Eclectic Change

Change the World – Join us on Kiva

On this last day of the year, we at 1-Focus would like to pay tribute to all the individuals out there who are working to make this planet and healthy and safe place for everyone of us.  As a team supporter of Kiva we hope you will consider joining us. I want to recruit you to my lending team, Sustaining Change, on Kiva, a non-profit website that allows you to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur in the developing world. You choose who to lend to - whether a baker in Afgh...

Seasons Greetings and Peace to All

Roberta joined Sandy as a partner in 1-Focus International in the fall of 2006. In the past two years we have focused our vision and strategy around the philosophy and values that we both share. We believe that when one is working from a clear vision, mission and values, whether as an individual or organization, not only do you have a flexible roadmap to use for your tough decisions, but you are also operating in alignment with your core being – positively impacting the world and people around...

In light of today’s difficult economic times, a Christmas-Chanukah merger

This came across my desk today and with good humor, I had to share it with you. The full post at Maggie's Farm is by guest poster Bruce Kesler is Oy, Come All Ye Faithful: First Night of Hannukah (with Christmakah)   Maggie's Farm describes itself as "a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics". Continuing the current trend of large-scale mergers a...

Remaining Calm regardless of the chaos around us.

I particularly enjoyed Dr. Maynard Brusman's recent post on his Working Resources Blog: Executive Coaching for Stress Resiliency – Calm Leadership under Pressure.   [private_Transition Club]  [firstname], in case you hadn't noticed the Working Resources Blog has a list of some short survey you can take online that might be of interest to you.  Click Here. [/private_Transition Club] One of the most powerful questions one can ask is “How well do I manage my stress under pressure?” Stress hardy ...

Fraud, Bribery and Ethics – How much is cultural?

There is a great article on the psychology of fraud written from a business perspective from The UK Guardian yesterday.  It stresses the importance of understanding this issue because "organisations in the US are estimated to lose around 5 per cent of revenues to fraud of various kinds, while in the UK in the first half of 2008, accountant KPMG recorded 128 cases of fraud with combined losses of £630m". The conventional explanation of fraudsters' behaviour is that they are greedy and dishonest i...

Boldness in Business – Great Title for Business Awards

The Financial Times/ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards will take place at the Tate Modern gallery, London, on March 19 2009. The categories, which will be nominated by a panel of judges, are: Drivers for Change; Corporate Responsibility; Environment; Emerging Markets; Entrepeneurship and Lifetime Achievement.  A couple of things caught my eye besides the title which in of itself is quite catchy.  The definition of the first category is particularly interesting: Drivers of Change Bold dri...

Options for Older Workers in Transition

I don't know what "older workers" means anymore. I suspect it is anyone (in the US at least) over 50 who "theoretically" can take early retirement. However, even before the current economic situation, I don't know of many who actually stopped all work (i.e. nothing that paid). Some older Americans want to give back to society but need some pocket change to cover their costs, while others need a temporary cash cushion as they look to change careers. Either way, there are some options out ther...

Free Leadership Article Collection from MIT Sloan

MIT Sloan Management Review has chosen three recent leadership articles designed to help you address a number of common leadership challenges. In these challenging economic times, the effectiveness of leadership in corporations is increasingly becoming a source of concern. They claim that insights in this complimentary collection will help you make effective decisions about leadership recruitment, promotion and development strategies. MIT SMR De-Mystifying Leadership Collection, sponsored by He...

What is a merger versus a consolidation?

Here is a short, 3.5 minute video which explains a couple of key concepts involved in mergers and acquisitions. It is a good reminder that while we at 1-Focus point out that our primary work is in the area of mergers and acquisitions, the people that really hire us are more interested in consolidation. Hence the importance for them of integration. I know . . . "a rose by any other name . . .    

Focusing on the Small and “Insignificant”

by  Mary Jo Asmus, President of Aspire Collaborative Services LLC. Copyright 2008 Business Review. Reprinted with permission.  November, 2008. While vacationing with my husband, I had the good fortune to discover a  macro lens on the point-and-shoot camera I'd purchased in the spring. After decades of traveling in Northern Michigan, thousands of miles of hiking (okay, maybe just hundreds), and waiting for my husband - an avid photographer - to take that "perfect" photo and get back on the t...