There’s still time to pick up some holiday gifts that also help social enterprises. If there’s a restaurant or coffee shop in your town that’s a social enterprise (and the odds are there’s more than one), give them a call to see if you can purchase a gift certificate. Many of them will let you …

A guest blog from Carter McNamara. What Is Empathy? Why Is It So Important? Empathy is the ability to accurately put yourself “in someone else’s shoes” – to understand their situation, perceptions and feelings from their point of view – and to be able to communicate that understanding back to the other person. Empathy is …

The news is filled with the exploits of more than a few examples of dishonesty and greed, leaders who purposefully worked in their own behalf, rather than from a sense of responsibility for institutional integrity. We know the list and it keeps getting bigger. For the last 50 years it has not been fashionable to …

Many directors of Government owned enterprises take up the role because they want to have an effect on the organisation and, through the organisation, on the society they live in and will bequeath to their children. Even directors who do not profess a burning sense of mission will admit to a deep sense of responsibility for organisational and societal outcomes. Only directors who can apply their passion in a board-appropriate manner will successfully manage to influence events and corporations. Few directors receive any training in how to do this.

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner recently claimed that leveraging the social graph is the key to the future success of online marketing.

Business Improvement initiatives rely heavily on Action Plan tips to define important tasks for implementation. This charts the way forward by crucially defining who does what, and by when. Failure to pay due care in compiling an Action Plan can seriously affect the quality of your efforts and output, denting any chances of your improvement …

The recession may be officially but do managers appreciate that Christmas needn’t be cancelled again this year? Boozy parties are probably not the best way to mark the end of a tough year but that doesn’t mean there’s not value in gathering everyone together. As we enter an era when return on investment is at …

Personally, I have never liked icebreakers. Just ask anyone you know who doesn’t like them and you’ll probably find an introvert. That’s me, too, an introvert. I derive my energy from quiet time alone, but my job is as a trainer. Focusing on my job and others is different from focusing on myself. So, as …

Strong customer service creates valuable crisis management opportunities In an article from my most recent Crisis Manager newsletter, friend and reputation management consultant Jeff Chatterton wrote about the significance of customer service in crisis management and the negative results that quickly come from ignoring said customers. On the heels of that came a posting by …

I’ve been having technology challenges lately. Nothing tries my patience more than computers and gadgets not working as they ‘should’. I’ve been aware of my patience being tested so want to write about patience as a spiritual practice. I love the video clip of the comedian who talks about “Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy”. Check …