Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
The Economy Is Definitely Slowing
“By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity. Another man’s, I mean.” – Mark Twain (Following the Equator, 1897) At the peak of the economic boom in the fourth quarter of 1999, unemployment was at its lowest level in a generation. More to the point, perhaps, the gross number of Americans employed was the…
Read MoreHow To Overcome Gender Bias On The Job
“In the nineteenth century, government agencies in Washington had, almost without exception, flatly refused to hire even one female.” – David Brinkley (Washington Goes to War, 1988) On the plane the other day, I overhead a conversation between two women. One was complaining about her job, her boss, her fellow workers — everyone but herself.…
Read MoreSlacking Off At Work? Here’s Someone Who Thinks You Should
“If you want work well done, select a busy man: the other kind has no time.” – Elbert Hubbard (The Note Book, 1927) Tom Demarco, a high-tech consultant and author of “Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency,” believes that productivity is overrated. He says that if the recession has left…
Read MoreAutomatic Billing: A Profitable Strategy No One Talks About
“Human nature is above all things — lazy.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe (Household Papers and Stories, 1864) When we talk about the emotional aspects of selling, we often speak of our customer’s greed and fear — but never of his laziness. But laziness — usually your enemy — can sometimes work in your favor, particularly…
Read MoreSwarm Intelligence And Free Enterprise
“Is there a polity better ordered, the offices better distributed, and more inviolably observed and maintained, than that of bees?” – Montaigne There is an article in a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) about something scientists call “swarm intelligence.” It suggests an interesting insight into the value of teamwork in problem solving…
Read MoreDon’t Work With Your Mouth Full
“Never eat more than you can lift.” – Miss Piggy As we said in Message #444 (“Don’t Befriend Your Business Contacts”), business and friendship don’t easily go together. The same is true of business and food. If you value your health above all (and you probably should), you’ll want to eat your meals in tranquility.…
Read MoreAre You Too Competitive?
“Man has risen so far above all other species that he competes in ways unique in nature. He fights by means of complicated weapons; he fights for ends remote in time.” – Charles A Lindbergh (Autobiography of Values, 1978) Hollywood would have you believe that successful businessmen are competitive creatures who fight their way to…
Read MoreCheating Yourself In Your Spare Time
“When a finger points at the moon, the imbecile looks at the finger.” – Chinese proverb Theres a young man I know — someone Im mentoring — who has great potential but no obvious advantages. He doesnt have a good education, has no money to speak of, and has only one serious connection — me.…
Read MoreYour Secret Fantasy: Just Do It!
“Every morning when I wake up, I experience an exquisite joy — the joy of being Salvador Dali — and I ask myself in rapture, ‘What wonderful things is this Salvador Dali going to accomplish today?’” – Salvador Dali Do you have a secret ambition? Is there something you’ve always wanted to do — act,…
Read MoreHow To Break Into The Lucrative World Of Catalog Sales
“The secret of success — if there is one — is the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes and to consider things from his or her point of view as well as your own.” – Henry Ford Whether you sell old books, cigar lighters, clothes, or furniture, a catalog can transform your business.…
Read MoreDon’t Befriend Your Business Contacts
“Business, you know, may bring money, but friendship hardly ever does.” – Jane Austen (Emma, 1816) I know a couple that has an unusual number of rich and successful “friends.” We circulate in many of the same social circles, but they end up becoming chummy with the billionaires, movie actors, and sports stars. They go…
Read MoreDo You Need A Strong Personality To Be Successful?
“You don’t have to be nice to people on the way up if you are not planning to come back down.” – Dan Stone If you read the wrong career advice, you might conclude that being successful in business is about being tough and aggressive, attacking the competition, and taking care of No.1. That’s one…
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