Showing results by publisher "Blackstone Audio, Inc." in Management

Today's business environment demands leapfroggers - those who create rapid, disruptive innovation, not small improvements. A leading innovation pioneer shows that businesses often ignore the very thing that could lead them to game-changing products - the power of surprise. How did Gatorade revitalize itself in the wake of Red Bull and Starbucks? How did Four Seasons become the world’s leading luxury hotel brand? What makes one leader or company thrive while others languish?

Jay Levinson is the author of eight volumes in the Guerrilla Marketing series. More small businesses use his techniques than any other.

Debra Traverso tells you how to prepare for the surprises most likely to throw small businesses off course. She helps you anticipate both predictable hurdles and devastating ordeals, so that no crisis will catch you off guard. No need to waste emotions, time, and money when a crisis hits: you can get a good night's sleep!

"There are two birds, two sweet friends, who dwell in theselfsame tree," says the Upanishads. The first bird, dwelling on the lower part of the tree, lives "in sorrow and anxiety." Unable to see beyond the branches, it hops around compulsively indulging its appetites, eating every fruit, sweet and sour.

The other bird, higher up, can see the whole tree and the wider world - this perspective puts it in touch with its innate sense of being, the quality of existence that it shares in common with all other living beings.

Charm is good business. It can increase your income, boost your status, and establish and maintain your reputation. Most businesspeople don't fully understand the concept of charm. It ought to be a reflex, a conditioned response, to "turn on the charm" when dealing with customers, clients, associates, and employees, but it isn't. Charm draws customers. Charm gets noticed. But charm is only partly innate. Much of it is learned.