Solutions in Plain Sight – Anne C. Graham

Are you a baby boomer who struggles to figure out how to lead the next generation or wonders why they don’t seem to have the same work ethic as you? Are you a Gen X or Gen Y, who’s struggling to figure how to work within an established system? There are a lot of myths and stereotypes being perpetuated in … Read more about this episode...

Research suggests that less-successful companies often develop Strategic Plans containing 40-60 items, while highly successful companies limit themselves to 5-7 priorities. You won’t want to miss the provocative approach today’s guest shares that increases focus and accelerates your results. Jim Alampi is the author of Great to Excellent; It’s the Execution!, the former CEO/Chairman of three public companies ranging in … Read more about this episode...

Do you love being right? Do you think you have to have all the answers because you’re the boss? Do other people tend to think of you as a know-it-all – even if you’re well-intentioned and trying to be collaborative? Are you finding that your conversations don’t always go in direction you hoped they would, or worse still, leave a … Read more about this episode...

One of the greatest challenges in being an effective leader is learning how to get your diverse group of talented people to work together towards a common goal. Instead, we often find silos of competing interests, tensions within teams, well-intentioned people who may think they’re doing the right thing but may not fully understand the bigger picture and thus are … Read more about this episode...

In today’s world of fast-paced communications, whether quick emails, short texts, or greetings in passing as we race to our next commitment, it’s easy to have communication go awry and be misinterpreted. Yet all of our relationships are based on effective communication, so it’s essential to bridge the gap. In her 34-year military career Colonel Deb Lewis (Retired) held three … Read more about this episode...

A timeless Harvard Business Review article postulated that “Leaders are Made, not Born”, and many of us invest in courses, books, and programs to enhance our skills. This show uncovers an overlooked approach that I wish I’d discovered much earlier in my career. Catherine Osler was a young entrepreneur who in a period of 15 years built her communications … Read more about this episode...

We all know that customer loyalty and retention is critical to the success of our business, yet amongst the thousands of business owners I’ve polled, many struggle to keep their customers in tough competitive markets. Our guest today has really got that dialed in, and if you want to keep your customers for longer, you’ll enjoy this show. John Tait… Read more about this episode...

What differentiates a great salesperson from a good one? Well, hard work and the ability to close the sale are often cited, but the third driver of sales success is how well you develop a rapport and relationship that makes the buyer want to buy. Men and women approach that differently, but both can learn from the other. Judy Hoberman… Read more about this episode...

How often do you find yourself in a meeting filled with tense co-workers, each with their own priorities or position on an issue or opportunity, unable to reach an agreement, or worse still, unable to have even a courteous and well-reasoned discussion? Conflict may be inevitable, but it can be constructive instead. Carol Sutton is the President of CJS Communications … Read more about this episode...

We’ve all seen the economic uncertainty play out over the past several years regarding job security. The best insurance policy you can have is a strong personal brand that makes you the “keeper” in times of downsizings, the “go to” person that head hunters in your industry will seek out, the expert who can shift to a new career if … Read more about this episode...

If you’ve ever had a big change initiative dumped on you with no opportunity for input, or if you’ve ever led a change initiative where you enthusiastically announced a great new future and then found tremendous resistance rather than employees eager to embrace your plan, then you know from the school of hard knocks how difficult change of any kind … Read more about this episode...

Do you love what you do but find you’re so buried at work that you don’t often have the time to really do it? Do you hate your job, but you’re stuck on the hamster wheel, unable to make a change because you’ve got bills to pay? If you’re a busy business person, working long hours, trying to get on … Read more about this episode...

In this quiet and reflective time of the busy holiday season, I wanted to spend just 20 minutes with you to share the New Year’s Resolutions that will take your business to new levels in 2014. You can download the blog post with these Resolutions here if that helps you to ponder and reflect on how they will add value … Read more about this episode...

Early in the 20th Century, businesses had to rely on expensive, prone-to-failure generators for power before the grid changed that forever. Jarrod Levitan believes we’re now in the same place with what “powers” business in the 21st Century – information, and our ability to access it anytime, anywhere. Cloud-based computing offers the same type of paradigm shift that the power … Read more about this episode...

Then you’re in good company but as a leader or individual contributor at any level in the organization, it’s time to act more decisively so that you can have more impact with lower stress and less aggravation. Nick Tasler draws on his background in organizational psychology to identify the biases that we all carry with us that cause us to … Read more about this episode...

Business owners work hard to build value into their business so that they can achieve what a colleague of mine calls a “massive liquidity event” – either selling their business or going public or, if they’re already public, realizing the rewards of a healthy, growing stock price. Jon Rothbart’s experience as the COO of a major investment holding company got … Read more about this episode...

Every one of us wants success… or do we? Well, it all depends upon how we define success and whether we’re “punching in/punching out” on our journey towards it, or fully engaged in making it happen. Kevin Frigon is a certified Coach with Brian Tracy’s FocalPoint Coaching program, and an experienced business leader with over 20 years of success, whose … Read more about this episode...

When you’re “in the groove” in your business, all things are possible. Every area of the company is running relatively smoothly, delivering the required objectives and milestones, and generating the kinds of growth and profit that you’ve been looking for. It can happen… but If you’re not there yet, there’s an AHA! Moment waiting for you in today’s call. Mark … Read more about this episode...

The days of the rubber-chicken networking lunch where you waste time sitting next to someone with whom you have absolutely nothing in common are over, along with the days of desperately going through old business cards trying to find that contact you remember meeting at the tradeshow six months ago! Linked In guru Wayne Breitbarth’s shortcuts will expand your network … Read more about this episode...

We’ve all brought consultants on board and found ourselves paying a bundle of billable time without ever seeing the kinds of results we were hoping for. David A Fields debunks the “we’ve always done it that way” approach to hiring consultants, and lays out a path to getting a great return on our investment. David is one of the world’s … Read more about this episode...

  There’s nothing worse than losing sleep at night because you have an underperforming Sales Manager or salesperson. Do you reprimand them? Fire them? Train Them? Hope they’ll change on their own? None of the above… at least, not at first. Here’s an alternative that produces surprising results. Pauline O’Malley is internationally renowned for developing a sales training program used … Read more about this episode...

Almost every business person dreads public speaking even more than a root canal. And all of us have had to sit through interminably boring presentations where there was very little value. Don’t let that presenter be you! You don’t have to be a professional speaker to really electrify an audience and feel completely comfortable in any situation. Narges Nirumvala, CEO … Read more about this episode...

Sooner or later, every company’s brand needs rethinking. It may be a simple facelift to update an aging logo; it may be that competitive pressures or new initiatives require you to enhance or reposition with your customers. Many re-brandings are painful, but they don’t have to be. With over 22 years working with companies to get their brand right and … Read more about this episode...

Too often we get in our own way when opportunity is knocking, with blind spots that keep you settling for less than you can truly achieve. But don’t settle just for a temporary motivational high. The early warning signs of blind spots are more obvious than you may think, and today’s guest has the successes to prove it. Aldonna Ambler … Read more about this episode...

A Linked In discussion this past week asking this question attracted hundreds of comments – clearly, getting an organization onside with to execute well is a hot topic. If you’ve struggled to get everyone on the same page and going in the right direction, today’s guest has solutions for strategic alignment. Mats Gerschman holds a Masters of Engineering and Executive … Read more about this episode...

You’ve got some good people, but they’re not exactly bouncing off the walls, eager to make it happen when they come into work each day. Instead, they’re missing the essential enthusiasm that makes a difference between a good employee and a great one who helps you meet your goals. That’s going to change when you use new leadership abilities to … Read more about this episode...

If you’ve ever been frustrated by getting sidetracked and working on bright shiny objects instead of staying on track with your strategic plan, you’ll find solutions in plain sight from this guest that will help. Doug Wagner is one of the most insightful thinkers I’ve met on how to translate the good intentions on a strategic plan into day-in-day-out activities … Read more about this episode...

We’ve all been blindsided by employee behaviors that, with hindsight, our little voice was likely warning us about. Maybe it’s a valued employee who leaves, checks out, shifts from productive to missing deadlines, or worse still, steals or embezzles or damages the company in some other way. Brad Fregger has a solution in plain sight that I’ve certainly overlooked before, … Read more about this episode...

When you’re finding yourself mired in the swamps of your business, unable to see the forest OR the trees, there’s only one sure way to keep from drowning. And its not by working harder, staying later, or taking work home on the weekends. When its time to re-take control of your time and your business, Jens Nilausen has a solution … Read more about this episode...

How often do you stand up to do a presentation on some aspect of your business, and part way through you have that sinking feeling, knowing that you’ve lost your audience? Perhaps they’re surreptitiously checking their smart phone under the table… or clearly disconnected, with their eyes glazed over. Even worse is when you send out an email or other … Read more about this episode...

We’ve all hired someone who made our lives miserable instead of helping us move our business forward. We’ve all gone through the aggravation of terminating them and starting over. Years ago I stumbled on a better way, and stumbled whenever I failed to use it! Karen Harty will have you chuckling at what you’ve done in the past as she … Read more about this episode...

When individual contributors are promoted to first-line supervisor or manager, its one of the most challenging times in their career. All of a sudden they’re responsible for managing their buddies, and more often than not, they make mistakes that cost your company a bundle. When it’s time to sink or swim, Hugh Alley’s one key question and simple 4-step approach … Read more about this episode...

You had what you thought was a great sales call. You think you’ve got the deal. But then you never hear back from the customer, or they simply stop returning calls. What went wrong? Join author and serial entrepreneur George Horrigan for the surprisingly simple Solution in Plain Sight to landing the sales you need by really connecting with customers … Read more about this episode...

Your business relies on teams, but you’re spending more time dealing with dysfunction than seeing results. Every day, you see infighting, turf wars, lack of engagement, and toxic behavior… or you simply see a team that should be more effective, and you can’t quite put your finger on what’s not working. Join author and coach Renee Safrata and find out … Read more about this episode...