You've done everything necessary to hold an effective meeting. But someone says something that seems completely unrelated to the goal for the meeting. Here's how to respond. (This is the third of a seven part article on Managing Monsters in Meetings.)

A simple side conversation can eat holes in a meeting. Here's how to stop them and bring your meeting back on track. (This is the second of a seven part article on Managing Monsters in Meetings.)

Everyone complains about bad meetings and how they waste everyone's time. Here are five general strategies to make sure that you hold an effective meeting, even when unproductive behavior threatens to ruin it. (This is the first of a seven part article on Managing Monsters in Meetings.)

The role of money as a motivator is indisputable if you don't have enough. With bills to pay and mouths to feed, most hunter/gatherers will push themselves to get enough money into the bank account to remove those troublesome worries. However, once the threshold of comfort has been reached and there is a steady flow of money coming from a job that is well understood, can money be used as a further motivator? The answer is firmly in the realms of "it depends". It depends on...

Today�s workforce is truly mobile. Most of us now work at the office, from home and on the road. �On demand access� to critical customer information from anywhere is becoming a �must have� facility. Now customers demand CRM access using a remote desktop or laptop accessing data through the Internet or on a handheld device. Suppliers are expected to have all the information at their fingertips at the moment of interaction. The same insight into their business and affairs ar...

Every company performs to a script. Whether they real;ise it or not. The organisational script from which the organisational style and culture emanates has usually evolved quite spontaneously over a period of years. Companies operating with an inappropriate script are more likely to suffer from Mission Staement Drift. It is therefore vital that a company runs with script which is in keeping with their Mission Statement

The New York Times Company (NYT) isn�t just reporting the news � it�s making the news. At yesterday�s annual meeting, shareholders withheld 28% of their votes for the four directors elected by holders of the company�s common stock. Nine other directors are elected by holders of the Class B shares, effectively granting control of the company to a group holding less than a 1% economic interest in the business. Most of the large newspaper companies have not done a great job o...

Can a Merchant Services Account really help your company to grow? Dozens of satisfied business owners claim it can, and they eagerly support this type of service for use with many kinds of companies and enterprises. Basically, a merchant account will allow you to collect credit card payments from your customers in a variety of ways. You�ve probably heard all about these from other company owners in your area, but if not, here is a basic rundown of what to expect. Getting ...

Can merchant services make a difference in the way you do business? You bet they can! A merchant services account can equip you to conduct e-commerce with the latest credit card processing technology. You may be able to manage your company with fewer employees to handle billing and collect payments when you implement technical credit processing equipment that can save you time and money. In addition, a merchant account will place you in the ranks of your industry�s foremost p...

Since a personal credit card provides us with the means to make life easier and more enjoyable, can you imagine what a merchant credit card account can do for your business? This type of account is more than just a line of credit. It is an entire service package that offers support to help your company flourish and grow. Of course, as with any other type of credit account, it is important to use it responsibly. The first step toward obtaining this type of financial and techni...