Tag: risk

Workplace success isn’t a spectator sport

by Dan Oswald The great Jackie Robinson, who in 1947 broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier, once said, “Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life.” Robinson certainly wasn’t content to be just a […]

A tribute to a true entrepreneur

by Dan Oswald At the end of the year, BLR’s founder, Bob Brady, will be retiring from the company he started 37 years ago. Last week we celebrated Bob’s achievements with a party attended by friends, business associates, and current and former BLR employees. It was a wonderful tribute to a man who has touched […]

Don’t wait for someone to give you permission—take action

by Dan Oswald It’s not uncommon for me to say, “I’d rather hire someone who will ask for forgiveness than someone who must ask for permission before taking action.” If you’re going to accomplish anything in life, you must be willing to act. And when you do, things don’t always turn out exactly as you […]

When opportunity knocks

by Dan Oswald Abraham Lincoln once said, “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” And for Lincoln, the opportunities did come in large part because he created them. He was known for his hard work and determination. But it all started with two things: his willingness to prepare and his understanding that […]

Why do people work for you

Why Do People Work for You?

Have you ever asked yourself why people work for you? Have you ever even stopped to think about why anyone would choose to work for you? It might not be something that’s ever crossed your mind. But stop and think about it for a minute. Why you? People go to work for a company for […]

Risk Is Your Business

It’s March. Chances are there’s an NCAA men’s basketball tournament pool being conducted in your office right now. If you’re in it, good luck! There are a number of them here in our office. (You want to see my picks click here.) It’s estimated that $2.5 billion changes hands over this single event. That’s quite […]

Attitude Is Key to Business Growth

Last week I was part of a CEO panel asked to discuss how to achieve double-digit revenue growth. Now, isn’t that the $1 million question! My co-panelists were highly respected executives, each with 20-plus years of experience in our industry — publishing. Yet, when we started discussing the session among ourselves, I was surprised by […]

A Matter of Trust

The other day, I was faced with a situation where things were not progressing as I had hoped. My frustration led me to have a conversation with a colleague. I shared my dilemma with him and asked what he thought the key was to resuming progress. His response was, “You need to build trust. Obviously […]

Decisionmaking 101

Have you ever considered that more of your difficulties at work come from decisions that are NOT made than those that are? How often do you wait for a decision to come from “on high” only to discover that by the time it does the opportunity has passed you by? My guess is that if […]