Maybe Second-Guessing Yourself Isn't Such a Bad Idea
James Surowiecki's 2004 book, The Wisdom of Crowds , suggested that the more minds you have working on a problem, the better the solution they pro... Read story
Keith McFarland
All The World's An Ad
Not getting enough Web advertising? The folks at Compulsion have figured out a way to turn any video content into a fully interactive point-and-click ad. ... Read story
What If Steve Jobs Designed Medical Devices?
Amy Tenderich is a San Francisco-based journalist who runs the Diabetes Mine blog, a site that features diabete... Read story
Warren Buffett’s Big Bet
In "The Breakthrough Company" I spend a chapter detailing how important it is for a company to place strategically timed bigger bets in order to break thr... Read story
Holy Holograph! Princess Leia Is Coming To a Meeting Near You
On May 25, 1977 a science fiction film was released by 20th Century Fox that struck an unlikely chord in our collective consciousness. The Star WarsRead story
Finding Hope in a Moment of Travel Rage
I boarded a plane last Saturday night in Atlanta dog-tired after a four-hour layover on a Saturday -- on a flight that was scheduled to get me home just a... Read story
Can You Hear Me Now?
It looks like Verizon is going to have to revamp its popular, "Can you hear me now?" ad campaign. We've grown accustomed to the ubiquitous signal-strength... Read story
10 Secrets of Breakthrough Companies
Why do some companies "break through" while so many others do not? Author and business consultant Keith McFarland has spent years researching thousands of pr... Read story
Really? Microsoft Should Get a Pass on Quality?
Okay, so I admit I was a bit cranky in my last post , but my Microsoft Vista problems have been... Read story
Vista Still Sucks
It has been 62 days since I first blogged about my ... Read story
Time-outs Are for Kids, Not Economies, Hillary
My wife and I and our two young boys recently made a hotel in Miami our home base for a week while our kids were out of school for Spring Break. When my f... Read story
The China Train May Have Already Left the Station, Part Two
I flew from Sydney to Chicago where I had dinner with the CEO of a company that manufactures parts for electric motors. What keeps him up at night, I ask... Read story
The China Train May Have Already Left the Station
If you have thought that taking advantage of China's low costs might be the answer to all your problems -- better look again. The game is getting much mor... Read story
No Breakthroughs in Germany
While in Australia recently, I had a chance to chat with a German businessman who gave me some insight into forces that are pulling Germany in a decidedly... Read story
You Think You Have It Tough?
Imagine this: You have just signed on as president of a company that, despite having no experience building motorcycles -- has decided to take on the like... Read story
Breakthrough Companies and the YPO
After my visit to Winona , my two compatriots... Read story
The Nuts and Bolts of Entrepreneurship
Every time I am with Bob Kierlin (founder of Winona, Minnesota-based Fastenal), I am more impressed with him as a person and as a business visionary. We g... Read story
It's Not All About Google and Microsoft
This week began for me in Winona, Minnesota, right after a cold snap that had given at least one location in the state a new record low of 40 below zero. ... Read story
The Pestilence called Microsoft Vista
Note to my readers: Don't make the mistake of allowing the pestilence called Microsoft Vista through the gate of your company -- if your experience is lik... Read story
Who's Your Insultant?
I'm still thinking about conflict in organizations -- and thinking that a certain kind of conflict is not only good but necessary for long-term success. T... Read story
How Can Big Companies Stay Entrepreneurial?
What do ADTRAN salespeo... Read story
The Right Kind of Conflict
Your thoughtful responses to my blog on being a " referee " got me... Read story
Don't Play Referee, Part II
My last post on "refusing to play the referee" generated some strong reactions—so I thought we'd spend a little more time looking at the situation.<... Read story
Don’t Play Referee
Do you ever get tired of playing "referee" in you... Read story
You May Not Need Other People’s Money
We've all heard the pitch from professional investors, "Sure you can grow on your own -- but you can grow a lot faster with our money." Makes sense right?... Read story
There's No Ugly Penalty for Companies
The father of the study of human ugliness is Daniel Hamermesh of the University of Texas. He has collected data on several continents that attractive peop... Read story
What's Wrong with Staying Small?
Three great responses to my first post got me thinking today about the whole big/little business discussion. Rob's and Allen's comments essential... Read story
Why Do So Few Companies Break Through?
For the past five years I've been trying to figure out why it is so hard to keep a company growing. Despite all of the conventional wisdom about America's... Read story
What It Takes to Break Through
An excerpt from Keith McFarland's eagerly awaited new book on how companies move beyond the entrepreneurial stage. Watch the grapefruit spurts! Read story
The Psychology of Success
Why do some leaders thrive while others struggle? The answers might surprise you. Read story