The Educated Emotion

A Full Moon, taken around midnight on August 1, 2012, several minutes after  it reached its fullest  phase. Have you ever witnessed something so breathtaking that you wanted to capture the image and share it with the world?  At the top of August, I was outside when the moon became Full. It took up the entire sky. Due to street lights and limitations with the photography (lacking proper equipment and skill), I was unable to capture the full glory of the moon. But, whenever I look back at this photograph, I am reminded not only of what I can see in the picture - but the memory of what I saw that night. Similarly, most entrepreneurs and businesses begin with a vision. But one of the key purposes of a vision, is being able to share it. If a business is unable to communicate that vision with stakeholders, prospects, and employees - the purpose is lost. Here are a few necessaries to capture that vision to share with others: Focus - In order to focus, y...

For small business owners and technology users, integrating new technology can seem daunting. Some people resist the idea of learning something new, and it's not uncommon to hear employees say, "We already have a system that works." Of course you already have a system — it's a question of whether that system works well, or whether it can be improved. Employee Buy-In Even more than fear of new technology, the biggest challenge for many large corporations is employee attitudes about change. Fourty-four percent of CEOs cite employee resistance to change as their top obstacle in adapting new technology . Drop the Decision to Adopt New Technology on Employees in an Email. Many large corporations deliver major changes to employees with an email to their supervisors, followed by a condensed version to their subordinates. This does nothing to address employees' feelings of being undervalued or their anxiety about performing well with the new technology. ...

Among my favorite business leaders of the last 20 years are C. K. Prahalad, Larry Page, Stephen Covey, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Melinda Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. Each of these leaders has made a profound impact on not only business – but on society as well. Social media has helped to blur the lines between business, industry, and popular leaders. Internet memes and graphic quotations have helped to revive archived thoughts and words from notable people in history. Qualities of leadership such as life balance, grit, creativity, and critical thinking, can be exhibited online by businesses,  entrepreneurs, celebrities, and politicians of the past and present. As we celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I am exposed to how relevant his work was to today's entrepreneur and reminded of how his words have guided my thoughts about life, purpose, and ethics over the years. Consequently, there are many quotes from Dr. King that have helped guide me in my en...