Business Forecasts: Cloudy with a Chance of Futility
Nobel Prize-winning economist Ken Arrow started his career as a weather officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He worked with a group responsible for preparing long-range weather forecasts for military leaders. As a trained statistician, he began to wonder if the forecasts were accurate. After examining the old forecasts, he determined that […]
The Fundamental Difference Between a Big and Small Business
Why is an organization of 100 people so different than an organization of 20 people? It relates to basic human nature. Human relationships are mostly formed through one-on-one encounters. At 20 people, not only is it possible for the CEO to have a personal relationship with every employee. It is also possible for every employee […]
Top 6 Things a CEO Must Measure
For most businesses, two triangles represent the functional areas of the business: Shareholders – Employees – Customers & Marketing – Sales – Product The top 6 things a CEO must measure relate to each of these areas. Shareholders: financials Employees: engagement & productivity Customers: customer satisfaction rating Marketing: # of leads Sales: # of deals […]
4 Traits of the Most Talented Job Candidates
Traits to look for when you need to find talent I recently wrote that hiring “oddballs” can give your company a competitive advantage. Non-conformists bring a diversity of talent, thought, and skills that can boost creativity and productivity. But what traits do you search for and how do you evaluate them in each candidate? To […]