I have used the metaphor of Japan as a bumblebee before and while I believe that the story on Japanese savings may just be a little more complicated than many believe...

Many businesses try to change...but few succeed.

At best, a few buzzwords and new reports become part of the company’s structure. At worst, programs crash and burn, and everyone becomes irreparably disillusioned with the revolving door of new-mission statements. According to David Shaner, a business consultant with a 100 percent success rate of change at companies including Duracell, Frito-Lay, Ryobi, and Gillette, the problem is that the implemented changes don’t address either individuals or the corporate culture. They’re only on the surface.

Asking for more money from an employer takes technique and those successful can come out ahead both in the eyes of their boss and in the additional pay they enjoy.

"Trust but verify." In today's economy, this advice from the late US Pres. Ronald Reagan is no where more important than it is now...

When working with my clients, I refuse to let sales people use a particular foul word.

Communication is about more than just grammar and vocabulary. It’s about getting your message across. However, sometimes the message gets lost due to cultural differences. Learn how to overcome this pitfall.

I hate technology, especially in sales.

My dream vacation would be a white sandy beach, and the wrangling of every PC, mail server, motherboard, OS, hard-disk, and CRM that had ever frustrated me. I would grab a shiny new sledgehammer and with loving brute force, smash them all to bits.

“China poised to pass Japan as world’s No. 2 economy,” reports CNN.com. Q2 GDP figures from Japan and China show the latter exceeding the former, $1.34 trillion vs. $1.29 trillion. In 2009, it was Japan ahead for the full year, at $5.07 trillion compared to China at $4.91 trillion, according to the IMF. Given the two lost decades now in Japan, this was only a matter of time.