The Secret to Productivity, In One Sentence

The great Bud Grant, my football coach with the Minnesota Vikings, never made motivational talks before the game. He always said to me, “Well, if I have to go and motivate you before the game, and you need me to make a pep talk, then you’re in the wrong profession.” And that made sense to me.
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The Heroic Event

The small and mid-sized companies I work with consistently deliver on their promises to customers. These promises are important, but they are promises made outside the organization.
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3 Ways Leaders Can Provide Consistent Motivation

The first step in motivating a faltering individual is identifying the reason for the changed behavior. While it’s tempting to attribute the issue to boredom or laziness, there’s very likely a more significant problem.
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Coaching the Sales Process: Deal Reviews

Many sales managers really don’t know how to reinforce the sales process in their coaching and development of their sales teams. I’ve gotten a lot of questions on this topic from sales managers, and I suspect there are a lot more that are embarrassed to ask about this.
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The 3 Keys to Success for Great CEOs

Ever wonder why some CEOs succeed so easily while others seem to struggle just to keep their company going? The answer is simpler than you think. Really great CEOs focus their efforts on three key factors: Clarity, Accountability, and KPIs.
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How True Entrepreneurs Make Themselves Accountable

Everyone seems to like the aspect of being an entrepreneur that goes with “being your own boss” and “able to do things my way.” But sometimes they forget that this kind of freedom comes with a price of personal accountability. Accountability means “the buck stops here,” and “all the failures are mine.”
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