Several years ago, popular business books trumpeted the importance of focusing your company by choosing a distinct business model. One best-selling book offered these alternatives: 1) customer intimacy – delivering what specific customers want, 2) operations excellence – delivering quality, price, and ease of purchase and use and 3) product leadership – creating the best products and services.

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Our persistently weak economy is driving small businesses into two camps – the few that are growing fast and the many that are struggling.

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Did you hear about the railroad operations manager who stayed up all night in a snowstorm helping right a derailed boxcar so the train could get through on time?

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Thanksgiving is a very special holiday. It commemorates the generous spirit of the Wampanoag Native Americans who sustained the starving pilgrims in Plymouth in 1621, and it reminds us of the deep values of family, friendship, and community that underlie our happiness and wellbeing.

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The RFP process can be a big source of supplier frustration, or a critical point of competitive leverage. All too often, it is the former, but it doesn't have to be that way.

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"Watch out for the bump in the road," Grace blurted out.

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A few days ago, I visited a friend who is pioneering a new course at the Berkeley's Haas School of Business. The objective of the course is to train graduate students in critical thinking – framing difficult management problems in creative and innovative ways.

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Strategic innovation is the lifeblood of business growth and lasting profitability. It enables you to push the envelope of customer value creation, positioning your company as the strategic partner of choice. It also allows you to price higher, grow faster, and leave your competitors in the dust.

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Large-scale change. Most managers view it as the ultimate management challenge.

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