs next to nothing in dollars and cents. This boils profitability down to something everyone can afford. While you may have to temporarily go without a virtual assistant or delay a planned move to a larger facility, you can use technology to make a welcome and consistent online appearance on your customers’s lives, wherever they may be. This is risky. Putting yourself yourself out there always is. But there are no rewards without risks. Continue Reading…
These words never cease to move me. “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. … I’m not worried about anything, I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”
24 hours after he spoke these words, he was shot dead. I often wonder what the promised land looked like in his vision. I also wonder from time to time if God literally spoke something to him that let him know that he would not live much longer after he spoke these words. What a mystery.
While 2010 may not be the “promised land” about which he spoke, it sure is a better day because he lived.
Let’s celebrate a great leader’s life today!
Question: What do you think of when you hear these words?
Last Saturday, I celebrated my 10th year as the leader of the Indie Beauty Network, a trade organization serving small manufacturers of soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, candles, confectionery items and other health, beauty and lifestyle products. I am thoroughly enjoying serving my members, and I look forward to the next decade and beyond.Unfortunately, too many small businesses don’t last the first few years, not to mention ten. While the lack of longevity can be explained by many things, at the center of it is a lack of effective core leadership. The good news is that leadership skills can be improved by a few simple mindset adjustments. Here is my list of three things to kick start or reignite this process. Continue Reading…
I strive consistently to help my young children understand the importance of thinking before speaking. As kids, they are prone to blurt out what’s on their mind as it occurs to them. While I praise their honesty, I also emphasize that, the fact that you believe something does not always mean that you should say it out loud. As business leaders, we too must be mindful of what we say and how we say it.
Recently, a friend shared five questions she asks when deciding whether to speak or remain silent. I am sharing it with my kids and incorporating it into my own life. Here are the questions. They include the T-H-I-N-K acronym so they are easy to remember. Continue Reading…
As the mother of two young children, I digested with great interest the speech President Obama delivered to a group of school children today. With the exception of a few FaceBook status updates indicating that some people disapprove of the speech, I decided not to read or listen to any commentary before sharing my own.
(If you are reading this post via RSS or email and cannot view the video, please click here. If you prefer to read the speech, you may do so here.)
I think the principles contained in the speech are exactly what every person, regardless of age or ethnicity, needs to hear, take to heart and act on. I cannot find anything in the speech that is in any way objectionable. Continue Reading…
@sarvasoap Yes, it stinks. How would you like to see regs changed so that your soap is not a drug, but is more than a cosmetic? in reply to sarvasoap2 hrs ago
When will lawmakers, policy makers recognize that we're not consumers? The future of this country depends on the... http://bit.ly/cgo4fF2 hrs ago
Recently, a friend shared five questions she asks when deciding whether to speak or remain silent. I am sharing it with my kids and incorporating it into my own life. Here are the questions. They include the T-H-I-N-K acronym so they are easy to remember. 
