Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
A Mistake To Avoid
“The perplexity of life arises from there being too many interesting things in it for us to be interested properly in any of them.” – G.K. Chesterton (“The Secret of a Train,” Tremendous Trifles, 1901) I am unwinding a complication as I write this. It has involved (a) firing one of my closest friends, (b)…
Read MoreTwo Secrets Of Success
“I have found that the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.” – Harry S. Truman (television interview, May 27, 1955) BB, in his daily e-mail advisory Daily Reckoning, recounted the following conversation with his nine-year-old boy. I thought you…
Read MoreHow To Make A Stagnant Profit Center Grow
“To most men, experience is like the stern lights of a ship, which illumine only the track it has passed.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Table Talk, 1835) Test your CEO acumen: What do you do with a good but stagnant profit center? For several years now, sales have been the same. Profits too. You’d like…
Read MoreMy commute is 5 seconds!
Two weeks ago, I wrote to you about a part-time business I thought you might want to consider: Resume Writing. If you like the prospects of earning a part-time income of $40,000 or $50,000 a year — or of possibly quitting your day job for good some day soon — I think it would be…
Read MoreHow To Become A Great Thinker
“There never was an idea started that woke up men out of their stupid indifference but its originator was spoken of as a crank.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (Over the Teacups, 1891) So you want to be smart? Think great thoughts? Change the world with your ideas? Then you’ll need the following: * an…
Read MoreWhat’s Holding You Back?
“Let’s talk sense to the American people. Let’s tell them the truth, that there are no gains without pains.” – Adlai Stevenson (acceptance speech, Democratic National Convention, July 26, 1952) How are you doing with your dreams? Are you happy with your progress? Well on your way? Or are you falling behind? Maybe even stalled?…
Read MoreWhat The Rabbi Said
“The advantage of doing one’s praising to oneself is that one can lay it on so thick and exactly in the right places.” – Samuel Butler (The Way of All Flesh, 1903) The rabbi at JC’s wedding was a friendly looking fellow, and his sermon was a friendly compromise between “Lessons From the Torah” and…
Read MoreGet Those Monkeys Off Your Back!
Yesterday, we talked about the problem with “monkeys”: If you are not careful, colleagues and subordinates will try get the monkeys perched on their backs to leap onto yours. Be alert for this kind of “reverse delegation.” The smart manager, William Oncken, author of “Monkey Business,” argues, makes sure he spends only a minimum amount…
Read MoreUse You Copywriting Skills To Get Great People To Work For You
If you are not using your best copywriting skills (and you should have copywriting skills!) in recruiting new employees, don’t complain if the ones you get tend toward the mediocre. Here are a few suggestions on making your “Help Wanted” ads work more strongly for you: 1. Write a great headline. Make it grab attention.Write…
Read MoreEat Only Good Meals
Food is fuel. So say some fitness gurus. “Give your body what it needs to run and nothing else. You’ll be healthier — and that’s the most important thing.”
Read MoreUsing Rental Real Estate to Fund Your Retirement
“You know more of a road by having travelled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world.” – William Hazlitt (“On the Conduct of Life,” Literary Remains, 1836) In past messages, I’ve told you why I think real estate is such a good “second business.” It’s something you can learn relatively fast.…
Read MoreSetting And Maintaining High Standards of Performance
“The only way to succeed is to make people hate you.” – Josef von Sternberg If you read almost anything in the mainstream media about management or leadership, you’ll see lots of advice about making your employees happy.Listen to their problems and concerns. Create a positive atmosphere. Give them the resources they need and leave…
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