ReportWire

Tag: leadership advice

  • How to Break the Self-Improvement Loop That’s Burning You Out

    Self-improvement is a popular topic for entrepreneurs, especially at the start of a new year. Fresh ideas, exciting plans, and meaningful actions abound. Instead of trying to use every productivity tool available, what if the solution were to actually do less? 

    As a productivity coach, I’m well aware of what people face when they’re trying to improve their productivity levels. People tend to search for what I like to call productivity “silver bullets.” They’re a perceived tool or technique that will permanently solve all your productivity challenges. Find that silver bullet and you’re set for life. However, reality isn’t that quite cut and dry. 

    Your productivity levels are the summation of how well you manage your mindset, time, energy, tools, and resources. So how can you use what’s already available to your advantage and not jump on the latest productivity fad? The key lies in working smarter, and not harder. Follow these practical tips to break free from the dreaded cycle of self-improvement and productivity. 

    Stop being productive for productivity’s sake 

    You’re not completing tasks in your business just so you can cross them off your to-do list. The question is whether or not those tasks are moving you closer to your goals. What is your reason for doing the work you’re doing? Is there a vision, purpose, product, service, or group of people that drives you to do your work? Use this as your guiding light. 

    Each of your tasks should be tied towards your business’ goals, whether that’s sales, human resources, clients, customers, or marketing. Double check your current task list and see if the items are in line with your goals. If you find yourself working on non-essential tasks, then you’re missing out on what could actually be helping both yourself and your business move forward. 

    Pause purchasing new things

    Productivity tools can be quite helpful in your daily work. However, purchasing productivity tools without consideration of your true needs may do more harm. It’s akin to going to the store to buy a pair of shoes. If you purchase a pair that’s too small, you won’t have what you desire: a fitted pair of shoes.  

    Your self-improvement process starts with where you are right now. Take a quick survey of the tools available to you in your business. Apps, software, programs, notebooks, calendars, and planners all count. Which do you prefer and why? How can you better utilize items?  

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    Rashelle Isip

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  • Get Rid of the ‘Kiddie Table’ At Work and Treat Employees Like Engaged Partners

    This holiday season, it’s likely that you gathered with a group of family or friends. As the table filled and conversation deepened, the youngest members were likely ushered away. “You’ll have more fun over there,” an adult said, pointing toward a smaller table with paper plates, juice boxes, and a vague promise of fun. The kids comply, not because they agree, but because they’re told this is where they belong. 

    Most companies treat employees like children at the kiddie table: present, necessary, but excluded from the real happenings. Leadership gathers at the “adult table,” where strategy is debated, risks are weighed, and decisions are made. Employees are invited to execute, not to contribute. They’re informed after the fact, not engaged beforehand. At the kiddie table, children are given tasks: eat your food, stay in your seat, don’t make a mess. At work, employees are given job descriptions, KPIs, and tightly scoped responsibilities. “That’s above your pay grade,” is the corporate equivalent of “You wouldn’t understand.” What’s lost in both scenarios is potential. 

    Why the kiddie table kills performance 

    Research from the Journal of Business and Management shows people’s professional behavior tends to follow the expectations given them. In the Golem effect, leaders expect low performance from a subordinate, causing the very behavior they predict. If the Golem effect lowers employee performance, the Pygmalion effect does the opposite—here, a leader anticipates high performance, which improves performance outcomes. 

    Children at the kiddie table are far more perceptive than adults give them credit for. They hear snippets of conversation, notice tension, excitement, and contradiction, and ask inconvenient questions. Sometimes, they say things that cut through the noise with surprising clarity. However, because they are young, their insights are dismissed. 

    Employees are no different. The people closest to the work—customers, systems, and friction points—often see problems and opportunities long before leadership does. Yet many organizations treat that proximity as a liability rather than an asset. Input is filtered, sanitized, or ignored entirely. Control feels safer than trust. 

    Nurturing responsible contributors 

    On the flip side, when you treat people like partners, they act like partners—empowered, decisive, resilient, and capable of carrying real weight when things get tough. This isn’t just a pep talk. It’s how psychological ownership works. The Journal of Consumer Research found that when people feel a sense of ownership over a task or organization, they go above and beyond to protect and improve it. In other words, if I feel like I’m at the grownups’ table, I’ll act like a grownup. 

    Like overprotective parents, leaders often believe they’re sheltering their teams by keeping finances, potential layoffs, and client risk private. But insulation breeds infantilization. If employees don’t see the true economics, they can’t connect their work to outcomes. 

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    Bill Fotsch

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  • End the Work Year with Gratitude and Apologies

    There once was an employee who realized how hard it is to apologize after he offended a colleague recently by dashing off an email and hurling it across the internet without carefully reviewing the tone.  

    “I reread the email and saw that it seemed hostile,” he said. “I told him what he was doing wrong without praising him for what he did right.” After the exchange, the employee noticed that his colleague avoided him and did not respond promptly to his requests. He realized that he had damaged an important business relationship and needed to make amends.  

    He regretted his haste in sending the email. “For a while, I let it go,” he explained. “I just a slight inner discomfort and the thought of having done someone wrong.”

    In the end, however, he decided to end the year with a clean slate and called the colleague to apologize. As he prepared to make the phone call, he realized how hard it is to admit wrongdoing, Nevertheless, he found the experience worthwhile.  

    “We had a fruitful discussion about the issue I’d mentioned in the email and parted as friends,” he recalled. The employee saved his relationship with a vital team member. 

    Gratitude isn’t the only way to close out the year 

    When considering the end of one calendar year and the beginning of another, writers often extol the virtues of showing appreciation to those who’ve helped them. Of course, gratitude is an essential part of all relationships. Indeed, gratitude has been proven to be a key element in developing and maintaining happiness. I fully support making the effort to thank those who have contributed to your life in any way during the year. 

    However, apologies matter, too. Miscommunications, resentments, and hurt feelings worsen when left to fester; this can cause serious morale and productivity issues. As hard as it is to apologize, it is better to do so than to leave issues unsettled. Failure to apologize in a public setting can also lead to social media condemnation and damaged branding. 

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    Elizabeth Danziger

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  • I Once Landed for a Business Meeting Already Exhausted and Knew I’d Made a Mistake

    The flight was good—on time and uneventful. I landed stiff, dehydrated, mentally fried, and annoyed at myself for packing last minute in too much of a hurry, eating airport food, and waiting in a security line that crawled at the pace of a snail. 

    The meeting itself was fine—not great—and that was the problem. Because when you travel for work, the trip isn’t the job. How you show up after it is. Seasoned business travelers figure this out eventually: travel is a cost not only of time but of mental clarity, patience, and the ability to make good decisions. Let it, and you’re going to pay. 

    The good news is that most travel stress is optional. 

    Once you streamline the process, travel isn’t so bad. Sometimes, it’s smooth. Here are seven travel habits smart business travelers use to arrive energized (and not wiped out). 

    1. When possible, fly the same airline every time. 
      Loyalty isn’t about loving a brand. It’s about upgrades, priority boarding, and less hassle in the long run. 
    2. Stop price-checking flights the wrong way.
      If you’re toggling back and forth while checking prices for flights, use an incognito window or clear your cookies. Dynamic pricing is real and not your friend. 
    3. Keep a toiletries kit always ready to go.
      Decision fatigue starts at home. One less thing to think about is much more valuable than it seems. 
    4. Pick a carry-on that can bend the rules—literally. 
      Soft, malleable bags fit into full overhead bins much better than hardshell rollers. 
    5. Pair travel with the right credit card.
      Lounge access, upgrades, and travel insurance add up quickly when you actually use them.  
    6. Eat like you have a job to do.
      Heavy meals and airport junk food seem convenient. They cost you hours later. 
    7. Buy your way out of security lines. 
      TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry isn’t a luxury. It’s time, energy, and sanity. I personally depend on it, especially going through Customs! 

    The best travel hack isn’t a hack at all—it’s understanding your own limits. 

    Business travel will never be stress-free. It’s not supposed to be. The goal is to arrive clearheaded enough to think, listen, and make good decisions. That starts long before you sit down in the meeting room.  

    Seasoned travelers don’t just pack better. They preserve their energy, reduce friction, and stop mistaking stress for just “part of the job.” You don’t have to reinvent your process. You just need to stop making travel harder than it needs to be. 

    Peter Economy

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  • Why Reliability Is the Real Growth Strategy

    Every founder feels pressure to reinvent, to launch something new, move faster, or chase the next big idea. But in my experience building Piece of Cake Moving, the most reliable path to growth isn’t constant reinvention; it’s consistent execution. When products and pricing look similar, execution becomes the defining differentiator. Small operational details compound into a noticeably better customer experience. 

    Obsessing over every touchpoint 

    The difference between a forgettable experience and a remarkable one often comes down to the smallest moments. Reliability isn’t a brand attribute you declare. It’s a strategy you practice daily. When customers know exactly what to expect and you deliver on that promise every time, trust compounds. Trust, more than novelty, is what turns businesses into brands that last and grow over time. 

    From the very first greeting, whether by phone, email, or in person, to the follow‑up after the service is completed, treat every interaction as an opportunity to reinforce reliability. Because moving is inherently stressful, we emphasize cheerfulness, seamlessness and a “no problem” attitude across all communications. 

    For example, after the crew has completed each move right before they leave, they ask the customer, “Is there anything else we can do?” It sounds simple, but it leaves the lasting impression that we’re always ready to help, even after the job has been completed. Our back office then follows up with the customer by phone the day of, and these touchpoints consistently generate valuable feedback and deepen customer relationships. This kind of service matters: 80% of consumers consider their experience with a company to be as important as its products or services. 

    Training teams to see details 

    Great execution starts with a team that understands what matters. It’s critical to invest in training that emphasizes noticing and perfecting operational details. Don’t just talk to employees about customer service – model it too. The way we communicate with our team mirrors how we expect them to interact with customers. When our team reaches out for help, we react right away. We want to deliver the Piece of Cake experience for our employees, then it’s passed on to how they interact with customers. 

    Consistency comes from clear expectations and repetition. Whether answering a phone call, replying to an email, or while the service is being performed, empower the team to deliver experiences that align with your brand promise. It’s not about following a checklist. Instead, it’s about embodying a mindset that the small things are the big things. In a service landscape where 78% of consumers will abandon a business relationship due to poor service, being reliable at every stage matters deeply. 

    Reliability before reinvention 

    Customers form opinions long before they ever interact with your team. When people encounter a new brand, they rely on visual cues to decide whether it feels credible, professional, and trustworthy, with 94% of first impressions related to design. In a split second, your brand is already communicating, through color, consistency, and attention to detail, without a single word exchanged. 

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    Voyo Popovic

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  • Leaders, Here’s How to Identify the Habits That Are Creating a Bottleneck in Your Business

    Let’s be honest, most entrepreneurs say they want freedom, but their business still depends on them for every key decision. If you’re the one everyone calls when things break, you don’t own a business, you own a job. 

    That’s not a failure. It’s simply the natural result of doing what worked in the early days—taking charge, fixing problems, and keeping quality high. The trouble is that those same habits that made your business successful in the beginning can quietly become the things holding it back. The good news is that it’s fixable. The bad news is that it starts with you. 

    1. Spot the bottleneck. 

    Ask yourself, “What projects grind to a halt when I’m out of town?” Those areas are your control zones—the parts of your business where you have trained your team to depend on you. Maybe it’s client proposals, payroll approvals, or final product signoffs. 

    Write them down. Then ask, “If I disappeared for 30 days, which of these would keep running and which would stall?” That is where your true bottlenecks live. It can feel uncomfortable to face but identifying them is the first step toward reclaiming your time. 

    2. Systemize the process, not the person. 

    Most owners try to delegate by telling someone what to do. True delegation means teaching them how to decide. Don’t just hand off a checklist. Document your thinking. 

    Ask yourself:  

    • What factors do you weigh before saying yes?  
    • What red flags would stop you? What is an acceptable risk?  
    • When should something be escalated? 

    If you can turn your judgment into a repeatable process, your team can replicate success without relying on you. This not only frees up your time, but it improves consistency across the board. 

    David Finkel

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  • The Question Leaders Should Be Asking Their Teams After Taking a Risk

    Leaders are usually clear about what they want. Take risks, speak up, and challenge the plan. If you’re feeling especially bold, then you might encourage the big, scary thing that might change the entire game. It sounds exciting. It sounds like innovation or growth. 

    When I’m in the room—in the actual post-meeting hallway, the quiet corner of the virtual office—I see something else entirely. I see smart, capable adults with impressive titles acting cautiously. I genuinely don’t believe you’re afraid of failing. You’re afraid of the aftertaste of failure. 

    The clues are subtle, but they’re there.  The faint eye roll from the SVP. A subtle distancing from the rest of the team. The quiet, insidious story their nervous system writes immediately after the bomb drops, which says, “Well, not doing that again.” That social tax is what really kills courage. 

    The rise of psychological safety 2.0 

    Psychological safety is the idea that a person can take interpersonal risks without fear of embarrassment, rejection, or punishment. The past decade focused on psychological safety 1.0—removing fear and blame. That was necessary. However, leaders must acknowledge the new frontier—actively neutralizing shame. In my experience, shame has excellent timing and terrible intentions. 

    What used to be foundational now needs to sit in the front row. When safety drops, shame rushes in to fill the gap. Shame is a wildly efficient survival mechanism. It’s designed to keep you tucked away and protected. It convinces capable, brilliant people to prioritize their self-protection over organizational contribution. Innovation doesn’t usually crash and burn with a loud explosion. It just thins out and shrinks when people opt for silence over candor. 

    Psychological safety is the hidden engine that lets people take interpersonal risks—like speaking up, challenging a plan, or admitting mistakes—without fear of embarrassment or retribution. This is why psychological safety 2.0 matters now. The focus shifts from avoiding punishment to activating learning. Leaders today must turn mistakes into information, not identity. This version—like its predecessor—is less about being “soft” and more about being smart. 

    Leaders don’t create safety through intention alone, but through consistent, audible signals—what I once described as “birdsong leadership,” the everyday language and behaviors that tell people it’s safe to speak up. Those signals matter more than ever before, because the workforce has changed its fundamental demands. Employees who report the highest levels of psychological safety are 72% more motivated than those who feel the least safe. People aren’t asking for coddling, but they are absolutely demanding conditions where courage doesn’t come with a crippling social cost. When the stakes feel socially high, the body remembers. 

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    Henna Pryor

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  • How to Get Product Leadership Right

    Businesses are quickly embracing product operating models in the hopes that a new way of thinking will afford them an edge in an increasingly uncertain and fast-changing market. This approach encourages organizations to think holistically about their goals, framing every decision within the context of the end-user experience.  

    By freeing teams from the traditional corporate framework that prioritizes success based on progress on discrete projects, product-centered strategies direct efforts toward projects that genuinely impact overall organizational health.  

    In fact, a recent Planview survey found that “leaders” in this transition are more likely to feel prepared to pivot, have confidence in their change management plans, and outperform the market than their peers. However, achieving these outcomes hinges on getting the right people for the job. 

    The product hiring paradox 

    This part of the equation—building the team—can be challenging for both established and start-up organizations. Openings in the field outpace active workers by nearly 3:1. Demand for executive, mid-, and entry-level talent is growing fast.    

    Of course, this isn’t unique to product management. Similar trends are playing out across the tech industry, with 87% of tech leaders struggling to find skilled workers. However, those hiring product professionals face a somewhat steeper climb as familiarity with the field’s core tenets and tactics remains low, both in theory and in practice.  

    Yes, product management has been a staple of corporate structure since the 1930s, with the field considered a spiritual successor to Procter & Gamble’s “brand man.” However, the role today is relatively new. It’s a product of the “as-a-service,” subscription-based, and technology-first business models that have overtaken one-time sales in the connected age. 

    The nuances of the field are still widely misunderstood, and the path to a successful career in product management remains unclear to the public. That creates problems on both sides, as hiring managers are unsure what to look for when candidates lack direct experience. Also, job seekers are uncertain about what makes them desirable in the field.  

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    Louise K. Allen

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  • The Hidden Costs of an “Always On” Workplace Culture

    Be honest. Are you someone who can’t slow down? Perhaps you are non-stop busy because you “just care,” you’re responsible, or there’s so much to do. Slowing down feels irresponsible, indulgent, or risky. 

    So, you do what most good leaders do: You push yourself. It’s the incessant work, the answering one more email, or the jumping on one more call. You tell yourself you’ll pause later—ideally when things calm down. For a while, it works. Decisions are made quickly because the pattern works…until it doesn’t. 

    Eventually, burnout shows up and the costs begin to add up in health, culture, judgment, retention, or all four at once. By the time it’s visible, it’s usually systemic—not personal. Your pace has quietly become your company’s pace. Not because you announced it, but because everyone is watching you. 

    What no one says about burnout

    Your actions are more believable than your values statement. What you do matters more than what you say. When you’re “always on,” people learn that being “on” is what gets rewarded. When you respond instantly, any delay is perceived as disengagement. When you never stop, they don’t either—even when stopping would be smarter. 

    Reduce burnout 

    Social psychologist Christina Maslach’s research is clear. Burnout is not an individual failure—it’s a workplace design problem. You can’t put “well-being” in a values statement and model urgency all day long. People believe behavior, not posters. Deloitte’s research on burnout reinforces this, proving that leader behavior is a stronger predictor of team burnout than workload alone. 

    Reflection questions 

    • When was the last time you stopped during the workday without calling it “catching up”?
    • What does your behavior teach people about what really matters here?
    • What are you protecting by moving so fast all the time? 

    Slowing down is a strategic advantage 

    You’ve been trained to believe speed equals competence. The evidence is less flattering. 

    Stanford research shows productivity drops sharply once people surpass 55 hours of work a week. After that, mistakes multiply, judgment narrows, and everyone gets busy fixing problems that didn’t need to exist. 

    Moshe Engelberg

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  • A Self-Sufficient Business Starts With Systems Before Scale

    Here is a truth I have seen repeatedly: Scaling without systems is chaos with a marketing budget. Every business owner wants to grow. It feels exciting to add more customers, expand product lines, or hire new staff. However, without solid systems in place, growth only amplifies your problems. Twice as many customers can quickly turn into twice as many headaches. 

    Before you hire, advertise, or add a product line, stop and ask yourself, “Can my business handle double the customers tomorrow without breaking?” If the answer is no, your next step is not marketing or sales. It is system-building. 

    1. Document everything once. 

    Whether it is onboarding, quoting, or following up with customers, write down the steps. It does not need to be perfect or complicated. A simple checklist often works better than a 30-page operations manual that no one ever reads. When you document a process once, you give your team a reference point that creates consistency. If someone leaves or takes a vacation, these documentation systems mean your work does not stall. New hires ramp up faster, and quality remains steady even when you are not involved. 

    Start small. Pick one recurring process and write it down. Then, review it with the person who actually does the work. Their insights will make it stronger and more realistic. 

    2. Automate what is repeatable. 

    Emails, billing, scheduling, follow-up reminders—these tasks do not need to live inside your head. Automation is not just for big companies. Small business owners benefit even more, because every hour saved goes straight back to your bottom line. 

    Look at where your team spends time on repetitive actions and ask, “Can software do this for us?” You do not have to overhaul everything at once. Start with one automation that removes a low-value task from your day. Over time, those small wins compound into serious freedom of time. 

    3. Create feedback loops. 

    Systems are never a one-time project. A system is a living process that requires regular maintenance. What worked when you had five employees may fail when you have 15 employees. 

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    David Finkel

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  • 3 Ways Founders Can Choose the Right Sales Channel, According to a CEO

    Choosing the right first sales channel can shape everything that follows for a small business. Many founders get stuck debating whether to start online, in retail, or selling wholesale. According to recent data, e-commerce now represents about 16.3% of all U.S. retail sales as of Q2 2025. Meanwhile, among small businesses, 44% now sell online only, 16% sell in-person only, and 41% combine online and in-person sales—showing a clear shift toward hybrid or fully digital sales models. 

    Founders often rush into online, wholesale, or retail without understanding where their customers are looking for them. Yet, success happens only when you stay focused on what you uniquely contribute. Business leaders must match their sales channel to real demand and take action when momentum hits. 

    On a recent episode of The Big Idea from Yahoo Finance, I sat down with Baked by Melissa founder and CEO Melissa Ben-Ishay to explore how early sales channel decisions shape a company’s ability to grow. Ben-Ishay built a nationwide brand from her New York City apartment after getting fired from her job, eventually becoming CEO of a company that sells through events, retail, e-commerce, and a thriving social media engine. Her perspective is grounded in lived experience, from getting fired to going viral, and her three lessons for choosing the right sales channel are practical for any industry.  

    1. Focus on what you uniquely bring, and delegate everything else. 

    Ben-Ishay’s first tip for small business owners is simple: Stop trying to do every job yourself. “Get people to do everything that you don’t need to do,” she advised. “Those areas where I can uniquely add value, that’s the only place I should focus my time.” 

    For founders choosing their first sales channel, this means being realistic about capacity. If your strength is product quality, not logistics, you need the right support before scaling e-commerce. If your strength is brand, not operations, make sure someone else owns fulfillment and accounting. Channel strategy only works when the founder is not spread so thin that nothing gets done well. 

    2. Let customer demand determine where you sell. 

    The clearest theme in Ben-Ishay’s story is that the customers always point to the next channel. Her early growth was not planned. It was reactive to demand. Her friend brought cupcakes to a PR agency and that relationship produced her first revenue channel.  

    From there, tastings led to retail. Then, customers began asking for delivery. Event sales were driven by demand. Retail came from a retailer who approached her. E-commerce began because customers asked for it. Her channels expanded naturally because she listened. 

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    Elizabeth Gore

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  • Why Mastering Alignment in Marketing Is The Key to Scaling Smarter

    This article was written by Jim Mitte, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization member in Detroit. Mitte is also the founder and CEO of Turtlehut, which provides internet marketing solutions that focus on empowering multiple location services businesses and franchise groups with growth, scalability, and consistency. Mitte shared why marketing infrastructure is the key to alignment and optimizing performance.

    Every private equity (PE) investment is made on the premise of future returns. In many cases, those investments pay off in spades. However, what if weaknesses in your marketing structures are quietly cutting into your future gains? Even when returns are good, could they be better?  

    Whether you’re a founder seeking investment before exiting or a PE firm looking to maximize profit, assessing the efficiency of your systems or those of your acquisition targets is critical to optimizing performance.  

    When done well, PE-funded service brand portfolios supercharge gains by injecting capital for expansion, while combining it with increased operational efficiencies that yield outsized growth. The model works well when organization-wide systems are in place to bring expertise and scale to enterprises that don’t have the means to achieve those gains on their own. With sellers looking to maximize their valuations and PE groups amping up for major returns, there is a lot at stake in those systems.  

    When not everything goes as planned: The breakdown in leads and scalability  

    One of the greatest challenges in scaling any multi-brand enterprise is dealing with the inefficiencies and disorder that creep in as staff and operations grow. A major culprit is the patchwork of marketing systems inherited from independent brands. Disparate tech stacks, disconnected data, and inconsistent brand execution make it nearly impossible to measure performance or replicate success.  

    The result? Lost gains, opaque data, slower scaling, and a decline in brand momentum once local owners step away. The good news is that these issues aren’t inevitable. They’re structural and fixable.  

    Here’s how private equity leaders can create a marketing infrastructure that scales as intelligently as their capital.  

    Go inside one interesting founder-led company each day to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. Sign up for 1 Smart Business Story from Inc. on Beehiiv.

    Entrepreneurs’ Organization

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  • The Communication Rule Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos Always Followed—and Most People Ignore

    Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos talked, so people listened. 

    Customers don’t care about “speeds and feeds,” Jobs would remind his teams at Apple. “People don’t just want to buy computers. They want to know what they can do with them.” 

    Jobs instinctively understood the key to effective presentations: Put the audience at the center of the story. Your listener will care about your ideas if you talk about what they care about. 

    In my communication classes at Harvard Executive Education, I introduce “audience-centric” communication as a system where the speaker puts the listener first. If you’re watching a boring PowerPoint, there’s a good chance the speaker is too focused on the information they want to get across rather than the content you’re most interested in. 

    Don’t be the boring speaker. Follow these four principles of audience-centric communication. 

    1. Start with the audience and work backward. 

    “Our fundamental approach is to start with customers and work backwards,” Jeff Bezos wrote in his 2009 Amazon shareholder letter. The principle of working backwards has stuck at Amazon ever since. 

    When I was researching my book, The Bezos Blueprint, I learned that nearly every major product or feature Amazon released—from Kindle to Prime—started life as a press release. The press release exercise will change the flow and the content of your presentations. When most people prepare presentations, they create slides, add data, and decide what they want to say. Does this sound familiar? 

    Carmine Gallo

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  • Profit First Doesn’t Mean Margin Last. Here’s How to Build a Margin-First Mindset

    Every business owner says they want to grow revenue, but what they really want is to grow profit. The two are not the same. Chasing top-line revenue without protecting your margins is like filling a leaky bucket. You can work harder, add more customers, and still watch your bank account stay the same. Real growth happens when you focus on profit, not just sales. 

    A margin-first mindset means putting profitability at the center of every decision instead of treating it as an afterthought. When you make that shift, you create a company that can scale sustainably instead of spinning its wheels in endless activity. 

    1. Start with clarity, not hope. 

    Stop guessing your margins. Know them. You cannot improve what you do not measure, and “gut feeling” is not a metric. Break down profitability by product, service, and channel. Identify which parts of your business make money and which ones quietly drain it. 

    When you see your real numbers, decisions become simple. You know which services deserve more investment and which customers or products are eating away at your profit. Too many owners rely on assumptions, thinking something is profitable because it has always sold well. The data often tells a different story. Once you know your true margins, you can act with precision instead of instinct. 

    2. Redefine growth. 

    Growth does not mean more customers. It means more profit from the “right customers.” 

    If a client takes double the time for half the return, they don’t fit the growth category. Instead, they are dragging you down. Every customer has an opportunity cost. Some stretch your resources, stress your staff, and erode your margins. 

    Look at your customer base and identify which clients or types of projects bring the best margins and align with your long-term strategy. Focus there. When you target profitable growth instead of volume growth, you scale smarter and faster. 

    David Finkel

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  • The 2025 Gift Guide That Will Elevate Your Business Relationships

    Skip the branded mugs and generic gift baskets. Shop this list to show clients, vendors, and colleagues you actually pay attention.

    We have officially reached the end of the era of the “generic corporate gift basket.” Here is an annual deep dive into gifts that actually matter. You can find last year’s guide here. Each year, I test and vet dozens of products to find the ones worth your time and budget. 

    The best gifts today aren’t about “stuff.” They’re about lifestyle return-on-investment. They are items that say, “I see how hard you work, and I want to help you recover, focus, or enjoy your downtime.” 

    The “ROI on Wellness” Stack 

    Illustration: Inc; Photo: Courtesy companies

    The Sleep Upgrade

    For the executive who brags about running on four hours but shouldn’t, the Perfectly Snug Smart Topper uses active airflow sensors to cool or heat each side of the bed independently. Pair it with Bedgear Performance Pillows for a complete sleep engineering package. For something lighter, the Puredown Organic Cotton Waffle Blanket offers perfect breathable weight, sustainably made. Your CMO will love it. 

    The Recovery Ritual

    The BADESOFA Bath Pillow is German-engineered to function like underwater furniture, weighted with sand to support your entire back and neck. For the colleague who doesn’t have bath time, Satavi Naturals Shower Steamers release eucalyptus and mint to create a steam-room effect in ten minutes. For the road warrior living in cramped airline seats, the Rally Orbital Massager is compact enough for a carry-on but powerful enough for deep knots. Great for buttering up your CFO. 

    The Biohacker’s Toolkit 

    For the data-driven leader, the Mira Hormone Monitor offers lab-grade clarity at home. It tracks hormone levels with precision that goes beyond any fitness tracker. The NovaaLab Light Pad uses red-light technology for inflammation and joint pain. It’s perfect for “tech neck” sufferers. Meanwhile the VEAUTY Dot brings radio-frequency skincare home. The Willo BrushBot automates brushing with a smart mouthpiece that cleans the entire mouth in 60 seconds, ensuring a dentist-grade clean. These are gifts for the person who optimizes everything.

    The Bedding Shortcut

    New parent on the team? The Doze Duvet solves the duvet-cover wrestling match with zippers on three sides and snap corners. A 60-second task instead of a 10-minute battle. 

    Illustration: Inc; Photo: Courtesy companies

    For the Road Warrior 

    There are three essentials that fit in a carry-on. First is the Geometrical Pocket Tripod PROv2, a credit card-size tri-pod that unfolds for video calls anywhere. Second is the Cabeau Evolution S3, the only travel pillow that works with seat straps preventing bobblehead. Lastly is the Vivobarefoot Shoes, which pack flat and allow your feet to move naturally. For the frequent flyer who lives out of a suitcase, the Flipside Carry On features a divider system separating clean clothes from dirty. It stays fresh through a week-long conference. 

    Shama Hyder

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  • The Powerful Lesson on Culture a Manager Shared That I’ll Never Forget

    It happened after a meeting that felt…off. 

    Nothing exploded. No one yelled. However, the energy was tense. People talked past each other, and several commitments quietly evaporated once the meeting ended. Later that day, the manager said, “This is what culture damage looks like before it becomes culture collapse.” 

    You don’t lose a healthy workplace all at once. You lose it through small, repeated behaviors that go unaddressed—missed responsibilities, defensive reactions, and negativity that spreads faster than motivation. 

    Recent research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shows that teams with unresolved behavior issues experience significantly higher disengagement and turnover—not because employees are “bad,” but because accountability is unclear and leaders hesitate to intervene. 

    That’s where you come in. Because whether you’re leading a team or simply influencing the people around you, culture is shaped by what you tolerate. 

    The most damaging behaviors aren’t the loud ones 

    In my own experience, I have found that teams suffer most not from isolated misconduct, but from persistent low-grade behavior problems that drain energy and trust over time. In other words, culture erodes quietly. 

    The good news? You can stop that erosion faster than you think. Here are seven actions you can take right now to protect (and repair) your workplace culture: 

    Peter Economy

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  • What Leaders Reward Shapes Company Culture

    I recently met a new friend named Dana. He’s a Boston duck boat tour guide, a “conDUCKtor,” whose job is to educate people and have a great time while cruising the Charles River. At the Boston Duck Tours end-of-year celebration, they hand out awards, including the usual ones for safety and for best presenters.  

    I think what Dana won this year was even better: “Most Loving” tour guide and a $1,000! He beamed as he described it. Happier than a duck in a puddle. This wasn’t random. It fit him. Dana is a man who leads with warmth, welcomes everyone, and creates that unmistakable energy that uplifts and connects. Amare energy, love at work. His company sees it and celebrates it.  

    Why recognizing love works 

    The leadership lesson is that when an organization rewards love, love multiplies. Everyone’s performance improves. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls it moral elevation. Research shows it increases prosocial behavior, generosity, and cooperation. When workplaces shine a light on loving behaviors, everyone feels the rise. I call it the “Amare Way.” This isn’t soft. It’s science. 

    Here are some examples of rewarding love: 

    • Zappos uses peer-to-peer recognition, Spotlight Awards, and its “Hero Award” to celebrate employees who deliver WOW-level kindness and service.
    • Salesforce brings its Ohana culture to life through peer-recognition platforms, public kudos walls, and volunteer time-off that rewards collaboration and community contributions. 
    • CISCO fuels its #LoveWhereYouWork culture with peer-to-peer appreciation tools, global “Connected Recognition” shout-outs, and community awards that honor care, teamwork, and belonging. These aren’t fringe moves. These choices shape performance, retention, innovation, and trust. Leaders reward love because love works to improve business. 

    Don’t reward what you don’t want 

    Most organizations don’t reward love. They reward obsession. Endless yeses. Profit at any cost. 

    What happens? If you reward cutting corners, corners get cut. Reward top performers who mistreat colleagues, and culture decays. Reward chasing profits above all? You quietly trade humanity away, one decision at a time.

    Your company’s reward system is your true strategy. Everyone reads the cues. 

    Moshe Engelberg

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  • Why Digital Product Development Needs Strategic Oversight

    Digital product development is moving faster than ever, and many businesses are just getting started. Research shows that investments in optimization remain at the top of executive priority lists, driving estimates that efficiency will increase by an average of 19% over the next five years. These enhancements are also expected to accelerate time to market (+17%) and lower costs (-13%).  

    Efforts to bring these gains to fruition have been, in many cases, focused on investments in digital tools. The predominant belief around operational enhancement has been that, when empowered by data and digital tools, teams across sectors will be able to iterate, release new features, and respond to customer feedback in real time. The inevitable result, of course, must be enhanced outcomes and market performance. The first part is true. The second, not as much.  

    Correcting the record 

    Though speed and innovation have reached an all-time high, many organizations still struggle to translate digital initiatives into real business value. On average, just 48% of an enterprise’s digital initiatives meet or exceed the business’s target outcomes. This puts the fallacy in the accepted digitalization narrative on full display.  

    If efficiency is up and teams are still falling short of their strategic goals, then efficiency alone cannot be the key to meeting objectives. So, what is? The answer, from what I can see, is alignment.  

    In the rush to iterate, innovate, and enhance with technology, leaders have mistaken connectivity for guaranteed cooperation. Digital tools certainly can improve strategic alignment, but cross-functional partnership is not guaranteed without additional adjustments.  

    Though emphasis on efficient delivery and productivity gains does accelerate timelines, continued visibility gaps prevent teams from seeing their work in the larger context. The result is a culture that rewards progress for its own sake, encouraging teams to keep moving even when that effort conflicts with overall objectives. Sure, it may get new solutions and updates to market more quickly, but it can wreak havoc on overall organizational health if sustained over time.

    The importance of alignment

    Take, for example, a product team with two choices:  

    Louise K. Allen

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  • 5 Leadership Lessons from ‘Professor Messi’

    This article was written by Evan Nierman, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization member in South Florida. He is the CEO of Red Banyan, a global PR firm specializing in brand building, communications training, and crisis management. Nierman drew leadership lessons from Lionel Messi’s actions as he led Inter Miami to the 2025 Major League Soccer Cup championship earlier this month.

    Inter Miami’s recent championship run was a major moment in American soccer, yet its significance extends far beyond the sport and contains important lessons for every organization.  

    The arrival of Lionel Messi changed the team’s belief in what was possible and shows how a leader can influence the performance and mindset of an entire organization. His presence helped the club find a clearer identity, strengthen its culture, and compete at a level it had not reached before. 

    Messi’s approach to winning on the field highlights how strong teams take shape, how confidence grows through daily habits, and how leaders elevate others through calm and steady guidance. His MLS Cup championship run provides a practical blueprint for organizations that want to grow, compete, and perform under pressure to achieve victory. 

    Here are five lessons from Professor Messi that translate directly to leadership and management in any field. 

    1. Success begins with a strong vision. 

    Inter Miami did not build its recent success on talent alone. Before Messi stepped onto the field, the organization had a vision for what it wanted to become. Ownership, guided by David Beckham, shaped the identity of the club and made decisions that aligned with that direction. Messi was a core part of this plan, and the foundation of the team’s success, but not the only key element.  

    This is a valuable reminder for leaders. Exceptional talent thrives when the destination is clear. Vision sets expectations, aligns teams, and provides a shared understanding of what success looks like. When the direction is set, the entire team moves ahead with focus and unity. 

    Entrepreneurs’ Organization

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  • 3 Steps to Turn Your Out-of-Office Reply Into a Leadership Signal

    It’s the last half of December, and most people are focused on wrapping things up and signing off. Perhaps the last thing you’ll do is set your out-of-office email responder. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Not quite. Have you ever considered that your out-of-office responder is an opportunity to communicate and reinforce your professional identity and your leadership status? 

    This insight came up in a recent executive coaching session with a smart client. We were talking about touch points that shape her professional identity, and she mentioned a thoughtful out-of-office reply she’d seen that made her pause and think, “This says something about who they are as a leader.”  

    She’s right. An out-of-office message might seem small, but it can be a powerful way to reinforce your personal brand. If you spend a little time managing your out-of-office status, it can work for you to reinforce your professional identity, even while you’re away. Three suggestions for how to do so: 

    1. Be clear about coverage and dates. Then, be consistent. 

    Of course, you need to be specific about the dates you’ll be gone, coverage you’ve set up, and when you will return. You also need to be consistent. 

    Be consistent with your coverage. This means identifying someone to look after urgent things when you’re away, then letting them do their job. I understand how tempting it is to jump in to “help out,” but imagine how this feels to the person you’ve designated to step in for you. If your out-of-office responder says you’re away, but you’re still actively responding, then it’s confusing to everyone you work with, including your team and your customers or clients. 

    Be consistent about dates. Don’t be tempted to over-promise regarding when you’ll be able to respond! If you’re coming back on January 2, don’t promise a response on that date. You know it’s always more overwhelming when you get back than you anticipated. So don’t overpromise. Rather, under promise and over-deliver. This isn’t just communication advice. This is life advice. 

    2. Show some personality and reinforce your leadership identity. 

    This is the opportunity that many leaders overlook. Here’s what I encourage my executive coaching clients to do. First, identify which part of your personal brand or your professional identity you want to emphasize.  

    Andrea Wojnicki

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