Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Is-it-Time-to-Rebuild-Society.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Is-it-Time-to-Rebuild-Society.html "When society requires to be rebuilt, there is no use in attempting to rebuild it on the old plan. No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible, until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought." John Stuart Mill http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Successful-Interviewing.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Successful-Interviewing.html The primary reason for the failure of most interviews to identify a truly outstanding candidate is that most interviews focus on the capabilities, background and experience of the prospective employee. This approach ignores the fact that the interviewee is a human being that the employer is going to have to live with day after day. There is a way to stack the odds in your favor and significantly increase the likelihood that you will be satisfied with the employee that you select. It all depends upon how you conduct the employee interview. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Establishing-and-Maintaining-Good-Customer-Relations.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Establishing-and-Maintaining-Good-Customer-Relations.html All structures are built upon a foundation. Truly successful engineers build their practices upon a foundation of strong customer relationships. As with every other purchase decision, individuals prefer to do business with people they like, with people who seem genuinely interested in them and with people who really care about their concerns. The business of starting and nurturing a relationship starts with the initial interview and continues throughout the firm's representation. It is critical to the long term success of the engineer/customer relationship that the engineer ongoingly stay in communication with the customer and keep them informed about the progress of their matter. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/How-do-we-get-anything-done.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/How-do-we-get-anything-done.html After 23+ years of studying people, both inside and outside of companies, I am frankly stunned that we accomplish what we accomplish. Why? Because we live in a world that is governed by a set of rules, that we are mostly unaware of, which are much more set up for us to fail than for us to succeed. I’m going to address some of them with the hope that you will begin to see how you and the people around you set themselves up for frustration, disappointment and even failure. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/How-Companies-Can-Heal-Their-Wounded-Personal-Relationships.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/How-Companies-Can-Heal-Their-Wounded-Personal-Relationships.html A crisis is gripping the business community that is deeper and more far reaching than most people realize or even imagine. At the heart of the crisis is peoples ineffectiveness at managing their relationships. The root cause of these failed relationships is failed communication. None of us have ever been taught how to appropriately communicate with each other and thereby nurture our relationships with each other. What makes all of this particularly disastrous is that personal relationships are the foundation for accomplishment and satisfaction in life. Many people fail to appreciate the importance of maintaining their relationships. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Building-A-Firm-Foundation-For-A-Strategic-Plan.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Building-A-Firm-Foundation-For-A-Strategic-Plan.html Executives almost always overlook the fact that a strong organizational foundation must first be laid within the company in order for a strategic plan to be effectively implemented. Otherwise, the process of strategic change is like a skyscraper built over a swamp - it won’t take long to sink under its own weight. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Becoming-a-Rainmaker.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Becoming-a-Rainmaker.html The most effective approach to improving marketing skills is one that results in a fundamental shift in a person's perception of himself, others and the whole marketing process. Marketing is not simply a "numbers game." A person in any field of endeavor can learn to view marketing as an opportunity to do something positive for others, for their company and ultimately for themselves. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/A-TIME-FOR-LEADERSHIP-A-SURVIVAL-GUIDE-FOR-THE-21st-CENTURY.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/A-TIME-FOR-LEADERSHIP-A-SURVIVAL-GUIDE-FOR-THE-21st-CENTURY.html Unfortunately, most businesses leaders are preparing for the years ahead in the same way they prepared for the eighties and nineties, and these formerly successful strategies are destined to fail. In these difficult economic times, new approaches are required to succeed and prosper. Now more than ever, what it is going to take to survive is leadership. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/2009-Make-It-A-Great-Year.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/2009-Make-It-A-Great-Year.html This is a process we do with our clients, at the beginning of every new year, to support them in having the year be more productive, more successful and more satisfying than it otherwise would be. The process is based on two fundamental principles which determine the success of an organization. The first principle is that nature abhors a vacuum and, by creating a vacuum in your company or firm, you create a space for the things you want to come into your experience. The second principle is the principle of alignment discussed in detail in the article entitled The X Factor: Alignment. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Creating-an-Extraordinary-Organization.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/2659/Creating-an-Extraordinary-Organization.html If everyone would like to work in a thriving, enlivening and nurturing environment, why is it that almost no one loves being at work? Why is it that most of us simply acquiesce when confronted by the drudgery and suffering that, according to seemingly every statistical measure, characterizes life within many companies? Is this condition inevitable? Are we destined to an environment where the most we have to look forward to is Friday afternoon? Not at all. There are specific steps that can be taken to begin to reclaim some of the enthusiasm, some of the air of celebration and some of the fundamental respect for individual human dignity that is apparent within flourishing business organizations or on championship teams.