8 Ways Happy People Are Different From Everyone Else

Want to be happier? Steal a page from the perennial optimist's playbook.

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As a therapist-turned-entrepreneur (kinda), I have helped lots of people fight myriad mental and emotional setbacks.

Over time, I have learned that the skill set that helps you avoid depression or anxiety is not the same skill set that helps you experience a joyful, meaningful, and connected life. If you want to be truly happy, you need a new playbook.

Here's a page from that playbook. It contains eight ways that happy people are different than everyone else.

They are resilient. 

Happy people bounce back, often quickly, from setbacks. Rather than see life's adversities as destructive and rigid roadblocks that they must quash in order to be happy, they see adverse situations as manageable and temporary fixtures in a pretty good life--the price they pay for renting space on the planet.

They are optimistic.  

You know this to be true--most people want to talk about their problems and what's not going right. Happy people have the same problems that everyone else does, they are just solution-focused and get bored and irritated talking about problems all the time. They have an uncanny skill for finding solutions where there seem to be none. There's a time and place for venting, but when you're ready for a solution, ask an optimist.

They experience a wide-range of emotions. 

While happy people have more positive emotions than negative ones--three times as many, in fact--they do experience negative emotions just like everyone else. However, they experience them differently. They don't squelch negative emotions. They face them head on in order to learn from them. They let negative emotions guide them into changing a behavior, self-examining, or getting out of a bad relationship. They see negative emotions as an internal wake-up call to change course or re-evaluate.

They savor things that most people take for granted or overlook.

Happy people are masters at the art of savoring. They joyfully anticipate events, stay present during events, and reminisce after events. They do this because they tend to keep the end in mind. They know that kids grow up, time passes, and we all die. Happy people live by a carpe diem philosophy, never needing a reason to celebrate.

They seek constant challenge and mastery. 

Happy people continually look for ways to challenge themselves and develop or master a skill. Rarely complacent, they have an idea of what personal success looks like and use healthy doses of self-criticism to achieve their goals. They don't self-loathe, but they are realistic with themselves and their deficiencies. They seek out people, hobbies, professions, or ideas that challenge them and their stale self-concepts.

They spend lots of time with people they like. 

Happy people know that relationships are essential to living a good life. Humans aren't meant to live in isolation. When we do, loneliness sets in, depression ensues, and we find ourselves in a downward spiral of negativity and withdrawal. Relationships are critical to happy people. The key is spending time with people you like and want to be with. Not just any warm body will do.

They are quick to forgive.

Forgiving a wrongdoing isn't easy. It almost feels good to harbor a grudge or pass judgment, producing the mild comfort of self-righteousness. But happy people choose forgiveness. They see the larger context of forgiveness--it allows both the offender and the offended a chance to move on. Happy people know that their inability to forgive someone doesn't hurt that person or "show them up," it only hurts them.

They serve a purpose bigger than themselves.

Happy people live out their values in tangible ways. They are eager to connect to something meaningful--a cause, purpose, or belief that is bigger than them. Human existence has two aims: to make a contribution to humanity and to have a purpose for living. Happy people spend a lot of time making sure they get these two right.

Dr. Shelley Prevost is a co-founder of Lamp Post Group, a venture incubator in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She curates kick-ass cultures by infusing principles of positive psychology in her role as Director of Happiness. @thegladlab

New Rules for Better SEO in 2013

Measuring SEO success by your ranking position for your favorite keywords means falling behind the curve.

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With users' behaviors and Google's algorithms rapidly and constantly changing, measuring SEO success by your ranking position for your favorite keywords means falling behind the curve. Here are the most meaningful metrics for SEO for 2013.

1. Focus on Your Keyword Portfolio, Not Rankings

Search engine users are getting smarter and more specific. Today, over 70 percent of searches online contain three or more words in the search query. Furthermore, Google reported that over 20 percent of search queries are completely new queries that had never been searched before! The long tail is where the growth is happening, and your strategy needs to be built around this growth.

Focusing on "fat head" keywords is an unbalanced strategy with diminishing returns. Marketers need to focus on increasing the number of keywords sending search traffic rather than improving a specific keyword position. This is known as your keyword portfolio.

2. Create Problem-Solving Content

Creating great content isn't rocket science. If you have trouble coming up with ideas, or you think your industry is too boring, focus instead on solving a customer's problem. This can be done easily by utilizing your organization's intellectual property to create how-to guides, white papers, or research studies. If you're in business, then you're solving problems! Combine people, processes, and software to scale content marketing.

3. Publish Content on Quality Sources

Last year's Penguin update eliminated the value of content published on untrusted websites. This includes low-quality websites, content farms and many "free" PR websites. Showing up in Google search is a lot like getting a job--it's your references that make the difference. Concentrate on earning references from high quality and trusted industry websites. Industry organizations and online communities are where you should be publishing content on a regular basis.

4. Distribute and Promote Content through Social Media

Social media is an extremely efficient channel for distributing and promoting your content. This includes content that you publish on your website, as well as content that you publish on highly trusted third-party websites. Social media channels enable you to reach millions instantly, as well as stay on the radar of search engine algorithms for topics related to your content. Google and Bing have both admitted to using social signals in their ranking algorithms, so social media engagement is a must-do for digital marketers.

Never before have SEO and inbound marketing had more potential for digital marketers. When executed effectively, these strategies will drive leads, attract customers, and grow your brand's community.

Aaron Aders is co-founder and chief strategy officer of Indianapolis-based Slingshot SEO, a national leader in online marketing, planning, and execution. Aders steers the strategic vision behind software and business processes. @SlingshotSEO

Evernote Founder: Forget Gimmicks

Phil Libin, the founder of Evernote, once used sleight-of-hand to play up strengths and downplay weakness. He's found a better strategy for building strong relationships.

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Phil Libin is the serial entrepreneur who founded Evernote, a software application that helps people remember things, by syncing notes, photos, and appointments across devices. He spoke with Inc. editor Eric Schurenberg.
 

At one time, I thought if I ever wrote a business book, it might be called, All I Know About Business, I Learned Doing Magic. But I got over it. And I know this sounds funny, but I'm serious.

Rejecting the idea behind that "book" was a big evolution for me.

Let me explain: When I was younger, I was really into magic. I hung out in local magic shops. I made friends with magicians. Even today, my home office is lined with books on magic.

When I started launching companies, I realized that what I knew about magic could give me a real edge in certain business situations. Here's a simple example: One basic technique all magicians know is the false choice. You give your audience the impression that it decided something, but you control things so that in fact you decided.

When I was pitching investors on my second company, CoreStreet, my presentation had two parts: the product part and the business part. The product was strong, but the business side frankly wasn't that good. So, I'd present the product part first. I'd had it all staged for maximum effect, but the investors would always want to jump ahead to the business part. I hated that. It ruined my presentation.

So I gave them a false choice. I'd say, "There are two parts to this presentation, product and business. Which matters more to you?" If they said, "business," I'd say, "Good. I'll save that for last." If they said, "product," I'd say, "Good. Let's start there."

It worked precisely as planned. The only problem was, it was crap. I realized I don't want to trick the people I do business with.

Just about every business book ever written is about how to beat the other guy. And that's what I was doing: The investors thought they were in control of the presentation, but I was, really, so I won.

Well, I refuse to play the zero-sum game anymore. It's better to find a way to make everyone happy: no tricks, no gimmicks, no grabbing a short-term advantage at someone else's expense.

I've been practicing this "no-tricks" business style for five or six years now, and it's better. You build more durable relationships.

If I had that presentation to do today, I'd say: "There are two parts to this. To be honest, the business part is weaker, so I'd like to start with product, just to get you in a good mood."

And if I really wanted to be creative, I'd add: "You know, if this were 10 years ago, I'd pull this little douchebag trick..."

 

How to Be a Gracious Leader

People follow strong leaders with drive and ambition. But these 12 actions of grace will make you a leader worthy of following.

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Today's business environment demands people to step up and be aggressive, strong leaders, in order to get ahead and drive their companies and careers forward. In that powerful march to success sometimes there is so much focus on being strong and assertive, people forget the human side.

Here are 12 leadership qualities paired with their gracious counterparts. I'll leave it to you to find the combination that works in your world so others can perceive and respect you as a gracious individual.

1. Be Confident and Show Empathy

People will follow you if you express that you know what you're doing and where you are going. But not everyone sees it your way or can travel at your pace. See the road from their perspective and help them find the path.

2. Be Punctual and Show Forgiveness

Good leaders manage their time well and are respectful of other people's minutes. But everyone gets overly busy or distracted at some point.  When one is late, assess the root of the faux pas before assuming disrespect. Then simply make the point and move on.

3. Be Proud and Show Humility

You should take pride in your accomplishments and push for achievement. But people most admire those leaders whose accomplishments speak for themselves and whose greatest accomplishment is the success of their followers.

4. Be Disciplined and Show Humanity

Serious, focused discipline is what gets most jobs done efficiently and effectively. But not everyone can go nonstop like a robot. Let people be people. They need to relax and recharge. Show them you can have fun as well. A little humor goes a long way to connect and show your human side.

5. Be Recognized and Show Recognition

One should openly accept accolades when they are bestowed. False modesty is not becoming. But hogging the limelight won't inspire your followers. Share the spotlight and the journey. Help everyone participate and enjoy the rewards of accomplishment.

6. Be Bold and Show Discretion

Great leaders step out to the front and charge the action forward. But not every conflict is a full on battle requiring big resources and heavy artillery. Determine the appropriate amount of time and energy for the situation, then apply it deftly. You'll keep your team fresh, alert, and ready for the big battles ahead.

7. Be Spontaneous and Show Thoughtfulness

Being ready for anything is a virtue, and a strong leader knows how to shake things up with excitement. But people also gain strength from a certain level of thoroughness and predictability. They value leaders who take the time to consider all options before venturing off into the unknown.

8. Be Directed and Show Consideration

You're successful because you know how to drive your own success. But people need to follow because they believe, and simply telling them your way is the right way is not always enough for them to buy in. Lead by example. Demonstrate how the choices you've made will have the same positive affect on their performance. Consider that their life experience is different then yours and help them comprehend the appropriate interpretation.

9. Be Firm and Show Compassion

Most great leaders are likeable not because they are lax. They provide structure for success and make sure boundaries are clearly marked. If too many ignore the barriers, all hell can break loose. But people are naturally well intended. Failure must be approached with compassionate correction and learning. Kindly help transgressors find their way to happiness and success either in or out of your organization.

10. Be Generous and Show Gratitude

Leaders must give of themselves constantly. They give their time, knowledge, energy, motivation, and insights. They know that the more they give, the more success the team will achieve, and often they do so selflessly. But followers give as well. To feel worthwhile the team needs to know the leader appreciates how the team has gone above and beyond. A grateful leader has a loyal following.

11. Be a Listener and Show Appreciation

Thoughtful listening is important, but often leaders may have to rightly dismiss what was expressed. Listening is not always demonstrated through acceptance. Sometimes the answer is still no. But artful leaders are capable of making followers feel appreciated for simply having the opportunity to share their point of view. Then, even the skeptics will buy in to the vision and commit their all.

12. Be a Leader and Show Compliance

Simply put, the most gracious and powerful leaders are the ones who understand when to step back as a follower and let the most appropriate person lead.

Like this post? If so, sign up here and never miss out on Kevin's thoughts and humor.

An Inc. 500 entrepreneur with a more than $1 billion sales and marketing track record, Kevin Daum is the best-selling author of Video Marketing for Dummies. @awesomeroar

Outside Money Is Never 'No Strings'

Outside money is never "no strings." Some advice on how to expand your business without compromising what you've already built.

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Dear Norm,

My partner and I are working on a new, cloud-based software application that we're convinced has some serious potential. The problem is that our existing company doesn't have enough cash flow to fund the project, so we'll need to look for outside investment. My gut tells me that I should start a company specifically for this application and keep it separate from our existing company, which is successful on its own. I'm just not sure how to structure the new entity, considering that my partner and I want to retain majority control.

--Justin Farmer
President, Kernel
Aurora, Colorado

Taking on outside investors is a much bigger deal than most entrepreneurs understand when they go out looking for capital. The money always comes with strings attached. For that reason, if no other, I agree that Justin Farmer and his partner should create a separate business entity for their new application, especially because it has nothing to do with their main business. That business provides IT professionals to oil and insurance companies operating in remote parts of the world. The application is a tool for tracking the location of equipment and other assets. Neither one adds value to the other, and there is no connection between them.

At this point, the application is little more than an idea. The partners are still trying to get a prototype built. Even then, they'll have to demonstrate the size of the potential marketplace for the product before they'll be able to raise the $150,000 they think they'll need to get the program up and running. Meanwhile, they should keep in mind the old rule that the earlier you try to raise money, the harder it is to get and the more equity you have to give away if you do find a willing investor.

As for the structure of the new company, I thought Justin and his partner would probably want a C corporation or an LLC, a limited liability company, but I told them they should talk to their accountant about it. They should lay out the entire situation to him or her and follow his or her advice. Questions of corporate form are best directed to a specialist with all the details at his or her fingertips.

 

Street Smarts columnist and senior contributing editor Norm Brodsky is a veteran entrepreneur who has founded and grown six businesses. @NormBrodsky

Work Your Network: 4 Smart Tips

Success in business is all about relationships. Your network is your most important asset. Treat it that way.

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Getting a personal introduction to a strategic investor or business partner means everything to an entrepreneur. Likewise, executives depend on being able to pick up the phone to get insights into a new market or find the world's greatest marketing guy.

Business life has always been about connections. Business leaders spend decades building and cultivating those relationships. They cherish their networks because they know it's their most valuable asset. And they're not about to do anything stupid to jeopardize them.

Unfortunately, you may be doing just that. If your networking strategy is simply to grow it, then you're likely doing more harm than good. Contrary to popular wisdom, bigger networks are not necessarily better networks. There are pitfalls I see too many of you falling into, these days.

Here are four ways to building and maintaining a network made up of strong, quality relationships that will last forever.

1. Segment your connections.

To market a product successfully, you've got to come up with your bulls-eye target customer base and position to meet their specific needs. That's called market segmentation. If you do it right, you'll differentiate versus the competition, improve profit margins, and win market share. It's all good.

You should do the same thing with your network connections. The only difference is you're sort of the product, so you have to position and market yourself differently for different types of contacts.

For example, some of my connections are top executives, VCs, and clients. That's sort of my bulls-eye. I hardly ever communicate with them and, when I do, I keep it brief and about business opportunities I think might interest or benefit them.

Contrast that with my readers. Of course they want meaningful communication and useful information, but they're also interested in hearing from me more casually and perhaps a bit more frequently. It's a different market with a unique set of needs and wants.

2. Respect contacts as individuals.

These days, it seems that people are feeling more and more pressure to use their connections, to get the most benefit from them, especially on social network sites like LinkedIn. That's fine, except that it's all-too-easy to take that too far and annoy or completely turn off your connections.

Remember that contacts are real relationships with real people. They have their own lives and they're busy. Your urgent needs may mean squat to them. You have to respect that, meaning you can't just send out blanket, generic requests to groups of people and expect anything in return except a lot of pissed off contacts.

When it comes to relationships of any kind, you've got to remember that it's a two way street. You have to give to get. The best way to do that is to always, and I mean always, ask yourself: What's in it for them? It doesn't have to be quid pro quo, but it helps if you do something for others before asking them to do something for you.

And never spam them. Ever.

3. Keep your network current.

Let me tell you something interesting about contacts. They don't age well. They get out of date really, really fast. That's because it's a crazy, complex world so people are constantly adapting to changing conditions. Your best high-tech industry connection today may be making wine tomorrow.

There used to be software programs for keeping your contact lists up to date, but that never worked because nobody wants to respond to an automated request to update their contact information. The truth is you're better off keeping your list of key connections short and staying in touch with them as appropriate.

4. Make your network personal.

Look, success in business is all about relationships. That's how all opportunities arise: between individuals. And there's a big distinction between old school networking and social networking. A personal relationship creates a level of trust that really sets you apart from the virtual hordes.

Every major opportunity in my career--or my personal life, for that matter--has always involved real people in real time. Every single one.

In other words, one personal, face-to-face relationship is worth a thousand online ones. That doesn't mean you shouldn't network with people on LinkedIn or wherever you want to spend your time. Just keep in mind that, if you never really get to know someone, that relationship isn't likely to amount to much. So why bother?

Steve Tobak is a management consultant, executive coach, and former senior executive of the technology industry. He's managing partner of Invisor Consulting, a Silicon Valley-based strategy consulting firm. Contact Tobak; follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. @SteveTobak

3 Simple Strategies to Spark Innovation

Great ideas need adequate space to develop. Follow these three rules to make sure you stay out of the way.

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Without innovation, you're relegated to following others and reaping the meager offerings of a commodity business. Most entrepreneurs know this intellectually, but it's too easy to give lip service to innovation while undercutting the actual process in the office.

In a recent Harvard Business Review blog post, Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter wrote what she called nine rules for stifling innovation. They come down to specific ways that people damage the innovation process, usually without realizing it. Here are three takeaways:

Innovation is inclusive, not exclusive.

A classic mistake--not just for entrepreneurs, but also for many established executives--is to assume that the good ideas come from a small circle of insiders. Such people may dismiss ideas presented by rank-and-file employees or simply restrict all innovative activity, like brainstorming sessions, to select groups.

This is a problem because innovation needs creativity, and one of the best ways to get creativity is to enable different ideas to meet each other. Netflix prospers today because someone realized that you could download files from the Internet, and movies are just very large files. Use only the insiders and you greatly limit the new combinations of ideas and experiences that you need because those people become used to each other. You need new blood to shake things up.

Innovation needs time and resources.

Any business process needs room to happen. Restrict the time, energy, and other resources required and it simply won't happen. Employees need space to daydream, experiment, and consider things that may ultimately lead nowhere.

If you make everyone account for every minute and penny in hopes of running a tight ship, you will choke off innovation for the sake of a false efficiency. Running a business requires taking chances and then using prudent risk management to keep the negative implications from being too great. The only guarantee you get is if you don't innovate, and that's one that entrepreneurs don't want.

Innovation needs a nurturing atmosphere.

The best products, services, and business practices didn't come fully formed. They emerged after a number of mistakes and wrong turns, all of which were actually investments in the final result.

If you want to encourage innovation, stop punishing people for mistakes, encouraging employees to compete for managerial favor, and publicly dismissing ideas from your team.

Erik Sherman's work has appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Magazine, and Fortune. He is a blogger for CBS MoneyWatch and InsideInvestorRelations.com. @ErikSherman

Beware of Great Multitaskers

Those who claim to be best at multitasking are actually the worst at it, a new study says.

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If you've ever worked in a large organization, you're probably already familiar with the Dunning-Kruger effect even if you don't know the psychological term for the phenomenon. The immortal words of philosopher Bertrand Russell sum it up nicely: "the trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

Or, to put it in the modern parlance, idiots don't know they're idiots, and the most skilled are generally also the most self-critical. You've probably observed this effect in many domains (driving and management maybe), but science recently added another entry to the roster of areas where people are often dangerously deluded.

Know that guy who claims to be a multitasking ninja? Yeah, in reality he's probably abysmal at it.

That's the finding of a new University of Utah study that looked into whether those who multitask most are actually better at switching between tasks than the rest of us. Turns out they're not better. They're worse. 

"What is alarming is that people who talk on cells phones while driving tend to be the people least able to multitask well," psychology Professor David Sanbonmatsu, a senior author of the study, commented. "We showed that people who multitask the most are those who appear to be the least capable of multitasking effectively."

After giving 310 undergraduates a battery of tests to measure both their perceived multitasking skill and their actual ability, as well as collecting data on how much the test subjects multitasked out in the real world by driving while talking on a cell phone, the researchers concluded that those most drawn to multitasking usually lack the mental discipline and focus to do it relatively well.

"The people who multitask the most tend to be impulsive, sensation-seeking, overconfident of their multitasking abilities, and they tend to be less capable of multitasking," co-author David Strayer said, elaborating that "people multitask because they have difficulty focusing on one task at a time. They get drawn into secondary tasks. ' They get bored and want that stimulation."

So what's the takeaway for business owners? Don't be taken in by appearances. A lot of multitasking on the part of an employee or job seeker shouldn't be taken as evidence that they're actually good at it or particularly skilled at regulating their attention.

In fact, if you see a job candidate pull into the car park while chatting away on their cell phone, probability says that guy is a rotten at multitasking.

Multitasking: essential skill for busy business owners or seductive but destructive productivity buster? 

 

Jessica Stillman is a freelance writer based in London with interests in unconventional career paths, generational differences, and the future of work. She has blogged for CBS MoneyWatch, GigaOM, and Brazen Careerist. @EntryLevelRebel

4 Signs You're a Weak Leader

Outwardly, you appear effective, dependable, on top of things. But look closer. Are you in danger of destructive behaviors?

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Here's a statement of the blindingly obvious: strong, effective leadership is better than weak, ineffective leadership.

Thankfully, it's usually obvious which is which--most of us can spot a strong leader from a weak one with relative ease. 

The problem comes when a weak leader masquerades as a strong leader. Outwardly, they appear effective, dependable, on top of things. But look closely at what they believe to be strong leadership and what you see is in fact a set of dangerous, destructive behaviors. Behaviors which will eventually strangle the organization.

It's one thing having to work alongside a weak leader who thinks otherwise. Much worse is to find out, painfully and over a long time, that the culprit is you. That the leadership traits and behaviors you'd thought were strengths are in fact the exact opposite, and that instead of leading your enterprise, like an unpinned grenade, you're about to blow it up.

Time for some tough love. Here are the four most common behaviors of an ineffective leader who thinks otherwise. Recognize any? 

1. You know everything. My work involves talking with founder/owners and CEO's about their business, usually for hours, sometimes days at a time. And in doing so, I've noticed an interesting pattern: The weaker the leader, the more they know.

When I meet with weak or ineffective leaders, they can (and do) talk about their business for hours, uninterrupted and without assistance from others. There's nothing they don't know, no-one they need to consult and no information that's not to hand. The whole experience is like sitting with them in a goldfish bowl while the real world carries on outside.

Talking with truly effective leaders is just the opposite. They involve others when discussing their business. Whether it's putting the VP Sales on speakerphone or wandering down the corridor to talk with the warehouse manager, strong leaders know they can't--and shouldn't--know everything about their business. They build strong teams and are proud to depend upon them.

2. You're always busy. Yes, running a business (or a division, department, project, group or team) is time consuming--sometimes to the point of exhaustion. 

No, it's not a sign of leadership strength to be permanently over-scheduled and over-worked.

If you have no time to think; if you can't recall the last time you took a walk around the block to clear your head, then you're not truly leading. If you're not taking time to set the strategic compass of your organization, who do you think is? 

3. Your default perception of others is negative. When truly effective leaders talk, one thing becomes noticeable. When discussing others, whether their employees, vendors or customers, the conversation typically trends toward the positive.

Strong leaders look for success in others. They focus on what has been done well, and seek to  build on that success. Conversely, ineffective leaders' opinions of others typically trend to the negative. They focus mostly on what has gone wrong, and spend most of their time ranging from mildly dissatisfied to irritated.
Strong leaders aren't Pollyannas. They recognize and firmly correct failure or incompetence, but by default they expect competence and success, they enjoy pointing it out in others, and they celebrate it often.

4. You have only two modes of interaction. Weak leaders (who think they're strong) interact with direct reports in one of two ways: either they're in charge, or they're not there. If they're in the room, they're in charge. 

Truly effective leaders have another string to their bow, a third way of interacting with their team--to be a resource for them. Genuinely strong leaders are confident enough in their position that they don't need to always be at the head of the table. They can, when needed or useful, sit down as a peer and be just another voice around the table, even with those who report to them.

When was the last time you sat in on an operations or planning meeting, simply as a resource, and not as the boss? How did your team react? Were they comfortable and relaxed with you around, or did it all seem forced, a little like playacting?

In reviewing the four behaviors above, did you experience a sinking feeling of recognition in more than one? If so, it might be time to reverse course.

Les McKeown is the author of the bestseller "Predictable Success: Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track--and Keeping It There" and is the CEO of Predictable Success, a leading advisor on accelerated organizational growth. His latest book is "The Synergist: How to Lead Your Team to Predictable Success." @lesmckeown

5 Signs Your Website Needs a Redesign

Be honest: Is that Web design as attractive as it was five years ago? Here are key signs it might be time to rebuild.

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I've received a decent number of compliments on my website over the years. To be sure, it's a pretty good one and it has served me well, but I've decided that it's time for a makeover. In this post, I'll list five conditions that almost always necessitate building a new site.

You acquire a new--and sexier--domain.

This one is a no-brainer. After years of trying I recently acquired www.philsimon.com. What better way to announce the new site than redesigning it? (As of this writing, the new site is under development.) Related to this, what if your company is launching a new product? In my case, both things are true. (My new book will be out in about a month.)

Your current site can only host so many pages.

Far too many people think of websites and content management systems as one in the same. They're not. Static websites resemble brochures; they aren't designed to enable users to easily add content. On the other hand, CMSs were conceived with nearly unlimited capacity for content of all types: videos, podcasts, and text. For many reasons, SEO favors sites with many pages over sites with very few. Think about it.

Your current site appears long in the tooth.

A theme or design from 2006 might look a bit dated now. After all, the Web has changed a great deal over that time. It's folly to assume that Web design has remained static. I wrote a few months ago that Pinterest has had a significant impact on design. If your site is image-challenged, it may be time to consider redesigning it.

Your current site isn't mobile-friendly.

Fellow Inc.com columnist Hollis Thomases writes that "Mobile now accounts for 12% of global Internet traffic, and it's scaling faster than the desktop did." It doesn't take a sorcerer to see what's coming. Yes, there are WordPress plug-ins that effectively simulate a mobile site. That's a bit like getting a little bit pregnant. Why not embrace mobile completely and get a responsive theme?

The performance of your current site is suffering.

My old site, www.philsimonsystems.com, held its own for more than three years. However, I just had too many images and plug-ins running in the background, most of which I felt I needed for different reasons.

Fast forward to 2013 and new development frameworks like Twitter Bootstrap obviate the need for a great deal of Band-Aid functionality. That is, these frameworks "ship" with many neat features baked in.

Simon Says

Websites age over time--some better than others. Think about how your site looks relative to your competition. Are you really putting your best foot forward?

Phil Simon is a sought-after speaker and the author of five management books. His most recent, Too Big To Ignore: The Business Case for Big Data, will be released in March of 2013 (John Wiley & Sons). @philsimon

Think Big: How to Find Better Ideas

Do all your ideas seem small and boring? Here's a different approach plus three tips that will get you to the BIG idea.

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Many people are enamored by big ideas, but it's really difficult for most people or teams to let their minds go free and go large. It's not surprising. People are so often focused on the day-to-day small stuff that they struggle with thinking in an expansive manner.

To think big, you must first understand the cause and benefits of thinking small.  Companies, teams and individual achievers are sharply focused on getting things done. They're not all good at it, but generally most everyone strives for efficiency. This approach is very effective for problem solving, which drives most leaders daily. It's the approach most often taught, encouraged and used by managers and employees alike. But this determined focus on completion often limits the ultimate scope of the results.

When posed with an issue, the general problem-solving approach looks something like this:

[Solution + Resolution = Completion] leading to Limitation

Example: Team A has a customer service issue. Everyone brainstorms on ways to solve the problem based upon current practices and behaviors. Ultimately a small adjustment is made which brings the problem back to a tolerable level or removes it completely. They strive to get a viable answer as quick as possible so they can check it off their list and move on. No one bothers to think beyond the scope of the problem. They just go back to their day-to-day activities as quickly as possible. This increases efficiency, but leaves a lot of powerful ideas undiscovered.

Here is an alternative big-idea approach:

[Knowledge + Exploration = Understanding] leading to Expansion

Example: Team B is faced with the same customer service issue. This time they are instructed to forget about the issue itself. They go through a multistage exploratory process.

1. First they're each instructed to meet in a week with a detailed deconstruction of their complete, current, customer service process in hand.
2. They share the information at the meeting and are each now told to come back a week later with detailed information on how other competitors manage their process. They are also told to explore books and articles on customer service.
3. In the next meeting, all relevant information is shared. They compare and contrast the company's process with that of their competitors. They share ideas garnered from thought-leaders. They are then split into three groups and tasked to brainstorm and create the ideal customer service process using the best of all the information they found. They are asked to present their approach the following week.
4. The different presentations are reviewed, considered and discussed by all with the most innovative ideas combined, improved and applied accordingly.

Team B's results resolve multiple issues in the process and ultimately result in innovation that gives them strategic advantage. The team members are now smarter about their industry, their company, their customers and their competitors. They'll naturally feel encouraged to expand their resources further and search for new ideas that will drive the company forward.

Granted the big idea approach is more involved. It takes more time and effort, but the results are worth managing everyone's impatience. Integrating this expansive approach in your group culture will surface big ideas regularly, giving you competitive advantage over other teams still focused on the small stuff.

Individuals, teams, and companies alike can all benefit from these expansion-oriented thinking tips:

1. Create Specified Time for Thinking

Problem solvers will try and get done and get out. Set aside 90 minutes, two hours or even a day to tackle a problem and then use the entire time. Don't head for the door after the first good idea. Let things percolate. There may be bigger and better ideas to come.

2. Encourage Outside Learning

The more information in the room, the broader the brainstorm. Give team members time and resources to grow, learn, and explore. Learn facilitation techniques that will surface more participation from everyone. Or hire in a professional facilitator who can expand everyone's thinking and teach facilitation at the same time.

3. Reward Expansive Results

Track the results of all progress made from expansive thinking sessions. Reward the teams and celebrate the accomplishments. Emphasize the process and how it helped make everyone's life better. A culture that rewards big ideas will attract and maintain more expansive thinkers.

Obviously there is a time and place for problem solving efficiency. You can't use an expansive thinking approach for every little decision or you'll never get things done. But the regularity and pervasiveness of expansive thinking will actually solve problems you haven't yet identified, bringing greater efficiency, and giving you more time to execute really big ideas.

Like this post? If so, sign up here and never miss out on Kevin's thoughts and humor.

An Inc. 500 entrepreneur with a more than $1 billion sales and marketing track record, Kevin Daum is the best-selling author of Video Marketing for Dummies. @awesomeroar

Evan Williams's Rule for Success: Do Less to Do Better

The co-founder of Blogger, Twitter, and Medium explains the importance of obsessing over one thing at a time.

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Evan Williams

Evan Williams is co-founder of Blogger, Twitter (on which he's known as @ev), and, most recently, the blogging platform Medium. He told his story to Inc. reporter Issie Lapowsky.

 
When I meet with the founders of a new company, my advice is almost always, "Do fewer things." It's true of partnerships, marketing opportunities, anything that's taking up your time. The vast majority of things are distractions, and very few really matter to your success.

Anything I've done that really worked happened because, either by sheer will or a lack of options, I was incredibly focused on one problem. Blogger started as a side project of my first company, Pyra Labs. Initially, we were trying to do both, but it became impossible. We ran out of money, had to let everybody go, and I just did whatever was necessary to keep Blogger running. If I had been more aware back then of the importance of focus, I would have killed the original project way sooner.

With my next company, Odeo, we thought we were going to be the podcasting company. We would do it all: make software to create podcasts, a directory for discovering them, software to download them. But none of these solutions were great. We should have started with a specific product that did one thing better than anyone else. Instead, when iTunes introduced its podcasting platform, it obliterated the value we had created.

With Twitter, which was a side project of Odeo, it wasn't clear at first what it was. Initially, we described Twitter as a social utility for posting status updates, but the insight we eventually came to was Twitter was really more of an information network than a social network. That influenced all kinds of decisions, like the creation of search and the retweet function. And all of that happened because we were thinking deeply about a very specific product.

When you're obsessing about one thing, you can reach insights about how to solve hard problems. If you have too many things to think about, you'll get to the superficial solution, not the brilliant one.

The irony, of course, is that both Blogger and Twitter started as side projects. If I had been absolutely focused on the main project, they might never have happened. So, there is something to be said for knowing when you're locked in to the right problem.

To me, that comes down to the gut. The things that keep nagging at you are the ones worth exploring.

 

Drupal Founder: 3 Crazy Ways to Really Motivate Employees

Drupal founder Dries Buytaert explains how he encourages his team to meet hugely ambitious goals.

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Tony Hsieh: 'Create Your Own Luck'

Create the opportunity for meaningful collisions, says the Zappos CEO. Then just watch as the best things unfold.

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Tony Hsieh is a serial entrepreneurco-founded Zappos, the online shoe and clothing retailer he now runs. He's also co-founder of the Downtown Project, which is seeking to revitalize Las Vegas's downtown. He spoke with Inc. reporter Issie Lapowsky.

My fascination with serendipity started in college. I think for most people, college was the last time it was normal to just randomly run into people all the time. As you get older, you drive to work, see the same people every day, then go home. But the best things happen when people are running into each other and sharing ideas.

At Zappos, we do a lot to get people running into each other. At our office, for example, there are exits on all four sides of the building. We've locked them all except one. It's more inconvenient, but we prioritize collisions over convenience. The Downtown Project, our drive to revitalize downtown Las Vegas, does the same thing, but on a much bigger scale. We thought, How can we get people in the city to run into each other more often? So we're moving our office into the old city-hall building, and we've already got 10 tech start-ups to set up nearby. It's all about maximizing collisions and accelerating serendipity.

Even the idea of starting the Downtown Project came from luck. It happened at a bar. I just happened to become friendly with the owner of the place, and he'd been in Vegas for much longer than I had. I randomly mentioned that we might buy a plot of land and build our own Zappos campus, like Google or Apple.

He was the one who said, "No, you guys should think about moving downtown and working with the community here." It was something we hadn't even considered before, but that one conversation in a bar changed everything.

I think you can create your own luck. The key is to meet as many people as you can and really get to know them. If you're in an environment where you're always running into people, the chances of one of those collisions being meaningful is maybe 1 in 1,000. But if you do it 100 times more, your odds go up.

My advice is: Meet lots of different people without trying to extract value from them. You don't need to connect the dots right away. But if you think about each person as a new dot on your canvas, over time, you'll see the full picture.

 

Hiring? Forget Well-Rounded Resumes

Think you want a well-rounded résumé? New research suggests the more valuable hire might be someone who can do one thing--but do it really well.

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Specialists get a bum rap. From the business world to organized sports, conventional wisdom dictates that having a team member who can adapt and fill multiple roles is more desirable than an individual with specialized'read, limited'knowledge and skills.

However, a recent series of studies published by the science journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (via Science Direct), suggests that business owners may want to reconsider their bias against specialists.

The studies, conducted by Long Wang of the City University of Hong Kong and J. Keith Murnighan of Northwestern University, conclude that companies have a 'generalist bias,' even though they might get more value out of specialized hires.

In fact, there are many arguments against hiring specialists. For one, they cost more. Consider Malcom Gladwell's argument in the book Outliers: It takes 10,000 hours of practice for one to become specialized in a discipline. That translates to several years of undergraduate and graduate study'and ultimately larger paychecks'for career specialists.

The other problem is one of perception. Business owners and HR representatives tend to assume that specialists may excel in one area but can't diversify their skills as well as generalists when a company needs change. And that belief may be hurting businesses, suggest Wang and Murnighan. 

In one of their studies, the research duo determined that basketball fans favored all-around players, even when talented three-point shooters would complement their team's needs better. The 'generalist bias' also extended to HR recruiters, who were more likely to offer interviews or hire generalists than specialists when the two were evaluated side by side.

When evaluated individually, however, recruiters often rated specialists as the candidates most likely to satisfy a company's needs.

So before hiring another Jack-of-All-Trades, consider what you really need. George Brandt, managing director of onboarding firm PrimeGenesis, emphasizes that different stages of company development require different degrees of specialization. For example, early-stage start-ups are more likely to require team members who can fill more than one role, while mid-sized and mature companies have room to pursue depth as well as breadth.

"Teams beat individuals every time," Brandt writes in his Forbes column. And the best teams consist of generalists and specialists alike.

3 Expert Rules for Better Time Management

This time-management whiz says the real reason entrepreneurs feel time-strapped is simple: They honor everyone else's priorities. Here's how to change the way you work.

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You hold the exhilarating--and sometimes terrifying--ability to make decisions about how you shape the course of your life and businesses.

For some entrepreneurs, these decisions come easily. But for many others, the constant onslaught of options can leave us wondering, did I make the right choice? Am I really living a life aligned with my priorities?

After coaching and training clients on six continents--and running my own business full time--I've seen first-hand that this struggle can lead to enormous guilt for entrepreneurs. To help people overcome this challenge, I advocate adopting a priorities-based decision-making process. Below is an overview of the three principles I use that can help you make (and feel good about) all of your decisions this year:

1. Set up your priorities filter.

Each individual has a unique set of priorities. So, the first step in the process of feeling good about your choices involves honestly laying out what matters most to you. I order my priorities in this way:

Inner life ' Relationships ' Business ' Wellness ' Order ' Leisure

Yours may look similar to the above--or very different, such as:

Wellness ' Start-up ' Enjoyment ' Relationships ' Community service

The order of your priorities in your filter is not as important as whether you have accurately laid them out from most important to least important to you.

2. Make your priorities action-based.

Once you have a sense of what's most important to you, translate those priorities into actions. For me, an action aligned with the priority of inner life is setting aside time each morning to pray and meditate; an action correlated with the priority of relationships is meeting with friends at least three times a week. One of your action-based priorities for your start-up could be working from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week, and an action-based enjoyment priority could be Thursday night salsa dancing.

3. Run all decisions through the filter.

Most of your time-investment should happen automatically, such as salsa dancing as a recurring calendar event on Thursday nights. But when you face a decision about adding or changing something in your schedule, you can run it through your priorities filter in order to decide whether to say, "Yes," "No," or "Not now." For example, if bringing on a new client today would leave you completely sleep-deprived for the next two months, a decision that could benefit your start-up may negatively impact your wellness--even to the point that you ask to delay the start of the new client onboarding process.

Alternatively, if you're asked to volunteer to put on a community service event and it doesn't take away from other areas, go for it. But if that service would have a significant negative impact on your start-up and your relationships, then for you, the priority-based decision would be to politely decline.

With these three simple rules, you can quickly and confidently know that you're making the right decisions for you and your business based on your priorities.

For more on action-based priorities and other secrets to effective time investment, check out The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success With Less Stress by Elizabeth Grace Saunders. @RealLifeE

The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invitation-only nonprofit organization composed of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program. @TheYEC

3 Unconventional Strategies for Growth

As you develop an execution plan for your long-term growth strategy, you may have to disrupt the status quo.

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We're spending the first part of the new year aligning our organization around our top priorities and long-term plans for growth. To do this, we must develop an execution plan that supports the strategy. Easier said than done.

A good execution plan may require disrupting existing routines and responsibilities. These disruptions, which our team may initially perceive as negative (who welcomes disruptive change?) may be vital for our strategy to succeed.

Going through this process every year, we've learned a few tips about the best approach. Keep these three factors in mind as you develop your own strategic execution plan:

1. Create a sense of urgency.

The more established an organization, the harder it is to implement change and execute transformation. Therefore, it's important to build momentum early in the process. Shifting course is no simple task in a legacy business. It requires an army-like crew moving together toward a common goal. Without this collective effort, the ship may fail to reach its destination or, even worse, sink under its own weight.

2. Don't build a business on a "burning" platform.

Executing on growth plans or a new product offering may require creating a distinct business unit. This takes a lot of time, testing, and trial. It's better to build it before the industry beats you to it. We've been working with one of our financial services clients to build a direct offering for their small business sector to lessen their reliance on brokers, reduce overhead, and increase customer efficiency and satisfaction. Because key competitors are also preparing to enter the direct space, it's wise for our client to invest now in long-term strategies to stay ahead of its rivals.

3. Don't be afraid to cannibalize your existing business.

As business owners, we become very proud of the products we have created or the services we provide. However, it's important to innovate and constantly stay atop of customers' needs and demands, evolving our products and services accordingly. Apple does this quite well--when the iPhone first launched, there was some concern that it would cannibalize the existing iPod franchise. But Apple was willing to make that trade-off in exchange for a much bigger opportunity.

What actions have you taken to execute your growth strategies? Please send us your thoughts at karlandbill@avondalestrategicpartners.com.

Associate Victoria Frizone contributed to this article.

Karl Stark and Bill Stewart are managing directors and co-founders of Avondale, a strategic advisory firm focused on growing companies. Avondale, based in Chicago, is a high-growth company itself and is a two-time Inc. 500 honoree. @karlstark

'We Had No Idea What the Numbers Would Look Like'

To get customers to come back, Wayfair co-founder Niraj Shah had to reorganize his 200 home goods websites.

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Make Your Move: 7 Signs You're Ready to Be Your Own Boss

Before they were great leaders, they were great employees. Most accomplished entrepreneurs and executives built their success on a solid foundation.

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It seems that everyone wants to be an entrepreneur these days. Everyone wants to be the boss and run their own show. I can certainly understand the motivation. The idea of doing your own thing, of ruling your own destiny, is certainly an attractive one. Besides, the job market sucks.

That's why there's a nearly insatiable demand for start-up and leadership advice. 

But here's the thing. The vast majority of you are putting the cart before the horse. The characteristics that will distinguish you and your career are developed, not when you're the boss, but when you're an employee.

You see, all the accomplished entrepreneurs and business leaders I know built their success on a solid foundation. What starts with your parents and teachers, continues with your managers and mentors. Maybe you'll become the manager, the teacher, the successful leader. But only if you were a great employee first.

Here's what it takes:

You manage your responsibilities, not your personal brand. Look, I know personal branding is a big deal these days, so let me be very clear about this. If you're great at what you do, your personal brand will take care of itself. It's the same with great products. The customer experience speaks for itself. Likewise, business isn't about you, it's about what you can accomplish. That's your brand.

You tell the cold, hard truth. And you do it for no other reason than because it's the right thing to do and you care about the company and its business. You don't worry about the consequences. Contrary to popular belief, accomplished leaders and executives know better than to trust yes-men. I've always valued people who say what's on their minds and I myself have never sugarcoated anything. CEOs truly value that, and my reputation stands on it to this day.

You always find a way to meet your commitments and get the job done. If you're motivated to move mountains to meet your organization's objectives and driven to do whatever it takes to satisfy a customer, then you're bound to be a winner in the business world. Those attributes are valued above all others.

You don't interview particularly well. Half the articles on business sites are about interviewing. Granted, if you can't get past the interview, you won't get the job. But on-the-job performance is really all that matters to your career and your company's success. I've always looked for smart, motivated people who could do the job. And I didn't need a bunch of bizarre interview questions to make that determination. Interviewing really isn't rocket science.

You seek achievement, not power or authority. You want to go places, but on your own merits, not by bullying or pushing people around. You want to make good money, but by contributing to the growth and success of the business, not because you feel entitled to it in some way. You don't want things handed to you; you want to be challenged. That's what drives great entrepreneurs, gets them up in the morning, and keeps them working long hours.

You ask "How high?" People always sarcastically ask, "If he tells you to jump, do you say, 'How high?'" While I've never been accused of being a pushover, I've always believed in having a customer service attitude. The popular term these days is "servant leadership." Same thing. I didn't get to where I am today by asking people what they can do for me, but by asking what I can do for them. Funny how well that's worked out over the long haul.

You don't whine--ever. A lot of people seem to think that companies should exist to serve their needs. That's not the way it is and it's definitely not how it should be. I know that's not a popular viewpoint, but it's the truth, nevertheless. And you know what? Good companies and managers have known for decades how to engage, empower, challenge, and motivate employees without indulging whiny, entitlement behavior.

So, before you set your sites on running your own show, first try to be a great employee. Everything else will fall into place. It may not be popular, but for just about all of you, it is the way to go. I guarantee it.

Steve Tobak is a management consultant, executive coach, and former senior executive of the technology industry. He's managing partner of Invisor Consulting, a Silicon Valley-based strategy consulting firm. Contact Tobak; follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. @SteveTobak

Make Social Media Efforts Worth It

Too many companies waste their time on social media. Ten objectives you should consider before you Tweet or post an update.

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All too often I see businesses that, in their haste to hop aboard the social media bandwagon, dive straight into tactical work without knowing what they hope to accomplish, let alone having a plan to achieve it. Social media, just like any other significant marketing initiative, needs to have a clear and measurable strategy. And while social media can serve many purposes, without clearly defining your primary objectives, you're going to have a hard time giving direction to your team, allocating resources, and evaluating outcomes.

Whether you're just starting out or you're re-evaluating your social media strategy, consider this list of objectives as a map to get started. Once you determine your objectives, you can drill down to tactics. If all the objectives sound appealing, try to limit yourself to no more than two or three at first. You can always build from there.

1.  Improve specific brand awareness and positioning. Many companies conduct advertising and marketing campaigns solely for the purpose of branding and raising consumer awareness. This could be your primary social media objective, too. If it is, be sure that your efforts reinforce your brand message and help differentiate you from the market.

2.  Improve visibility through search. Search engines factor in social media participation and social sharing into their algorithms. If search weighs heavily as a source of new business leads and sales, focus on a social media strategy that helps increase your company's search visibility.

3.  Provide education/how-to. Many companies have built their reputations helping educate their customers. Whole Foods Markets, for example, has developed a healthy living theme around the hashtag "#HealthYeah" which they use throughout their social media efforts.

4.  Develop, curate, and share industry or target audience news and information. Some companies do a great job of producing relevant news by conducting and sharing research; others seek out and post case studies. Don't have the resources to produce this kind of content yourself? Become a "curator" instead. The end result can be the same: You become the go-to high quality resource for news and information.

5.  Be an expert. This objective works particularly well if your business has a singular focus or you have someone on your team with unique subject matter expertise. By making available expertise the focal point of your social media strategy, you'll attract a wide audience of people seeking answers, but you'll also help generate plenty of useful content that can easily be shared. To execute this objective, you can leverage built-in solutions like Quora or you can create and host ongoing programming like a tweetchat or a Google Hangout.

6.  Deliver customer service. The idea of delivering customer service via social media dates back to some of the earliest brand successes on Twitter (@comcastcares, @hertz, @Quicken). Social media helps companies resolve customer issues rapidly--and those speedy responses boost companies' reputations.

7.  Recruit new job hires. Many companies find social media to be valuable to their HR teams as a great place to find engaged, interested job candidates. Some companies--like those in regulated industries--may not be comfortable using social media broadly, but a focused area like recruitment is a great place to start.

8.  Showcase products/replace print catalogs. Ssocial media can help reduce reliance on expensive print catalogs. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest allow companies to showcase and promote their wares for a fraction of the printing costs.

9.  Conduct direct sales/ecommerce. On Facebook, it's called "F-commerce," a full-blown store built into a Facebook page. Companies like Pampers and 1-800-FLOWERS have already begun testing it. Commerce can also be built into blogs, and through applications and extensions, I can envision simple transactions taking place through other social networks in the near future.

Screenshot courtesy of Business Insider

 

10. Listen/conduct market and/or competitive research. No company should overlook the power of using social media to simply listen and learn. Learn about your customers. Learn about your prospects. Learn about your competitors and about trends in your market. Sometimes the most power come from listening well.

Once you have your social media objectives figured out, it's time to build that strategy and put it into action.

Client advocate, digital strategist, and thought leader Hollis Thomases, founder of Web Ad.vantage, helps companies navigate the complexity of the ever-changing digital marketing landscape and develop digital strategies. @hollisthomases

Where Small Retailers Should Invest

You can't cost-cut your way to great service. A survey of retailers reveals where they invest to make sure they keep customers happy.

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A recent study by Retail Systems Research (RSR) looked at a common problem nearly all retailers face: the trade-off between labor costs and customer service. If you're in the retail industry, you immediately understand the difficulty. On one hand, consumers want good customer service. On the other, you need to be able to make a profit.

In other words, consumers like high-touch attention. The majority of retailers recognize that the workforce plays a more important role than ever before in delivering what shoppers want. According to a recent RSR survey, 82 percent of retailers said that over the last three years, the role of their workforce in enabling customer service has become more important.

Depending on the type of retail establishment, it may be that skilled employees are necessary. For example, if you sell fashion or other goods that have a "here today, gone tomorrow" quality--like consumer electronics--or sell traditional hard goods, such as appliances or cars, then you need salespeople who know what they are doing. Groceries? You need cashiers.

The difference is in how a business defines good customer service. For a grocer, it's having the products the customers want at a good price and getting them through a checkout line quickly. According to U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, 34 percent of employees at such businesses are cashiers, while only 1.9 percent are retail salespeople. Brand-focused stores have a significantly different spin. In fashion retail, 15.7 percent of employees are cashiers; 39.5 percent are retail salespeople.

If you're in an area that demands high-touch, how do you move toward that goal? It's the old story of putting your staffing where your mouth is. According to RSR, top retailers understand that better customer service requires a more skilled sales workforce and they have a greater allocation of employees in sales, versus cashiers or back office. They focus workforce management on increasing revenue and not solely watching labor expense. The latter is important, but if you don't have the right people working with the proper training, it won't matter, as you won't be making the sales, and the profits, you need anyway. You can't cost-cut your way to greatness.

And proper management of a workforce may require some technology, because so many retailers are bad at it, particularly once you get past basic time and attendance.

Erik Sherman's work has appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Magazine, and Fortune. He is a blogger for CBS MoneyWatch and InsideInvestorRelations.com. @ErikSherman

Instant Upgrade: Easy Way to Boost Your Company Culture

For one day out of every month, don't focus on planning or executing anything. Focus on this instead.

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Illustrious management expert, Peter Drucker, has been quoted more than a few times that "culture eats strategy for breakfast." While he didn't evangelize that strategy was insignificant or that it completely trumped company culture, he did believe that without a well-defined company culture, even the best-made strategic plans would be difficult to execute.

In order to enlist an army of loyalists to execute your strategy and be your brand ambassadors, you need an inspired company culture. But where do you begin?

Here's a simple idea.

Two years ago, our leadership team at Lamp Post Group set out to improve three things in our company: celebrating what's going right, improving communication, and connecting the people and the moving parts that make us great.

To those ends, we host an event that we call Feature Friday. Think of it as an adult pep rally. It's an important time that we carve out of the last Friday of every month in order to feature the best things about who we are and what we're doing.

We've covered everything from indoor Olympics to barbecues to ugly Christmas sweater contests. And while the games may change, there are a few constants that always make this time special.

Here are some ideas to kick off your own Feature Friday.

Serve food. It gives people a reason to socialize.

Some people need a reason to stop working. To lure people away from their desks, serve food. When food is sitting out buffet style, it's in our human DNA to gather around it. It costs very little to throw a party, but returns dividends on increasing communication and boosting morale. Throw in some booze and you're golden.

Be as transparent as possible.

Transparency in a company can take on many forms. While we don't spill the beans on individual salaries, we do talk about the financial health of the company. And the leadership team has been known to share a crazy idea or two in order to ignite the buy-in process. The fine line here is to be transparent without creating unnecessary anxiety.

Recognize the winners.

One of my favorite parts of Feature Friday is honoring the effort of a select few people. We praise their results, but also their attitude and how they live up to our guiding values. But be careful about who you make heroes; others will emulate their behavior. So make sure their behaviors are ones you really like.

We give away two awards every month. Someone gets an ugly doll for taking an ugly situation and making it better. That award seems to rotate through the IT department. Go figure. The other award is for the person that goes beyond what's asked of them. They are the rock stars.

Celebrate your victories.

When you're tasked with problem-solving all day long, it can be difficult to recircuit the brain in order to celebrate what's going right. That's what Feature Friday is for.

Psychologists and coaches know that sustaining any behavior for a long period of time involves three things: preparation, execution, and acknowledgment. In business, we're really good at planning and acting, but we're not as good at acknowledging the successes. We're usually on to the next thing.

Feature Friday is an intentional time set aside to do that. It sets a tone throughout the company that stopping the work to acknowledge the work is an important part of running a business. It refuels you and your people to sustain the long journey of building a legendary business.

I hope you'll try Feature Friday--or some version of it. If you do, let me know how it goes.

Dr. Shelley Prevost is a co-founder of Lamp Post Group, a venture incubator in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She curates kick-ass cultures by infusing principles of positive psychology in her role as Director of Happiness. @thegladlab

How to Weed Out Entitled Employees

Even if your company is a great place to work, not all employees will sufficiently appreciate it. Take a stand.

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I'm fortunate enough to lead a company that has been recognized locally and nationally as a great place to work. 

My management team and I genuinely care about Beryl's employees and work hard to create an environment where they love what they do every day.  We have fun, we participate in local community events, we focus on training and development, and we consistently reward and recognize people.  When staffers go through a tough time, we help them behind the scenes and offer support.

But for some people, that is not enough.  I find some employees still have a "what have you done for me lately" attitude.  In some cases, employees seem entitled, when what they should be do is show gratitude.  Some might attribute this to the millennial generation, but I don't think that's the whole story.

Dealing With Entitled Employees

Let me explain a few examples:

1. During the holidays one year, we set up an "angel tree" and invited employees to list gifts they wanted for their children that they could not otherwise afford.  One woman went to human resources upset because she had a long list of gifts on her card, and the person who picked it didn't buy everything; she was upset that the bike she received was blue, not green.

2. A few years ago, I knew employees were struggling when gas prices were over $5 per gallon.  So I bought $50 gas cards for all 350 employees.  The response was incredible appreciation--except for one woman who came in asking for an extra card because she had two cars.

3. Every holiday season, we have a big holiday party for employees and spouses.  It is a lavish event with a budget over $50,000, and we always have a "casino" so that employees can play for raffle tickets, and earn great prizes like iPads and Xboxes.  One year, an IT staffer went to Wal-Mart and bought raffle tickets in the same color we were giving out that night and stuffed all the prize jars with the names of members of his team.  They won all the prizes. (And he got fired.)

So if you already treat employees well, how do you handle those who don't appreciate it? Here's three ways to deal with unappreciative employees:

Tough Love

They won't know if you don't tell them.  At Beryl, managers don't hesitate to sit down with entitled employees, and let them know their actions are unacceptable.  

Quick Termination

Don't spend too much time focusing on the bad apples.  If people are not on board with your mission, let them go.

Resist the Urge to Enable

While at times we step in and help employees in catastrophic financial situations, we look to work out long-term solutions.  We don't assist with day-to-day financial woes--and let them know they're on their own for that.

While you may find humor telling stories about entitled employees, your time and energy would be much better spent praising and developing those who "get it." Create a great place to work, but be clear from the get-go about the value of your efforts.

Paul Spiegelman is founder and CEO of BerylHealth, which manages patient interactions for hospitals, and co-founded the Small Giants Community with Inc. editor-at-large Bo Burlingham. Read more at PaulSpiegelman.com. @paulspiegelman