Leadership


Recent Leadership Articles

Hot Tip: Sales-Success Memos

By Susan Greco |  Jun 5, 2000

Margaret Johnsson employs just six salespeople, but you'd never know it by reading one of her sales-success memos. That's because at the Johnsson Group In...  Read more

Sign of the Times: Culture Gets Benched

By Mike Hofman |  Jun 5, 2000

When college dropouts Andrew Perlman and Mark Land founded Cignal Global Communications, a fiber-optic data-communications company, five years ago, they r...  Read more

The Truth about Mentoring

By Joshua D. Macht |  Jun 2, 2000

Editor's note: Since this story was written in 1998, Inc. Online has become inc.com. What does it take to make the perfect mentoring match...  Read more

10 Tips for Communicating Change

By Sarah Fenson |  Jun 1, 2000

While organizational change requires more than 10 tips, here are 10 key things to keep in mind when planning, announcing, implementing, and communicating ...  Read more

Succession Planning Not Just for Top Execs

By Robert K. Prescott |  Jun 1, 2000

The words "succession planning" are usually associated with finding the right people to fill the highest-level positions. But planning for future s...  Read more

Obit: Map Publisher Loses Its Way in the Vast USA

By Susan Hansen |  Jun 1, 2000

By expanding beyond the limits of its sales force, this map publishing company took a permanent detour from its path to success. A business obit.  Read more

"I'm John Burgess. I'm Here to Help You"

By Joseph Rosenbloom |  Jun 1, 2000

International Profit Associates, a two-time Inc. 500 winner, became a $100 million company by selling $20,000 consulting jobs to thousands of small ...  Read more

The Mentors

By Edward O. Welles |  Jun 1, 2000

Kent Sutherland solicited Wal-Mart's Sam Walton as his business mentor 18 years ago and has prospered ever since. Here's where to find a mentor and the great...  Read more

Cure the Sick-Meeting Ills

By Sarah Fenson |  May 24, 2000

Many people dread meetings for being time consuming, pointless, and boring. The primary reason for meetings is to share or brainstorm information o...  Read more

Character and Caring: Business Lessons from Three Military Officers

May 24, 2000

Military metaphors abound in the world of business. Companies rarely enter new markets; they usually "invade" them. When businesses ponder geographic expa...  Read more

I'm looking for an executive HR title with pizzazz. Any suggestions?

By Rudy Karsan |  May 23, 2000

Human Resources mentor Rudy Karsan responds to the following question from an inc.com user on the HR discussion board: Are there...  Read more

How do I write a warning letter to an employee who's performing poorly?

By Rogers, Martha, Kasanoff, Bruce |  May 17, 2000

Human Resources mentor Robert Hoffman responds to the following question from an inc.com user: After several instances of carele...  Read more

The Next Big Next Big Thing

By Steven Berglas |  May 15, 2000

Silicon Valley may think it has all the creative geniuses firmly ensconced in its back pocket, but it won't be long before the next big challenge pulls them ...  Read more

Get Your Inventory under Control

By Kimberly Stansell |  May 5, 2000

If you're like the average entrepreneur, you're trying to juggle 25 balls at once. The result, all too frequently, is that you may mismanage your inventor...  Read more

John J. Kilcullen: My Biggest Mistake

By Anne Marie Borrego |  May 1, 2000

John J. Kilcullen Chairman and CEO of IDG Books Worldwide, creator of the Dummies series of how-to books. ...  Read more

How can I ensure that the message I give managers makes its way to employees?

Apr 26, 2000

Leadership & Strategy mentor Keith Lamb responds to the following question from an inc.com user: I'm a manager of managers. I...  Read more

Work and Family: Is Peaceful Coexistence Possible?

Apr 26, 2000

Working too much, worrying about work too much, neglecting family, neglecting self, experiencing conflict, dissatisfaction, depression: These problems are...  Read more

Communicating When People Leave You Speechless

By Sarah Fenson |  Apr 25, 2000

Life is loaded with opportunities to benefit from interpersonal interactions, depending on how you deal with them. We've identified two real-world events ...  Read more

Are You Assertive or Aggressive?

By Sarah Fenson |  Apr 25, 2000

Some people think assertiveness is aggression - a verbalattack (or worse) on another person. Others think they'rebeing assertive, when in fact they're bei...  Read more

Cut Travel Expenses without Compromising Quality

By Kimberly Stansell |  Apr 18, 2000

Travel can be a big-budget expense for small businesses. Yet it is one of the largest controllable expenses for many firms. You can save money by picking ...  Read more

Mentors for Life

By Jennifer Lawton |  Apr 11, 2000

When I cofounded a computer-networking consulting company five years ago, I was fortunate to have had assistance from other entrepreneurs. They are my "me...  Read more

How can we make our meetings more effective and educational?

Apr 7, 2000

Leadership & Strategy mentor Keith Lamb responds: We've been trying to improve our meetings for years now, and we think we've come...  Read more

Obit: Educational Retailer Learns Hard Lesson

By John Grossmann |  Apr 1, 2000

An educational retailer prided itself on being a fun place for shoppers to browse. But that playful atmosphere may have also been the company's undoing. A bu...  Read more

Those Were the Days

By Steven Berglas |  Apr 1, 2000

Start-up myths can be invaluable motivators. But they can also backfire.  Read more

The Little Engineering Company that Couldn't

By Edward O. Welles |  Apr 1, 2000

Yeoman Engineering was a well-run company that treated its customers like gold. But sometimes bad things happen to good companies.  Read more

Controlling Interest

By Dr. Pierre Mornell |  Apr 1, 2000

It's easy for entrepreneurs to become control freaks. But as the company grows, it's impossible for CEOs to have their hand in everything. How one woman's st...  Read more

Hot Tip: Customer Service

By Anne Marie Borrego |  Apr 1, 2000

For the best customer service possible, test your employees. Derek Gietzen, president and CEO of Genesis Communications International In...  Read more

Wage Wars

By Mike Hofman |  Apr 1, 2000

An employee who makes $35,000 a year might think that's a great salary. But if he learns that a peer makes $40,000, suddenly he's an Upton Sinclair charac...  Read more

Do as I Say: Quick Tips for Masterful Communication

By Sarah Fenson |  Mar 29, 2000

Watch your language. You may use metaphors to offer something your audience can relate to -- a common thought or feeling. But many...  Read more

Authentic Leadership: Looking in the Mirror

By Sarah Fenson |  Mar 21, 2000

Authenticity, according to Webster'sDictionary, is being genuine. Genuine,suggests Webster's, means not being ahypocrite. And to be a hypocriteis "to feig...  Read more

The Power of the (In-House) Press

By Karen Carney |  Mar 13, 2000

Sarah Montgomery, vice president of operations for Woodpro Cabinetry Inc., based in Cabool, Mo., writes a monthly newsletter called Profit Watch ...  Read more

Goals, Roles, Pay, and Performance

By Sarah Fenson |  Mar 13, 2000

Who's at fault when employees don't meet goals? If you receivedan allowance when you were a kid, you probably have astrong understanding of "pay for perfo...  Read more

What's your recipe for fast growth?

Mar 8, 2000

Leadership & Strategy mentor Keith Lamb responds: We have more than a few growth recipes, but they all boil down to smart planning...  Read more

What do I do when an employee has a performance problem and needs coaching?

Mar 7, 2000

Human Resources mentor Robert Hoffman responds: Ideally, feedback about performance should be an ongoing process. Tell your subord...  Read more

What's the best way to get feedback from employees?

Mar 7, 2000

Human Resources mentor Rudy Karsan responds: Over the years, I have learned that fostering communication is one of the most import...  Read more