Emotions follow us wherever we go and greet us in every situation in life.  We cannot escape them however in business we must deal with them.   The calculation of profit is a mathematical equation that has a very logical and precise path that must be followed.  In business though many situations push and pull to challenge the seemingly logical approach to the profit calculation because of the emotions we bring our day.  If we were to recognize the emotions that are naturally in each business relationship and engagement we may be able to bring more success to the profit equation.   Success in the...

Sometimes we encounter folks in the course of business that are pushing the envelope on the logic of the day.  I affectionately refer to the people as flying their ‘Freak Flag’. The definition of freak flag from Urban Dictionary: Freak Flag: a. A characteristic, mannerism, or appearance of a person, either subtle or overt, which implies unique, eccentric, creative, adventurous or unconventional thinking. b.  Unrestrained, unorthodox or unconventional in thinking, behavior, manners, etc. One who espouses radical, nonconformist or dissenting views and opinions that are outside the...

UBS is coming to grips with the loss its ‘rogue trader’ has inflicted on its balance sheet.  The latest tally is approaching $2.3 billion which is a stagger sum of money.  It is safe to say that the hows and the whys will be sorted through, and debated for the months to come.  The one description of Kweku Adoboli (the rogue trader) that struck me in the Wall Street Journal is how his co-workers described him as being extremely polite.  Being polite is certainly a favorable character trait especially when it allows you to hide $2.3 billion in losses.  Of course if he were a rude...

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“How productive are you?” it is a simple question right? It is a question that many managers struggle to answer despite the platitudes given in board rooms and staff meetings about efficiency and being productive.   Most economist will agree that productivity can be defined as the measurement of output per unit of input.   More simply stated productivity is output divided by input.  An organization can easily calculate this equation and easily to determine the level of productivity in the organization.  It is done in most organizations quite frequently and without the explicit statement of a...