Rick Norris

My uncle Wayne raced Indian motorcycles in the 1930s.  One of his projects was refurbishing a 1936 Indian Scout, though his sons Wayne and Bart ultimately completed the project. To do so, they had to take inventory of the bike and plan the tasks of obtaining the parts and executing the labor.  The end result purred.  However, now built, where was the bike going to take them?

In my experience, small and medium-sized businesses approach their enterprises the same way Wayne and Bart approached their hobby.  They look within their businesses and try to fix what’s wrong in order to get it running smoothly. 

Suzanne Bates, CEO, Bates Communications

How many leaders have walked onto a big stage and stumbled at precisely the moment when we hoped they would shine? When Mary Barra appeared before Congress in April to answer for events leading to GM’s recall of 1.6 million vehicles with faulty ignitions, her careful, overly-scripted testimony landed with a thud. The moment cried out for Barra to show up as the CEO heralded to be the “new GM” and to appear concerned, sincere and authentic. Instead of reassuring the public that GM would address the issues, and expressing empathy toward the victims, her responses inspired a Saturday Night Live opening skit that lampooned her lack of candor and responsiveness.