"Business owner Doug Wagner didn’t expect to learn 3 important lessons of leadership from grieving the loss of his best friend. But that’s exactly what happened."
My latest business article on the Good Men Project. Brought back some tough emotions but the leadership lessons are too important not to share.
“All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know like and trust.” Bob Burg and John David Mann – The Go-Giver
At first glance the Go-Giver is a book about sales.
I agree. Following The 5 Laws will help you sell more.
The Laws apply to life and business as well.
Because they are largely about being human, building relationships and putting the interests of others first while being open to receiving.
We are focused on Joe and how his story relates to us.
But there is another […]
Last week I was presenting the first of our newly launched Manifast Now webinar series and the topic was “7 Reasons 90% of Strategic Plans Never Get Implemented (And What To Do About It)”.
A really good question was asked about getting people engaged in the business culture when they are not employees.
Essentially, the question came from a person running a real estate brokerage where the agents are considered “independent”. She wants to build an […]
"Is the moral fiber of corporate executives really on a rapid decline? Or are we just privy to more of the details, and therefore in a place of power to impact the outcomes?"
It is getting harder for companies to brush bad behavior under the carpet when their top executives mess up. This has both good and some dark implications on where things could go for businesses and society as a whole.
My latest article […]
At our last house I built a big cedar pergola on our wooden (untreated spruce) 2×4 deck we inherited. I made the pergola only using screws and bolts (no nails) in case I ever needed to repair it. Just prior I had stained the deck with 5 year deck stain. I figured it would last at least 3 years.
I was wrong.
It started […]
Maybe you just lost a big client or didn’t win a big proposal. Maybe you are just getting going in your business.
What is the first reaction when you have a cash flow shortage in your business?
If you are like 99% of people your first reaction is “I need more money, fast. How do I quickly get more money?”
You’ve now shifted the focus to you.
Not your client.
I recently caught myself thinking something like this. “How do I make another $10,000 dollars per month?”
If you go to try and sell something in this frame of mind, it will probably not go well. […]
I happen to play fiddle and sing in a couple of Celtic bands. There is a strong maritime tradition in many of the songs and a lot of them seem to be about ships reaching a tragic end.
But ships didn’t just head out for fun back in those days. They were generally there for the purpose of commerce (or navy).
Leadership requirements are at their peak when the ship is in peril. This is no different for your business. 
So imagine back in […]
Back in the dark ages, villagers and townspeople would often react to a rumor and then take action swiftly to bring justice upon the presumed guilty party without waiting for the authorities to resolve it. The more emotionally attached people were to the crime, the less real or confirmed information they needed to follow the crowd and exact revenge.
Unfortunately two things were often true:
In this guest post by Certified Go-Giver Coach, Doug Wagner, the very wise and successful entrepreneur takes inspiration from a book by Perry Marshall. Here, he looks at the famous “Pareto Principle” (a/k/a, “the 80/20 rule”), applying it to The Go-Giver and one’s overall business success.
Enjoy Doug’s wisdom! – Bob Burg
I recently read 80/20 Sales and Marketing by Perry Marshall and decided to apply some of […]
Our company is in the process of further defining its core values. At times we have been the shoe makers children and put all our effort into our clients and not enough into ourselves; going barefoot.
This is a big mistake so we are making working on the business part of our business.
A lot of things may be important to you and your organization but certain things define you, say what you stand for, and what you won't tolerate.
Sometimes you […]