ChrisBanescu.com

by Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D. – How and why do incompetent people rise to the top? Why are there so many incompetent leaders? Is your boss less than competent? How about that department head in accounting or HR that doesn’t know his/her job? How in the world do incompetent people rise to the top in [...]

by Amy Gallo – Everyone complains about his or her boss from time to time. In fact, some consider it a national workplace pastime. But there’s a difference between everyday griping and stressful frustration, just as there is a clear distinction between a manager with a few flaws and one who is incompetent. Dealing with [...]

Creativity fosters innovation, but how can you ignite creative sparks within your organization? Inc.com compiled lessons on developing a vibrant research and development strategy. To come up with their best new ideas, most companies turn to an inexpensive and efficient source of innovation: their own employees. How can you unleash the creative spirit lurking in [...]

11/19/2010 – Davia Temin – Evil in the office. If you think about it, you’ll probably realize you’ve seen it play out at least once in your career. All of a sudden a well-running, friendly, effective group or company begins to disintegrate for no apparent reason. People start to become demoralized and dysfunctional, efficiency plummets, [...]

11/19/2010 – Paul Spiegelman – Paul Spiegelman, the founder and CEO of Beryl, a call-center company in Bedford, Texas, has built a unique, people-centric culture, which he chronicled in the book, Why is Everyone Smiling? His next book, co-authored with Beryl employees, is titled Smile Guide: Employee Perspectives on Culture, Loyalty and Profit. Here, Spiegelman [...]

7/29/2010 – Christine M. Riordan – Micromanage. A dreaded word. The dictionary defines it as “to direct or control in a detailed, often meddlesome manner.” Most popular management books call it something to avoid at all costs and give decisive tips on how not to do it. As a professor of management, I often talk [...]

7/9/2010 – Liz Ryan – Reigns of modest but palpable terror are making an unwelcome return at offices all over the country The U.S. financial crisis has caused fear in the boardroom, and that unease trickles down to every worker. The principal signs of a fear-soaked senior leadership are a preoccupation with looking out for [...]

Inc.com | by Bo Burlingham | 2/1/2010 When Nick Sarillo launched his pizza business, he had one goal in mind: to create a corporate culture unlike any he had seen. It’s Takeout Tuesday at Nick’s Pizza & Pub, and the air is thick with the smells of hot pizza crust, peppers, onions, and cheese. Eighteen [...]

Inc.com | by Joel Spolsky | 2/1/2010 Have you ever invited employees to a meeting just so they wouldn’t feel left out? If so, you may be an overcommunicator. When was the last time you scheduled a meeting and invited eight people instead of the three people who really needed to be there simply because [...]

Inc. | by John Mackey John Mackey of Whole Foods describes his process for identifying key hires. Q: What traits should I look for when hiring for a leadership position?

Inc.com | by Aaron Patzer | October 2009 Aaron Patzer launched Mint.com as a user-friendly alternative to Quicken and other personal-finance software out there. Little did he know that just two years later, Intuit, which makes Quicken, would fork over $170 million for his website. So how’d he do it?

Inc.com | John Mackey Interview | July 2009 Q: What traits should I look for when hiring for a leadership position? A: My philosophy about this has definitely evolved over the years. I understand people a lot better today than I did 30 years ago. Back then, I was more impressed with people who were [...]

Inc.com | by Darren Dahl | May 2009 The first thing you notice when you walk into the Chicago offices of Total Attorneys, which provides software and services to small law firms, is the number of people on their feet. Every morning, the company’s 180 employees gather around the office in groups of five to [...]

The Wall Street Journal | by Scott Morrison | May 19, 2009 Concerned a brain drain could hurt its long-term ability to compete, Google Inc. is tackling the problem with its typical tool: an algorithm. The Internet search giant recently began crunching data from employee reviews and promotion and pay histories in a mathematical formula [...]

Inc.com | by Michael Alter | Mar. 31, 2009 With all this economic gloom and doom, business owners are no doubt finding it a challenge to stay positive. What some might not realize, though, is that along with the challenges of a downturn comes huge opportunity. When times are good, it’s easy to overlook problems [...]

Inc.com | by Norm Brodsky | March 2009 It requires conquering your fears and making the right choices. Many business owners won’t do either Fear can be a motivator, but it can also lead you into bad decisions, particularly in times like these. I have no doubt that a lot of business owners have spent [...]

Fast Company | by Kate Rockwood | November 2008 How Kenexa is blending psychology and technology to create passionate workers. At the suburban Philadelphia offices of Kenexa, people grin at one another all day long. Sometimes they hug. Bright posters of the company’s guiding principles dot the walls: YOU’RE ALLOWED TO LAUGH YOUR WAY THROUGH [...]

InformationWeek | by Rob Preston | Sept. 29, 2008 One school of thought is that if you treat your people right, they’ll be far more motivated and equipped to engage with (and maximize returns from) your customers. The customer comes first. It’s considered a business management truism. The way to boost profits and market caps [...]

Inc.com | by Scott Westcott | August 2008 For Linda Skoglund, getting a pedicure on a busy Tuesday afternoon was a career turning point. It ran against her Midwestern work ethic. And certainly, there was plenty of work piled up at J.A. Counter & Associates, the $2.5 million insurance and investment advisory firm she owns [...]

During the glory days of the Dot Com Bubble I worked as Director of Web Development at Homestore.com (now Move.com). Homestore ran Realtor.com, the largest real estate site on the web. Homestore’s management team was unable to capitalize on the unique position and strategic advantages the company had in the marketplace and squandered the resources [...]

When I was younger I used to believe that getting a good education and working hard would offer me a stable life. I learned real quick that many companies don’t reward hard work anymore – at least not like I thought they did. I believe in hard work. I think people should be rewarded on [...]