The biggest tip for a boss to show they are inclusive. Cringey Cry Fest I was called in to my boss’ office. He had to give me some bad news; the company was not going to allow me to attend my graduate school of choice while keeping my job. With the naiveté and…

Going beyond the retaliatory opinion survey to relationship-building. Numbers Too Good To Be True The company was considered “one of the best places to work” and had for years gotten a 98% employee satisfaction score. The results were touted in talent acquisition, company investment literature, and HR association PR. I had moved up to the inner…

Most of us focus only on our piece and miss the growth opportunities that come from the whole pie. Biggest learning of my early career… I was in charge of marketing for an international region. The product was a multi-use chemical used by consumers and tradespeople. We had a high potential country with an even higher…

When your growth is stuck on a hamster wheel and it should be on the flywheel. Biggest mistakes small business owners make… The company has big ideas and significant growth potential. Ahead of the curve on trends in their industry, customers feel unimportant, new initiatives aren’t hitting the ground running, and there is a lot of…

Small business growth works best when you create a culture of innovation in the workplace. The impact of innovation on business… The company had been in business for over 10 years. They had a very popular product and had launched another popular evolution of that product two years before, bringing them into new markets and appealing…

How to run a successful team in China. The pleasure of chicken feet…. I was newly in Shanghai, China to run the subsidiary of a global, public company. I have traveled and lived in almost every region of the world, but at that time I had very little experience in Chinese culture. We had just…

How to avoid international marketing mistakes. Common mistakes in international business…. A company I worked with repeatedly launched products developed for the US market into their international markets. It was the equivalent of purposely not packing an electrical adapter for your international trip. Needless to say, the products were out of regulatory compliance, faced legal…

With more than 60% of its revenue outside of the Untied States, WD-40 Company (yes, the company is named after the globally, recognized blue and yellow can of multipurpose lubricant) is a $400+ million, public company doing business in more than 180 countries worldwide. WD-40 Company started “going global” before…

Apparently my posts lately have had more sour grapes than gratitude. I have always considered myself a glass half-full kind of person. I’m also a truth-teller and quite the empath. …