Put Agreements in Writing Today to Avoid Problems Tomorrow.

Some years ago, a lawyer acquaintance quipped to me, "To avoid a mess, put it on paper." His advice remains sound and worth heeding.

"What is a cashmere sweater? It's some fabric, some buttons and a zipper". Les Wexner was having a teaching moment. He was explaining to a conference room full of Limited Brands merchant executives that in order for a cashmere sweater to command a premium price, it must be marketed compellingly, going well beyond simply describing its components.

It's early morning and sunlight has not yet started to creep in through my window. It's dark and quiet.

I slowly opened my eyes. Where was I? The room was still spinning from the night before. My head throbbed, and I slowly started putting things together.

Then suddenly, a knock at the door. Before I could mutter the words, "Come in", the door pushed open and in walked a tall, slender man in an olive green trenchcoat and with troubles on his mind. "Michael, I need your help.

Greetings!

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once explained a key reason for his greatness: "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." There is considerable wisdom in this quote, and it's implications for business planning are profound.

Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends....

Greetings!

"Mining" is the act of extracting minerals or other valuable materials from the ground. Success is maximized by leveraging technical expertise, skillful judgments, and with a bit of luck thrown in. The same can be said for innovation "mining". Do you have what it takes to be a a skillful miner?

Read on, dear friends....

Greetings!

Mentoring is one way that adults and business people in particular, can contribute to a student's development. I have acted as a volunteer judge at Columbus Ohio's Invention Convention, and at Xavier University's X-Lab and Miami University's Entrepreneur Class competitions.

Greetings!

In my personal and professional life, I've never regretted taking the initiative. Most have these efforts have been rewarding and successful, though not all of them have been so. Still, as Wayne Gretzky once said (who knew he was such a philopopher?), "You miss 100% of the shots that you don't take."

Greetings!

This week's newsletter shows in a highly relatable way, how taking an ethnographic research approach can reveal meaningful service and product opportunities...including some that can be addressed via external innovation. Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends....

Greetings!

Whether or not our job title includes the word "sales" in it, we invariably and routinely find ourselves aiming to persuade or influence others. How much of the time that we spend seeking to sell do we invest in building trust and credibility with the other parties we are selling to? Probably less than we should. Care to learn more? Read on, dear friends...