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Jan31
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Know More:
Sam Walton always low prices, Break the Rules, Business Leaders, Common Sense Management, conventional wisdom, customer focus, customer service, Great Leader, Great Managers, Innovation, Inspiration, motivation, Passion, Wal-Mart
Walton's 10 Rules of Business Success - Rule 4 - Communicate Everything Walton understood that there's an interesting paradox that exists in the communication aspect of business.
He listed this as the fourth of his ten rules on business success. He said: "Communicate everything you possibly can to your partners. The more they know, the more they'll understand. The more they understand, the more they'll care. Once they care, there's no stopping them. Information is power, and the gain you get from empowering your associates more than offsets the risk of informing your competitors." Many business leaders think that the openness of information sharing in business can leave them at a competitive advantage, in reality, as Walton says, it is an empowerer that gives returns to the business through our our people far greater than any type of information that may get out to competitors. But there's another side to this as well, when you are in constant flows of information between manager and worker, workers and workers and management and vendors etc., it gives such a competitive edge that it becomes really impossible for someone on the outside to know all that is happening within a business; there are just too many interactions to be able to measure.
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Jan31
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Listening is far more than being in the presence of someone while they're talking. For business leaders and managers, it's one of the most crucial elements that determines success in our day; especially among younger workers.In reality, listening isn't passive...
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"...if you're a servant, by definition you're not controlling."Finishing up the tremendous story of Herb Kelleher and his non-stop attack upon control as it relates to management, we look at one last thing he says in this specific area: "I...
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Walton's 10 Rules of Business Success - Rule 3 - Motivate Your PartnersGreat business leaders like Sam Walton understood that offering money and ownership in the company would never be enough to keep his associates motivated and engaged in their...
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Jan30
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"... they consider it to be a worthy objective."We've been talking about Herb Kellehers determination not to try to wrest control from his people and the fact that he had never wanted or desired to ... or had control.Let's look...
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Berkshire Hathaway is My "canvas"Sometimes when you take a man like Buffett and look at the various strengths, strategies and insights he has; both in investing, understanding numbers and how to judge people and managers, there can be a way...
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Walton's 10 Rules of Business Success - Rule 2 - Share Your ProfitsWhen we talk about Sam Walton and his common sense approach to management, one thing to consider is that a huge amount of companies copied what he did,...
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"We're Not Looking for Blind Obedience"We are looking at the insight that Herb Kelleher had in talking about control and the people at Southwest Airlines (LUV). He mentions that he never wanted control, his people knew what they were doing...
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Jan29
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Walton's 10 Rules of Business Success - Commit to Your BusinessSam Walton wrote about what he considered the 10 rules for business success that he abided by. We'll talk about these insights in the next posts to find out the...
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With Valentine's day coming up, it gave me pause and made me think of how having fun special events off and on throughout the year can be a huge differentiator for you and your business.One writer, in reference to Valentine's...
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Jan28
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Why We Don't Need Control - Devoted PeopleWhen it came to working for a business, Kelleher know that it took more than just showing up and doing you time for workers to be effective and take ownership. Talking about what...
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Walton Understood That it Was the Customers Who VoteThere's an important, no crucial truth, that Walton understood that every business owner, manager and worker needs to know, and that is that a business is a democracy in every understanding of...
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Why We Don't Need Control - They Know What Needs to be Done, and They do itHow many times have you found managers (even yourself) getting in the way of people doing their job? I'm not talking about wandering around...
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Why You Don't Need ControlLast post we talked about the reality that Herb Kelleher never had control of Southwest Airlines (LUV), and didn't want it even if he could have taken it. We'll talk for several posts about the reason...
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I Never Had ControlIn response to a question an analyst asked him one time about if he was concerned about losing control of the organization with his management style, Kelleher responded saying, "I told him I've never had control and...
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Jan27
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A Culture of CommitmentWhen Herb Kelleher has talked about Southwest Airlines (LUV) in the past, he mentions the culture of commitment that permeates the company. One of the keys to it he says in very beginning of the hiring process...
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Travel Light or You May Never Make ItA characteristic of many of the great business leaders and entrepreneurs is that they learned to travel light. Sam Walton was no different. When you consider what we talked about in the last...
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Practical Trumps Theory Every TimeWhen Buffett went to school at Wharton, he found the experience disappointing. While the professors always like to spin out all these fancy theories to make them look good, very little, if any of it, had...
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What the Numbers Don't Tell YouIf nothing else, Warren Buffett is a numbers fanatic. He reads company reports like someone addicted to romance books or science fiction. He understands the powerful, objective story that it tells about management and a...
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The Day Walton Lost EverythingWith the original store that Sam Walton opened, he made a huge mistake when he signed the lease. He didn't make sure that there was a renewal clause as part of the agreement. The result was...
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Jan26
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There have been a lot of disaster stories for businesses that have been growing at a steady pace suddenly landing a big, unexpected deal that is considered a fantastic opportunity to bring the business to the next level. The problem...
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Be Careful How You Take AdviceInput, advice and counsel; they're all important elements of success and we need to take in seriously what others have to say. At the same time, there's a paradox within advice and counsel that exists...
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Jan25
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We've Always Believed That Business Can and Should be FunWhy is it that every great manager always says that one of the key elements of their success is that they believe the workplace should be a fun place to be?...
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Simple Isn't Always Easy to GraspWe've talked about Walton's absolute commitment to low prices and building his strategy for the company around that.What's really interesting about this is that even when he found suppliers that he was able to secure...
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Willing To Clean House When He Had ToThere's always a double-edged sword to anything in life and it definitely extends to management. In reference to results that Buffett expected of the companies managed under Berkshires' (BRK-A) umbrella, his focus was...
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You Can't Just Lead by the NumbersHerb Kelleher said more than once that you can't lead by the numbers. Have you ever been in the endless corporate meetings where the numbers are droned out without any emotion or feeling? The...
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Julie Roehm, recently fired by Wal-Mart (WMT), has filed a lawsuit saying that the retailer "breached her contract and smeared her in the press."The basis of the lawsuit alleges that Wal-Mart hasn't paid her what was agreed upon when signing...
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Jan24
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Personality Counts as Much as Quality and ReliabilityHerb Kelleher commented once that while quality and reliability are high priorities in any successful business, he added that in his estimation "personality" counted just as much.Concerning personality he said this:"At far too many...
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Don't Get Locked into SuppliersWhen it came to Walton remaining true to his vision and purpose for Wal-Mart (WMT), he kept a vigilant eye on everywhere he could cut costs to reach the continuous goal of "always low prices." It...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 61Warren Buffett will only abandon an investment he makes when he knows that he has good managment in place and the business still isn't successful. I remember him saying one time that when...
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Jan23
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Embracing ParadoxHerb Kelleher commented one time on the reputation that Southwest Airlines (LUV) has had for being "the wild and crazy guy of commercial aviation." Yet right on the heels of saying that he added: "Yet in many ways we...
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One Secret Result of Walton's LearningWe've already talked about how Sam Walton was an insatiable learner. He could draw out the last bit of information from individuals because he legitimately cared about them and respected what they had to say.On the...
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Be YourselfOne of the unique things that we find out when looking at the various great managers that have inhabited the halls of a corporations across the world and time, is that while each one of them were different in...
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Jan22
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The recent story of the opportunity that Motorola (MOT) missed out on when it's Razr lost its edge in the marketplace, shows the importance of branding.One comment that Al Ries writing for Ad Age makes is that the mistake that...
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You Can Learn From EverybodySam Walton had a passion for continually learning. It was one of the major reasons that Wal-Mart (WMT) has risen to the heights it has. One of the true legends that has followed his story around...
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Sam Walton Stuck with the Courage of His ConvictionsSam Walton more than once said that his vision for Wal-Mart (WMT) never was to be a huge company; it wasn't part of his plan, he just wanted it to be a...
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Jan21
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First Learn the Rules - Then Break ThemWhile there is no doubt that creativity, innovation and continually discovering and searching for new things in connection with business, management and success are extremely important, there is a side of it that...
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Jan20
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Walton Made Tons of Mistakes but Kept on GoingFor anyone not familiar with Sam Waltons first retail store, any outsider would have said that it could be a case study to show how not to do start a retail business.Keeping...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 60Sometimes when we talk about Warren Buffett - either as a manager or an investor - it may seem that the style and way he looks at things could be tremendously boring. That...
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Sam Walton Lived and Breathed His StrategyIn reference to Sam Walton's goal of offering the lowest prices at all time, he never strayed off of his purpose to take up the next flavor of the month.Here's how he described it:"Here's...
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Jan19
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 59The things that have made Buffett probably the greatest investor of all time, is the same thing that makes him a great manager as well. He is completly objective when it comes to...
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The Best Opportunities are Created by NecessitySam Walton credits the majority of the greatest opportunities Wal-Mart (WMT) experienced were those that were created out of necessity. He said: "Many of our best opportunities were created out of necessity. The things...
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Jan18
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Industry Week has a good article on their web site called "Winning Compensation Models: Partnering With Employees To Create Performance Gains." It offers five rules to consider when compensating employees. Let's talk about the first one concerning base pay increases....
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The Senate's tax writing committee quickly went through the process of approving tax breaks for small business in response to Repulicans saying they had to be included if they were to pass the huge minimum wage increase initiated by the...
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The Cheaper the BetterSam Walton say concerning running the business: "When it comes to Wal-Mart (WMT), there's no two ways about it: I'm cheap."There are still a lot of managers that read that statement and will cringe because in their...
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Jan17
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 58In reference to investing, Buffett always believed that those that were overly diversified didn't really understand what they were doing. "On the other hand if you are a know-something investor able to find...
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In a survey performed during the fourth quarter for Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) by Gallup, it found that small-business owners are the most optimistic they've been in four years.The senior analyst at the San Francisco bank, Scott Anderson said,...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 57 The thought of simplicity concerning running a business is easy enough to understand, and it is a crucial aspect of success in the products or services we offer. But there is an...
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The Power of Being FriendlyOne thing that everyone that knew Sam Walton said was that he was a very friendly, talkative man. In a recent television show about him, one person being interviewed talked about how he could sit down...
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Jan16
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If you're beginning to think that running a business is rocket science, maybe you should take a look at a new book that Jim Longuski, former NASA worker and Purdue University professor of aeronautics and astronautics has written called, "The...
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He Was Obsessed with Minding the StoreWhen using the word obsession above, it has to be taken in consideration that it was in a healthy way with Walton.He said at one time:"Life has been great to me, probably better than...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 56 As a manager and leader of Berkskire Hathaway (BRK-A), what is it that Buffett does on the operational side as far as the various businesses go? We know his key role is...
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Jan15
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There's Only One Boss: The CustomerWhether many in management accept it or not, Walton had an insight that has been quoted for years concerning his understanding of his customers. He said that "There is only one boss: the customer, and...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 55One thing that Buffett will never do when buying a company through Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) is to acquire a company in need a a major overhaul. It's not worth it to him and...
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Jan14
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When we have people that have enough performance issues that it begins to eat too much into our time, we need to take several steps to ensure that we get the job done efficiently and fairly.Richard Calo, vice president of...
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Ignoring Conventional WisdomMost of us probably know that what is called 'conventional wisdom' can be dangerous to our business and management health. Many people do things based upon nothing else than the thought that it's the way it has always...
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Walton Continued to InnovateThere was a time in the retail business when people would have to go from department to department and pay for each item from each department at a different register. It was quite a hassle at the...
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Letting Your Managers ManageIn the continuing series of posts on Warren Buffett, we've talked a lot about how he doesn't even contact the managers that are in his companies. If they have something to tell him, they call him. Some...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 55An interesting thing that Buffett said a number of times over the years has been that he never looks at the broad stock market when considering investing in a company. Even when he...
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The Common Sense Management of Sam Walton - 3Today we see a lot of managers being offered a profit sharing plan as an incentive to produce and also to create ownership of the business and loyalty. But back in Walton's...
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Jan13
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Curt Coffman, a the New York Times (NYT) best-selling author on management, gave a talk recently at a Chamber of Commerce gathering, outlined several things that he considered mistakes that many in management continue to make.He commented on the mistake...
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The Common Sense Management of Sam Walton - 2Sam Walton never made it sound like everything he did was original. He made it a point to say that he went to any type of store he could think of or...
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The Common Sense Management of Sam Walton - 1Sam Walton may be the greatest manager in history when it comes to being able to look at things from a simple, common sense perspective. He used to laugh at reporters and...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 54Sometimes when you read some of the stuff people put out as being important to management, if it was followed it would make you look like the class clown or the village idiot....
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Jan12
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 53When Warren Buffett refused to invest in or buy the hyped up Internet companies through Bershire Hathaway (BRK-A) in the late 1990s, he probably had more pressure on him than any time in...
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When a university professor had a theory that most employees don't leave a company or job, but rather their boss, he initiated a study to see if the theory could be confirmed.Wayne Hochwarter, a Florida State University management professor, said:...
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Jan11
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 52When making an observation about bubble markets, Buffett commented that when there is a bubble market there are then the creation of bubble companies. What's a bubble company? Something created for the purpose...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 51 Sometimes when you read the way that Warren Buffett manages and what he expects of his managers, you may think that it doesn't lend itself to innovation and creativity. That would be misunderstanding...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 50While Buffett isn't shy about expectations and putting forth yearly goals for his managers, he does talk about being realistic in your expectations.Some of the most disempowering strategies are to arbitrarily set goals...
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Jan10
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 49When Henry Ford was in the early days of the company, he was basically put on trial for being too stupid to run the company (true story). When the prosecutor starting drilling him...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 48Buffett had a saying that is quoted a lot concerning fear. He said it like this: "Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful."He was talking about investing in...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 47We've already talked about the hazards of being a commodity company or creating products or services that are commodities. Buffett will never buy or buy into a company that is run in that...
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Jan 9
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 46A writer mentioned one time that Warren Buffett had a tremendous ability to focus. He added though that it was also a weakness that made it impossible for Buffett to reinvent himself and...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 45When talking about managing inventories, it's not just related to retail businesses, which is the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear the words. All businesses have inventory. It can...
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In our numerous talks about Warren Buffett and his insights into the importance of differentiation and not being a commodity company, TiVos' struggles are a good case study into this very problem.TiVo (TIVO) is at the place where they can't...
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Jan 8
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 44In his investment strategies for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A), Warren Buffett has another rule of thumb when it comes to investing: Don't buy into or buy companies that are natural targets of regulation.The reason...
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In a study commissioned by Staples, Inc. (SPLS), it found that 50% of U.S. small business managers work during family time and do business while driving.The results were gathered from 300 managers of small businesses with 20 or less employees,...
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Jan 7
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 43At first glance, the idea that Buffett looks for businesses that don't take geniuses to run, and by extension, aren't run by geniuses, sounds almost like a derogatory cut on a manager. But...
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In a move that I consider long past due, Wal-Mart has decided to make its case directly to the public. It will begin a national television ad campaign putting the record straight that its detractors have been distorting.They will present...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 42The recent departure of Robert Nardelli from Home Depot underscores an important insight into the way Warren Buffett regards stockholders, and how he expects his managers to view them.One of the things he...
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Jan 6
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 41The last several posts we've been talking about ways to avoid becoming a commodity business that puts one in the position that they can only compete on price. We'll talk this post about...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 40Warren Buffett knows as much as anybody the power of being a brand company rather than a commodity company. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) itself is a brand. Even Buffett is a brand. One of...
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Jan 5
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In good news for the Amercian worker and business, employers not only increased hiring workers to end the year, but wages also increased nicely for 2006 as well. Unemployment reached a six-year low of 4.6 percent. Overall there were 167,000...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 39Concerning two of his favorite companies, Coca Cola (KO) and Gillette (PG) Buffett has said this:‘Is it really so difficult to conclude that Coca Cola and Gillette possess far less business risk over...
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When it comes to managing in a multi-cultural setting, a lot of things can happen that leaves a mangager scratching their head and not knowing what to do.Some cultures are raised to think critically, others learn through imitating others, some...
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Jan 4
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 38What is it that Warren Buffett sees in Gillette that makes him such a fan of it for his Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) shareholders? On the surface it really doesn't seem to be a...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 37A really important thing to consider when talking about resisting the pull of sameness, mediocrity and commoditization, is that some companies learn to brand themselves so well in crowded markets, that even though...
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The death of former President Ford, and the resultant comments that he was the right man for the job at the right time, brings to mind something that business managers and leaders need to think about.Because businesses in reality are...
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We've been talking about managers and business leaders fighting the commoditization of their company or divisions. I came across an excellent article from the hotel industry on making resolutions for their internet strategies called "Hotelier’s 2007 Top Ten Internet Marketing...
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Jan 3
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The departure of Home Depot (HD) CEO Robert Nardelli, offers some opportunities to look at his management style and how it brought him to this place.It's interesting to note that the job he performed was in reality well done. The...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 36When considering the battle to not become a company that is subject to the pressures of being only a commodity, how do you fight that from happening within your company? There are a...
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Jan 2
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Businesses that have a large stake in China will find more pressure on their profits as China is moving toward a uniform tax law that will level the playing field for its domestic companies.In the 1990s China enacted laws for...
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 35When talking about the difference between a commodity company and a non-commodity company, we need to see that it's not extremely difficult to understand what needs to be done to change the situation.Warren...
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Jan 1
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Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 34Let's get a little deeper into the importance of why Buffett looks for companies and management that have strong resistance to commoditization.What is the greatest disadvantage of becoming a commodity business? It becomes...
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