Category: Business

Business: Why Corporate Change is Difficult, But Possible

Now, more than ever, the corporate world is in a state of constant change. Whether increasing global competition, the emergence of new technologies, or the high turnover of company staffs, life in the business world is constantly in flux.

Despite this reality, companies themselves don’t always adapt quickly or well to these ongoing tectonic shifts. This inability to evolve with the changing corporate landscape means that companies may be operating under paradigms that are outdated or not optimally productive. The result? A company that is not on the leading edge of their market and a company that, rather than riding the next paradigmatic wave, will be playing a perhaps- never-ending game of catch-up.

It is not a question of whether or not your company will change in this ever-shifting marketplace. It is whether it will change and survive or it won’t change and it will die.

I’m going to assume that you want your company (and, by extension, your job) to be one of the survivors. So the question is how can you help your company to change in ways that will ensure that it not only survives, but thrives in these uncertain economic times?

Prime Business Alert!: Too Much Input and Not Enough “Innerput”

The Internet, and all of the new technology that it has spawned, has made information available at the fingertips of businesspeople instantaneously. The sheer volume of information now accessible on line is staggering. Information continues to become more available to more people in less time; from web sites to email to RSS feeds to Twitter, we have input at an unprecedented rate and volume. Ironically, as the frequency of information grows, the length of messages shrinks (e.g., Twitter’s 140-character limit. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; think of haiku). And, amazingly, the vast majority of this information is free.

All of this information has been a boon to the business world. This ready access to important information has made businesspeople more efficient than ever. “Cloud sourcing” has created never-before-possible opportunities for collaboration that has resulted in an explosion of creativity and innovation at all levels of the corporate world. This new technology has enabled the business world to increase productivity to levels never seen before.

At the same time, for all its benefits, any businessperson will tell you that there are costs to this 24/7 connectivity and accessibility. I have already addressed the issue of multi-tasking and work/life balance in previous writings. Today, I want to explore another unfortunate consequence of this torrent of information, namely, that our “mental inbox” becomes overloaded.

Business: Why Motivational Talks Don’t Work

One of the most common practices at corporate meetings is to invite a motivational speaker to present to the assembled businesspeople. The idea seems reasonable. Have someone with a compelling story and great speaking skills fire up the audience and motivate them to new heights in their individual and team efforts. Improved performance, it follows […]

Business: Change Your Performance Mindset

When I work with businesspeople and companies, my first challenge is to convince them that profitability, whether individual or corporate, though important, should not be the primary focus. To persuade the often-resistant corporate brain trust, I introduce them to what I call the 3 Ps. Yes, at the top of the business “food chain,” the […]

Business: Steps to Stress Mastery

Having the right attitude and positive goals, as I discussed in the last issue of Prime Business Alert!, are important steps for becoming a stress master. But just thinking about mastering stress won’t make it so. You have to actually do things to relieve your stress.  Here are some suggestions for taking action to gain […]

Business: Foundation of Stress Mastery

A phrase you frequently hear in the business world is “stress management.” It’s supposed to be the process by which businesspeople learn to deal with their stress in a healthy way. But does managing sound like the ideal scenario? I don’t think so. Managing, for me, connotes just getting by, just keeping your head above […]

Business: Are You a Stress Victim or Stress Master?

Stress is a truly unpleasant, potentially harmful, and decidedly unavoidable part of life in the business world; it just comes with the territory of climbing the corporate ladder. Yet, whether stress interferes with or facilitates your efforts in that climb depends on how well you understand it, your attitude toward it, and the tools you […]

Business: Confidence Matters in Business

I define confidence as: “How strongly you believe in your capabilities to learn new skills, perform at a certain level, attain a goal, or achieve your own definition of success. Confidence is the most important psychological contributor to performance in the business world because you may have all of the ability in the world to […]

Business: Ten Laws of Prime Preparation

Success in the business world is not about who is the smartest; research shows that IQ is largely unrelated to status in the corporate food chain. Success is not about who has the best education; only 14% of Fortune 500 companies are led by Ivy Leaguers. And success is not about who has the best […]

Business: Vision Goal Setting

Vision goal setting is goal setting with a grand purpose. It begins with a dream based in your passion and inspiration in your work. From the dream comes a clear vision of where you want to be and what you want to do in your career. This vision projects you five, 10, and even 20 […]