Ask any of my clients, and you’re likely to hear about my penchant for analogies. Cognitive metaphors, as linguists call them, refer to understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another. When we use analogies, we help our audiences understand a “target domain” by applying their understanding of “source domains.” So, when we say things like “brands evolve,” we don’t mean they evolve in the literal sense, inheriting specific characteristic from their biological predecessors, over many generations; we mean that our understanding of the concepts fundamental to evolution (e.g., gradual change, inherent DNA, natural selection and extinction) are helpful in developing an understanding of brand.
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Just yesterday, as I scrolled through my Facebook feed, I came across a comment, written by someone I have never met. In fact, we’ve never even spoken or exchanged email.

All her comment said was, “definitely worth a look.” Read more

In each organizational setting, there is a unique set of expectations we may consider optimal for good management. The management behaviors that may be most effective for encouraging participation at a brainstorming session, for example, would be very different from the management behaviors required to ensure victory in the heat of battle. And though that principle seems self-evident academically, people tend not to alter their behavior effectively in different settings.
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(This article was previously published on Technorati.com.)

Countless books have been written, extolling the virtues of sales training. All of them miss the point. Companies’ sales efforts fail, not so much because their sales people don’t know how to sell, but because they’re not being well managed. Read more

In the four decades since Jack Cakebread began making wine, Cakebread Cellars has established its position among the finest wines in America. Recently, MarketPoint asked Bruce Cakebread, the company’s President and COO, to share his views on the Cakebread brand.
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