Whom do You Ask for Advice?

In an article by Carol Hymowitz in today’s Wall Street Journal, several CEOs talk about how they rely on their spouses for advice on important issues. I think this is a great idea, even if the spouse isn’t a business professional. Getting input from as many intelligent people as possible before making strategic [...]

No cold calling in the winter!

It’s time to forget about cold calling and move towards “warm calling©.” The marketing and advertising textbooks I am using still tell students to rely on referrals and cold calling to find new prospects. I completely agree with cultivating referrals from people you know and have worked with, but I can’t believe we [...]

Is there a sex difference between softies and curmudgeons?

Update, 10/16/07:
In today’s Wall Street Journal, there is a commentary that may help to explain why there are more men than women among Thinkers, and more women than men among Feelers, in the Myers-Briggs personality assessment:
Another speaker, Richard Haier, professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine, acknowledged the long history of prejudice, then [...]

Why it hurts when trust is broken after the sale…

Update 8-12-07:
How do you feel when you’ve made a large purchase, and then some product or service features emerge that are unexpected but highly negative, and which have been hidden by the seller and are costly to remedy?  Do you feel betrayed or disappointed?
My late friend, professor Eugene (Gene) Webb of Stanford University’s Graduate [...]

Communication is complicated…

In our training with executives, we always include a session on communication skills, including how to be a better listener. Despite our elementary school training in reading, writing and ‘rithmatic, we are not taught how to listen.
An article in the WSJ suggests that it is not always a good thing to communicate with our [...]

How do we rebuild trust?

There is an article in the Cantonrep.com that asks how can trust be rebuilt after it has been broken. This author provides examples from public officials and how they have betrayed his trust, yet I believe that this is a question for all of us–how do we rebuild trust? Can we rebuild trust?
1) [...]

We use up our listening at work…

While we advocate the wonders of listening and how it builds trust with others, this article about “Spouses too tired to talk” in the WSJ yeterday, highlights the danger of using up this “gift” at work.
After a day when “either you’re always talking to somebody, or you’re in one meeting after other where everybody is [...]

Honesty is important in bad times, too

An article in Information Week identifies many reasons why trust is so important in business relationships, including being open in times of crisis.  He frowns upon companies that don't disclose the bad news as well as the good, citing openness as a necessary ingredient to a successful partnership.
As the author, Rob Preston, VP/Editor In Chief [...]

Trust the One You Love

For Valentine’s Day 2004, we exhorted you to “Love the one you Trust”.  This year, maybe we should all try to 
“Trust the one you love!“ 
Are we trusting enough of the ones we love?  We don’t really have to be so controlling, do we?  Maybe for Valentine’s Day, the real gift is not the chocolate or the red [...]

We’re Thankful for You!

Most New Year’s resolutions seem to have as much staying power as good champagne or sparkling apple cider. They taste good, but can’t provide sustenance for the long haul. We think it might be easier to remember those who have been a ROCC of trust to us in the past year, and borrowing a recommendation [...]