Commentary
Navigating Family Business Succession
Most of us have at one time or another faced a transition that seemed truly dauntingsomething that took us out of our comfort zones and made us question our abilities and limits. In 2004, when I agreed to join Port Blakely Companies as the successor to CEO Jim Warjone, the challenge of successfully transitioning into…
Will the Economic Advantage of Having Communities Friendly to Gays Tip the Political Balance in Favor of Legalizing Gay Marriage?
When a delegation from Charlotte, North Carolina visited Seattle recently, Steve Johnson, Director of Seattles Office of Economic Development, was asked to address the delegates on the topic of how to create and support a culture of creativity. Afterward, one member of the delegation asked Johnson how Charlotte should go about creating a welcoming environment…
Downtown Seattle Association Proposes New Not-for-Profit Focused on Central Waterfront Redevelopment
Interesting new approach for exploring the exciting possibilities of transforming Seattle’s waterfront! Here’s the press release: The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) is asking Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle City Council to support development of a not-for-profit entity dedicated exclusively to the long-term funding, development and sustainability of the Central Waterfront Redevelopment project. With…
Power Shortage
The mean geographic center of population in the United States, calculated every 10 years by the U.S. Census Bureau, has been moving steadily westward ever since those who got here after the Pilgrims set foot on dry land decided things were just as crowded here as back home and kept walking toward the sunset. That…
Flying Blind
A few months ago in this space, I wrote about courage and how a lot of people dont know they have it. This month, well be talking about people who are completely lacking the courage chromosome and could use an emergency implant, stat. Im talking about the CEOs of the nations airlines and the people…
Simple Health Solutions Are Often the Best and Cheapest
A year ago, life was bleak. Tendinitis in my elbow had forced me to quit yoga and squash, and typing was such a source of misery that I contemplated a career change. I tried everything. I went to a physical therapist, bought an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, and even tried a voice recognition system. (Hated…
A Good Story Makes For a Great Speech
Nobody wants to hear numbers, says Chris Elias, former president and CEO of PATH. Numbers are boring. But if you dont use any numbers when speaking to an audience, people wonder if you really know your subject. People are best able to remember numbers when a story is attached. Hes right. As a businessperson, youve…
Ask, Dont Tell: Nine Ways Power Questions Help Us Build Better Business Relationships
Attorney, Paradigm Counsel Hoboken, NJ (February 2012)Just a few years ago, globalization was in full swing, and the world seemed to be bursting with an infinite supply of business. All this bounty lulled us into taking our customers for granted, maintains Andrew Sobeluntil the economy tanked and shattered the illusion of endless prosperity. Suddenly, the…
Downtown Seattle Vibrant But Fragile, says Nordstrom CEO
The Downtown Seattle Association released a report today that has some good news about the state of the Seattle downtown area but also a great deal that is worrisome. I cant underscore enough how fragile the downtown area is, said Blake Nordstrom, CEO of Nordstrom, speaking at the Associations annual breakfast today, If a city…
Small Business Lending Jumps 20 percent in December
Small Business Lending Jumped 20 percent in December according to Reuters. Read Seattle Business magazine’s story on the rise in small business lending. https://www.seattlebusinessmag.com/article/funding-forecast-brightens Here is Reuter’s piece: CHICAGO – Borrowing by U.S. small businesses rose in December to the highest level in more than four years, pointing to continued strength in an important corner…
Do Weird Company Names Help or Hurt?
One of the perks of my job is getting to learn about new companies that are doing interesting things. And occasionally I end up wondering how some businesses came to be named. I mean, any idea what Zoomingo does? Or LootTap? MoonTango? MangoSpring? Vizua? BookieJar? Canappi? I had none until I looked them up. (And…
How Business Can Help Stop Diabetes
One of every five health care dollars is spent on caring for someone with diabetes. Employers bear a large portion of this burden through health care premiums that continue to rise. Although these numbers are daunting, in many cases, diabetes is a preventable disease. Working to prevent diabetes is our biggest opportunity to control health…
CEO Adviser: Who makes business sustainable?
The first decade of the 21st century taught us that the world is flat and fraught with peril. The new certainty is uncertainty. And theres so much that executives and entrepreneurs simply cant control as they seek to create value, accelerate growth and sustain high performance within their companies and throughout the global marketplace. One…