2011-5
24

Mother’s Death from Cancer Inspires Son to Seek a Cure

Category: BusinessNews | Tags: | No Comments

Dr. Mark Rosenberg’s mother died from metastatic lung cancer several years ago, inspiring him to seek a cure. Today, trials are underway in both South Florida and Bogota to test a new treatment designed to weaken cancer cells, and initial results are encouraging. John Cleveland from Scripps said they’ve been working on a similar idea, and in Boynton Beach, Dr. Eyal Meiri said the treatment is “going in the right direction.” (See the South Florida Business Journal.)

The purpose of the new treatment is to weaken cancer cells by inhibiting them from excreting lactic acid. Thomas Bannister, one of three Scripps scientists to receive a multi-million dollar research grant in 2010, explained:

“Cancer cells differ from most healthy cells in using one pathway, called glycolysis, to acquire nearly all of their energy from glucose. The pathway makes lactic acid, a byproduct they must pump out in order to survive. Our research is aimed at improving molecules we have discovered that block lactic acid export and acidify the tumor cells. Cancer cells also recognize our compounds as an amino acid that they need in abundance. This tricks tumor cells into taking in something that will kill them.” (See PhysOrg.com.)

Here is Boca Raton-based Dr. Rosenberg discussing his research at a conference in Las Vegas:

2011-5
23

An Ethical Reminder from Exploding Watermelons

Category: Leadership | Tags: | No Comments

In eastern China, farmers have witnessed crops of watermelons exploding, and a number of people are blaming a chemical designed to promote crop growth. For example, one farmer watched helplessly as more than 180 watermelons exploded the day after he used the chemical on them. Other farmers denied using the chemical, but China Central Television aired a report suggesting that farmers have been overusing the chemical, “hoping they could get their fruit to market ahead of the peak season and increase their profits.” (See BBC News.) A number of Chinese citizens are now calling for better checks and balances to help ensure food safety.

The details of the phenomenon are still sketchy. But if a chemical of questionable safety has indeed been sold to farmers, and/or farmers have been intentionally misusing the chemical to try to boost profits, then the exploding watermelons offer an ethical reminder: when businesses try to cut corners at the expense of the public’s well-being, they tend to suffer serious consequences. Scandals (e.g., WorldCom, Enron, and Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme) eventually break wide open and can destroy professional reputations.

So if you’ve been gaining momentum on your path to success, keep the pace going — without cutting legal or ethical corners!

2011-5
20

Help Raise Funds for a Future without AIDS

Category: Philanthropy/Society | Tags: | No Comments

According to the Abzyme Research Foundation, the University of Texas is currently developing a promising new vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS, and a “Taste for Change” event will be held in Miami Beach to support that research. Guests are asked to donate $40 to attend the wine tasting fundraiser at Bar 721 on 6/17/11 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with all proceeds going to further development of the vaccine. 

To RSVP for the event, contact host Joel Santos at joel@sobeteethwhitening.com or (786) 267-0404 by 6/3/11. For more information about the research being done in Texas by Dr. Sudhir Paul, see Sudhir Paul, Ph.D.

2011-5
19

Stay on Top of National and Global Industrial Trends

Category: Uncategorized | No Comments

Jim Dieter leads one of the largest industrial brokerage platforms in the world, and he is coming to South Florida to discuss the national and global industrial trends that will affect local businesses. These trends include a shift from “destocking” to “restocking,” a renewed interest in shipping by rail, changing rental rates, and more.

Dieter will be speaking on 5/26/11 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $35 for NAIOP members and $55 for non-members. To RSVP, click either Member or Non-member on the NAIOP’s Current and Future Trends page.

2011-5
18

Sales Managers: Be ProActive in Your Approach

Category: BusinessBooks | Tags: | No Comments

ProActive Sales MgtIf you’re a sales manager, you’ll probably enjoy reading Skip Miller’s ProActive Sales Management: How to Lead, Motivate, and Stay Ahead of the Game. Here are five of the great points made in the book:

1. There’s a big difference between being a successful salesperson and being a successful sales manager. The two different job titles require two different skill sets. For example, if you as a sales manager continue to try making all the quotas by doing everything yourself, then your team’s failure is imminent.

2. Create a sales culture that is proactively focused on the future at all times. For example, don’t waste time on prospects who repeatedly said “Maybe” in the past, keep your focus on the prospects in the future who will say “Yes.” If your team has made repeated calls to one prospect, and it doesn’t look like the lead will convert into a sale, then it’s time to cross that one off the list and keep going.

3. Focus most of your resources on your A players, not your C players. Leaders are often distracted from the superstars on their team by trying to work with the underperformers. Unfortunately, this often makes the underperformers even more dependent on the leaders, while the superstars decide they might get more attention and development somewhere else.

4. Avoid funeral management. The concept of funeral management comes from the sentence that is commonly heard at funerals: “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” A better offer might be, “Let me take the kids over the weekend so you can have a break.” The same concept applies to leadership. Instead of just telling your A players to let you know if there’s anything you can do to support them, proactively offer them a specific workshop, book, job rotation, or other opportunity that would be valuable to them.

5. Keep everything simple: reports, sales meetings, action plans, and more. Hit your goals for each task on your list without wasting any time on unnecessary paperwork, boring topics on the agenda, lengthy business plans that will just gather dust in a binder somewhere, etc.

I particularly recommend this book for sales managers who will be hiring new people to join their team. Chapter Four of the book offers excellent ideas on “Finding and Recruiting the Best Sales Team.” For example, a job candidate is essentially selling themselves to you. How are they doing? How well are they already meeting the specific competencies that you defined for your team? 

In short, this is a great book for any sales manager seeking a more proactive approach to success!

2011-5
17

Companies Negotiating Better Terms for Expanding in South Florida

Category: BusinessNews | Tags: | 1 Comment

A successful corporate expansion can be beneficial to all stakeholders involved, including management, employees, shareholders, and communities. Aware of those mutual benefits, a number of companies have recently applied for job growth incentives before deciding whether to hire more employees in Broward and Miami-Dade, or deciding whether to move their headquarters to South Florida. According to this week’s South Florida Business Journal, both applicants have chosen to remain anonymous, but one of them appears to be China-based Mindray Medical International Limited.

The recent applications should come as no surprise in a society that has become dominated recently by daily deal websites, long lists of items on sale, and television shows about a level of coupon clipping that borders on obsessive. The current rule seems to be: only make a purchase if you have a promotion code, discount, coupon, or other great deal.

So before you make a purchase for your business or your personal life, remember the old television show: “Let’s Make a Deal!”

2011-5
16

Bloggers Ridicule Microsoft for Acquiring Skype

Category: Leadership | Tags: | No Comments

Quite a few technology bloggers have been expressing puzzlement or even mockery toward Microsoft after it announced plans to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion. Critics have pointed out that Microsoft already has a voice and video chat platform, while Skype as a company isn’t even profitable (see Why Skype?) Another critic pointed out that the Skype investors seem to be the major winners of the deal: “Purchase a company for $2.75 billion in September 2009–sell in May 2011 for $8.5 million while experiencing a debt of $686 million; yep, I’d definitely say they won with this one.”

One interesting theory, however, is that Microsoft is cleverly and quietly focusing on mobile technology.

“As mobile phones are becoming more data centric, the use of traditional voice calls will probably decline…. That line where a Skype call over 3G is becoming cheaper than traditional operater handled phone calls is dangerously close – in fact I would not be surprised that it has already reached that point in some cases… Microsoft is betting big bucks on this. I reckon they will see it as a loss leader sector inside the business, and that they believe Skype will become the dominant calling method in the future.” (See Is Microsoft paying too much for Skype?)  

I think this is a more compelling theory than some of the other theories out there (e.g., attempts to thwart the competition, efforts to acquire new innovative talent, a way to buy an audience for advertisers, or the idea that Microsoft simply had too much cash on hand.) From a leadership perspective, I’d like to believe that Microsoft is remaining true to its global brand as being an innovator, and if it can be the first to dominate video chats over smartphones, then its recent purchase will support that mission.

Stay true to your own mission, even if people ridicule you for it!

2011-5
13

South Florida: Salute Our Troops at Blue Martini

Category: Philanthropy/Society | Tags: | No Comments

In South Florida, Forgotten Soldiers Outreach is partnering with Blue Martini to host four different events that give a Red, White, and Blue Salute to Our Troops as we approach Memorial Day:

  • 5/22/11: Blue Martini at City Place in West Palm Beach, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
  • 5/25/11: Blue Martini at the Galleria Mall in Sunrise, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
  • 5/28/11: Blue Martini at Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
  • 5/28/11: Blue Martini at Town & Country in Kendall, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

All proceeds will go to Forgotten Soldiers Outreach’s mission to send care packages overseas to our troops. Guests who bring two items (e.g., Fusion razors, baby wipes, or non-perishable travel-size snack food items) will receive a free drink, and celebrity bartenders will be in attendance. For more information, see Red, White, and Blue Salute.

2011-5
12

Businesses: Prepare for 2011 Hurricane Season

Category: BusinessEvents | Tags: | 1 Comment

It’s that time again, South Florida — the 2011 hurricane season starts in less than two weeks, and a free webinar could help businesses prepare for it. Co-sponsored by Agility Recovery Solutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration, the webinar is taking place on Tuesday, 5/17/11, from 2-3 p.m.

According to official materials for the event:

“On the heels of an active, yet low impact Hurricane Season last year, forecasters are calling for a greater chance of impact to North American population centers during the 2011 Hurricane Season, beginning June 1st…Senior Meteorologist Ben Papandrea with WSI will be presenting the 2011 Forecast during this session, while Paul Sullivan, Agility Recovery VP & General Manager, will address the best steps for preparing your organization for the storms.”

To register for the event, click here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/204235769. Whether or not you take advantage of this webinar, don’t wait — start making preparations now for another hurricane season on the horizon!

2011-5
11

Dealing with People You Can’t Stand

Category: BusinessBooks | Tags: | No Comments

cantstandI talked to someone who disliked the bestselling Dealing with People You Can’t Stand, and she asked me what I thought of it. I agree that it’s not a book I would recommend. Here are my thoughts:

1. No one “makes” you angry. When you can’t stand someone, it’s because your own thoughts/judgments about them are irritating you. The book doesn’t address the impact that our powerful thoughts have on all areas of our lives, or the liberation that people can experience by freeing their minds from old patterns. The book just offers some quick tactics to use, without addressing the root cause of the problem. That’s like trying to fix split ends by wearing a wig instead of cutting your hair.

2. The authors make a weak attempt to separate behavior from people, encouraging readers to blame actions instead of personalities, but the little message gets lost when they’re using sweeping labels such as “The Nothing Person” or “The Whiner” or “The Grenade.” Angry readers will probably enjoy the idea that the person they can’t stand is on the “10 Most Unwanted” list, but it again deflects attention away from our own thoughts, and blames the other person for the problem. Other people don’t have to meet our expectations for what a good, rational, fair, just person ”should” be.

3.  The tactics offered by the book can quickly backfire. For example, the authors encourage readers to keep repeating ”The Tank’s” name until you have their attention, and then “aim for the bottom line and fire!” That wording suggests that readers should launch a counterattack against the other person. In a world where someone recently “pushed a co-worker into an oven,” I don’t think it’s responsible to encourage people to launch counterattacks against each other. I think the object of the game is to de-escalate and defuse so both parties can reach a win-win solution.

If you’re struggling with a team of people who can’t stand each other, I’d be happy to offer a Communication Styles workshop, Team Building workshop, Anger Management workshop, or other training and follow-up coaching to help.