Monday Mornings with Madison
March 7, 2016

A Business Bucket List

Issue #417

According to a report investigating 41 countries published by the Bank of Korea in 2008, there were 5,586 companies in existence that were older than 200 years. Of those, 3,146 were located in Japan, 837 in Germany, 222 in the Netherlands and 196 in France.  And in the U.S., there are currently only 72 companies operating for more than 200 years.  That makes sense given that the U.S. is a much younger nation that those in Asia or Europe.  Still, it is a tough pill to swallow that most businesses eventually perish. While no one wishes for their business to go belly-up any time soon, the facts are indisputable. The average life expectancy of a Fortune 500 company today is between 40 and 50 years. And the average life span of a family-owned business in the U.S. is only 24 years. Continue reading →

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February 29, 2016

Spring Cleaning As Springboard for Creativity and Ingenuity

Issue #416

While it’s hard to think about Spring Cleaning while Jack Frost is still nipping on most toes across the country, Spring is just a few weeks away.   To some, Spring Cleaning is nothing more than tedious drudgery to be avoided or delegated to cleaning staff.   However, a different way to look at Spring Cleaning is as a therapeutic, energizing exercise.  Indeed, a thorough scrubbing, scouring, polishing and organizing of home or office can be more beneficial than just making a space fresh and germ-free.  It also helps to make room for things that matter, serve as a catalyst for creativity, and stimulate the imagination.  A meticulous cleansing and tidying can not only serve to organize the physical world but the mental one as well. Continue reading →

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February 22, 2016

It’s About Time

Issue #415

Even though time gives the impression of being endless, it is actually the most finite of all resources.  Unlike money, which can be saved or lost, time cannot be saved; only lost.  It cannot be stretched, stopped, hidden or paused.  There is no back-up for lost time.  Wasted time is lost forever.  Even though the clock’s hands start its daily trek around the dial anew each day, making it seem like we have unlimited time, in truth time that has passed will never return.  This is news to no one, and certainly not to any business owner.  Most companies are hyper vigilant of employee time to ensure it is not squandered.  Rules for the proper use of time take the form of warnings against the various ways in which staff are tempted to waste time.  Office socializing.  Texting friends.  Posting or surfing social media.  Tardiness. Continue reading →

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February 15, 2016

EQ, IQ and SQ: The Leadership Trifecta

Issue #414

John Quincy Adams once said that “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”  But the question of what makes a good leader has been dissected for centuries if not millennia. So much has been written about what it takes to be a great leader and how to spot leadership potential in others.  Business owners and managers all want to possess and provide the kind of visionary leadership that makes an organization grow and thrive.  Much has been said about the intelligence, skills and the emotional traits needed for great leadership. Continue reading →

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February 8, 2016

Money and Motivation

Issue #412

Every business owner grapples with the question of how best to motivate employees.  And for good reason.  Motivated employees are more productive.  Motivated employees also have a better attitude about their work and a better attitude toward others.  And motivated employees are more reliable, punctual, and loyal.  Motivated employees are also less likely to leave their job and go elsewhere.  In short, motivated employees are satisfied employees.  And lots of research has shown the relationship between employee satisfaction and a company’s success. Continue reading →

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February 1, 2016

Understanding Multiple Intelligences, Part 2

Issue #412

Multiple Intelligence Theory, first proposed by Professor Howard Gardner in his book Frames of Mind (1983), stated that people learn, remember, perform, and understand things in different ways.  That didn’t sound like a revolutionary concept until he referred to these differences as “intelligences.”  But Gardner wasn’t talking about a person’s level of intelligence, like IQ.  Rather, he was talking about types of intelligence.  Gardner put forth that there are eight types of intelligence, namely:  language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, an understanding of ourselves, and an understanding of the natural world.  Each person has different intelligences, and the ways in which those intelligences are used and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains also differs from person to person. Continue reading →

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January 25, 2016

Understanding Multiple Intelligences, Part 1

Issue #411

Most any employer can give countless examples of employees who are highly productive in the workplace but who would likely perform poorly on an IQ test.  The average entrepreneur himself might be an example of how IQ scores are ineffective indicators of workplace performance and success.  It is no wonder, then, that most workplaces pay little attention to “intelligence” as a factor in staff hiring.  Virtually no employer asks for a person’s IQ score to determine if the person is qualified for a job.  Perhaps that would be different, though, if what was considered intelligence in oneself and others was redefined to recognize that there are many different kinds of intelligence. Continue reading →

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January 18, 2016

Be a Better Writer in 2016 – Part 3

Issue #410

Avoid the top 40 Most Misused or Mixed-up Words

If you think bad writing is only a problem for recent immigrants (for whom English is a second language) and grade school children, think again.  A parking lot sign read:  “Customer Parking Only.  All Others Will Be Toad.”  (It should read Towed.)  Another neon sign at a car dealership read:  “We Bye Used Cars.”  (Well, if business is good, perhaps do they say ‘bye’ to a lot of cars.  But the sign probably should read:  “Buy”.)   And a Days Inn roadside sign advertised “Free Wife Available”.  It should say “Wifi”.   (Hopefully, they aren’t giving away free wives.)   While amusing, consider that companies paid money to have these signs professionally printed.  No one at the company or at the sign printer caught the mistakes.   Many people surely read these signs and yet the signs weren’t removed or corrected, which suggests that perhaps no one caught these mistakes.  These signs point to the trouble many people have writing well.  Social media, newspapers, signage, advertisements, email solicitations and other written and published works are littered with examples of bad writing. Continue reading →

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January 11, 2016

Be a Better Writer in 2016 – Part 2

Issue #409

For most people, writing is not easy.  Converting one’s thoughts to writing is hard, in part, because we don’t speak the way we are supposed to write and we’re not always entirely clear about what we want to say or the best way to say it.   That is true in any language.

Writing the English language has even more challenges.    For every rule there are always exceptions.  Words often have multiple meanings, spellings and sounds.   Nevertheless, writing is a skill used daily by most people in their personal and professional lives.  While no one expects the average person to be a master writer, it’s important to at least be a proficient one. Continue reading →

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January 4, 2016

Be a Better Writer in 2016 – Part 1

Issue #408

Despite the recurring diatribes about the decline of the written word, in truth, people write more now than ever.  While few pen long letters on scented stationary anymore, people were pouring emails into the digital abyss at an estimated eye-popping rate of about 200 Billion per day in 2015.  We also send text messages, tweets, and instant messages and write blog posts and comments, and otherwise fire off words at one another in a near-constant flow of communication. Written communication is a required skill for most any job or profession today.  Whether it is composing a memo, preparing a letter, drafting a report, taking notes in a meeting, crafting a business plan, or just pounding out a quick text message, written communication is part and parcel of practically every occupation on a regular basis.  People write PowerPoint presentations, business requirement documents, speeches, mission statements, position papers, standard operating procedures, manuals, brochures, package copy, press releases, and dozens of other specialized types of documents.  Even salespeople and accountants – occupations often thought to be sans writing — must write reports and sales agreements. Continue reading →

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