You've done the SWOT analysis and identified your business's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. 80% of business owners consider the exercise complete having identified a "snapshot" view, and file the analysis away into a drawer never to be seen again. But the savvy 20% use the information they've gleaned as a starting point to plan for future growth.

A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning technique that helps you to identify your core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The technique leads to fact-based analysis, fresh perspectives, and new ideas and works best when multiple voices within an organization are free to provide realistic data points rather than "prescribed messaging."

Metrics... Just because they’re easy to measure doesn’t mean they matter. When I visit a new client or when I do some investigation for a prospective client, I often see something that looks like a useful metric but isn't. It happens because they often appear in easy, round numbers and are easily compared to other round numbers. Facebook "Likes" is one I see often. But when you start to think about it, how does

As the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on, President Zelenskyy has shifted from being grateful for any military support to telling the NATO countries what he needs to repel the Russians.

Shocking things happen when the information you give isn’t what the boss happens to want to hear.

For example, I was reading an article about 2 senior Russian oil executives who have died recently of what we'll term unnatural causes.

Let’s be frank – nothing kills an organization's morale faster than making completely unrealistic claims that get your staff all revved up, only to find out you've lied and not only are they not advancing as you promised – they’re in reverse.

Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? The little kid David is given little or no chance to defeat the monster, Goliath. And, armed with nothing but a sling, David expertly lands a rock right between the eyes of Goliath and wins the day.

Income and expenses are not linear. Like stock charts, when they are plotted on a graph they rise and fall even though they may be following a general trend or rising or falling. In much the same way that humans breathe or the water in an estuary flows both in and out, a company’s cash flow behaves similarly.