http://advice.ascendworks.com Thinking Big and Growing Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:31:13 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I had the privilege of being in Germany when the Berlin wall fell. My father served 25 years in the military and 9 of those were in the Cold War era of then West Germany. At that time, West Germany was one of the most dynamic economies in ... http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/11/14/productivity-glass-ceiling/ Go to the grocery store and buy all the ingredients you will need. Next, go to Williams and Sonoma and get the best cookware and utensils. Sit in front of the television and take careful notes. Mimic the cook and see if your dinner dish comes out ... http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/11/07/anyone-could-do-that/ Everyone has a deep need which they are seeking to fulfill.  We all need to feel important.  Watch anyone, and if you can identify what makes the person feel important, you will know what motivates the person. Your customer, your boss, your family and your friends either have a good or ... http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/10/30/make-me-feel-important/ We run into the challenge every knowledge worker is facing today.  We are all overwhelmed.  There are more emails than what we know what to do with.  There are more phone calls than we can return.  There is more news than we can absorb. Information moves with such abundance and ease ... http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/10/22/busy-or-productive/ "A maybe person will never get you where you want to go." - Jim Riley There are two things that matter in business - decisions and actions.  All the activities, emails, conversations, meetings, phone calls, and myriad of work we do as knowledge workers ends up in a decision and an ... http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/10/17/maybe-people/ The guarantee of success is music to our ears. That is what every customer, company and employee wants. We want security in our jobs. We want to know the products we buy will do as they promise - make us more money, make us more fit, make ... http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/10/09/guaranteeing-success/ The biggest secret in business is right in front of you. Take out your credit card receipt from last month. Review it. Do any of the items stand out? How many could you have done without for another month? How many could you have done ... http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/10/02/the-biggest-secret-in-business/ We'd like to know from your perspective how you feel your customers see you. This information is being used for future publication. Once you make your selection, see what your peers selected. Thank you [polldaddy poll="951685"] http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/09/25/how-do-your-customers-best-see-you/ Every business has the same challenge today. They are competing for attention. The number of choices available for any service or product are vast. It used to be different. There were less choices. Thus, companies needed merely to advertise, and they would get calls. Today, the game has ... http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/09/25/turning-strangers-into-friends/ If you can slow down enough to listen, if you can focus on something outside yourself, you will see that people are carrying immense burdens. Everyone is trying to solve some problem. Everyone has problems, whether rich or poor, struggling or successful. The problems merely change forms. Your ... http://advice.ascendworks.com/2008/09/18/serving-your-customer-well/