Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Becoming-Fully-Engaged--Facing-the-Truth.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Becoming-Fully-Engaged--Facing-the-Truth.html It is impossible to behave in accordance with our values all the time. There is often a gap between who we say we are, who we want to be, and how we act during any given day. Our behaviors reveal our character, yet sometimes we can behave nasty, lazy, and quite contrary to our values. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/What-Drives-You--Understanding-Our-Motivations.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/What-Drives-You--Understanding-Our-Motivations.html Are there basic drives that are common to all human beings? Which ones are driving us in our daily lives? How are they influencing the choices you make? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Changing-Minds-Just-how-hard-is-it.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Changing-Minds-Just-how-hard-is-it.html In my study of leadership I found that one of the key attributes of great leaders is their ability to influence, the ability to change minds. Changing people's behavior is the most important challenge for business leaders competing in unpredictable environments. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/The-Four-Agreements-at-Work-An-Inside-Job.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/The-Four-Agreements-at-Work-An-Inside-Job.html In his book The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz distills the essence of Toltec wisdom into four principles for living a life of value: 1. Be impeccable with your word. 2. Don’t take anything personally. 3. Don’t make assumptions. 4. Always do your best. How elegantly simple and, as some might say, a “no brainer!” But simple wisdom isn’t common practice. While most of us believe we are impeccable with our word, we know others who are not. And most likely, others, from time to time, consider us far less than impeccable. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Simple-Strategic-Planning-for-the-Independent-Retailer.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Simple-Strategic-Planning-for-the-Independent-Retailer.html Strategic planning guides a retail organization towards those goals that will provide the stakeholders with the results that will encourage continued investment in the organization. The plan becomes the roadmap for the ongoing growth of the organization. An effective strategic planning process is a key management tool for insuring a vital, growing organization. As the planning process becomes part of the day to day activities of an organization, the results will become the fuel to maintain and improve the planning process. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Winning-the-War-for-Leadership-Talent.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Winning-the-War-for-Leadership-Talent.html The demand for leadership talent greatly exceeds supply. If economic growth continues at a modest 2 percent for the next 15 years, there would be a need for one-third more senior leaders than there are today. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/The-Costs-of-Ego.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/The-Costs-of-Ego.html “Ego is the invisible line item on every company’s profit and loss statement.” Fifty-three percent of businesspeople estimate ego costs their company 6 to 15 percent of annual revenue; 21 percent say this cost ranges from 16 to 20 percent. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Freedom-or-Burden-of-Choice.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Freedom-or-Burden-of-Choice.html We have more material possessions and time-saving devices, but we still don't have enough time. The middle classes of many countries, not just America, have a degree of autonomy and personal control unimaginable to people living in other times and places. Millions of people live their lives unconstrained by material, economic, or cultural limitations http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Ready-to-Snap--Crazy-Busy-and-the-Lure-of-Modern-Life.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/Ready-to-Snap--Crazy-Busy-and-the-Lure-of-Modern-Life.html We expect our brains to keep track of more than they can handle and then find ourselves losing and forgetting things — impatient, anxious, worried and plagued by short attention spans. Modern life, for all of its timesaving conveniences, is sapping our creativity, humanity, joy and, occasionally, our sense of humor. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/The-Art-of-Asking-the-Right-Questions.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/969/The-Art-of-Asking-the-Right-Questions.html The truth is, most of us don’t know how to ask good questions, or when we do ask a really great question, it is by accident. There are several ways to ask questions. Some people seem really good at it, while others use a random, what-ever-pops-into-head approach.