When I was five, my dad taught me to ride a horse (or at least he tried). The first day he put me on a nice old nag. I learned that putting my heals to the horse’s flanks, using the reins, and maybe adding a verbal command for good measure was required to get the horse to go. This worked well on the old nag. The next day, my dad put me on a thoroughbred race horse (it was still actively racing). Just like the cowboy on the old Marlboro TV commercials, I leaned forward in the saddle. The horse,…

If you want the best outcome, where your expectations are met for your company’s valuation, be sure to ask yourself the following questions:Is honesty or the final dollar figure most important? Some business owners want a certain dollar figure regardless of true value, disregarding bias or substantiation or even tax law or applicable contracts. They really do not care if the appraiser is honest or biased, just so long as someone else’s name and liability is attached. Some appraisers are quite good at arriving at their client’s desired number. I have seen them do it sloppily and I have seen…

Recently I used the word accountability as in, “Employees, especially salespeople, must be held accountable for doing their jobs if a business is going to succeed.” I was told by several chief operating officers that accountability is not a word they could use in their companies. The connotations were simply too negative. Can you imagine a coach afraid to use the word “accountable” relative to whether his or her players are doing their job? Can you imagine a general afraid to use the word “accountable” when his officers fail to carry out his orders? Can you imagine any other field…