There are many types of issues facing businesses, but what counts as a true crisis? It’s not always immediately apparent when your organization is in the initial stages of a crisis. To this effect, I am pleased to bring you a guest blog submission by Michael Nayor, founder and CEO of crisis consulting firm The …

In this posting, I build on the October 7 blog, in which Steve Wolinski introduced Diana Whitney’s, Kae Rader’s and my book, Appreciative Leadership: Focus on What Works to Drive Winning Performance and Build a Thriving Organization. Expanding upon Steve’s clear summary of our book’s content, I provide some history behind the approach and the design of the text, along with more detail about the five core strategies that together unleash positive power.

What is a strategic decision, and how is it different from an operational or tactical decision? Strategic decisions determine the grand direction upon which an entity will embark. Always, strategy precedes action. The object of strategy is to bring about advantageous conditions within which action will occur. In the military context, this means positioning forces …

To err is human. To do the same thing repeatedly and expect different results is insanity. And to learn from the mistakes of others is a good way to improve your odds. Here are ten major mistakes, inspired by a recent Wall Street Journal article (link below): 1. Going it Alone. Forget the solo entrepreneur …

Your strategic plan will only be as effective as who you invite to participate in the process. In fact, sometimes, it is even a good idea to set up more than one planning session in order to avoid diluting the ideas by having too many interest groups involved in the same session. So plan well, …

If you Google how long it takes to form a habit, you’ll get anything from 21 to 28 days, but there is no solid evidence on what the answer really is. We all agree though, that an acquired behavior pattern takes customary practice or usage – which in plain-speak means – do it every day …

Business has never had a bigger vehicle for positive word-of-mouth advertising. Fun campaigns can go ‘viral’ and trigger momentum like never before.

At the Fresh Tracks office we recently got together as a team look at the issue of trust. It made me realise how much we take trust for granted when it’s there, and how much extra work a lack of trust can create. Although our session included event managers, admin staff and senior managers, it …

Keeping in mind that only about 5% of all non-governmental giving to nonprofits comes from corporation solicitation programs, you’ll want to use your time and resources cost-effectively. That means not trying to get funding from every corporation that comes to mind. So, first, make a (wish) list of all those corporations, and then gather the …

A professor in grad school used to take pride in humiliating students, presumably to teach the students how to handle tough questions they may be asked about their research. It was a brutal process to watch. Perhaps you work with bosses or co-workers who do this. We run into various sharp objects in our work …