Last week, we discussed how we keep our promises, which differentiates us from most of the competition. We mentioned that we offer free “discovery” to our prospective clients, and that one benefit of this offer is the opportunity to evaluate clients before we agree to work with them. Internally, we call this our “No Jerk Policy” (we actually call it the “No A**hole Policy but this is a PG-rated blog, so we’ll censor ourselves). This policy of ours, put in other words, means t

This week’s This American Life episode really got me thinking. It’s a story about a guy named Ken who unknowingly stumbled into the NFT gold rush. Ken was working a regular job at Amazon, and in his spare time, he created a site called Pixelmap. He built it to practice a new programming language. Ken forgot about it until he was contacted by an online influencer named Adam McBride, who informed him that Ken had created one of the first NFT sites in history. Consequently, he w

Hollywood seems to be obsessed lately with famous start-up scammers. Browse through your Netflix, and you’ll see that Billy McFarland, Bernie Madoff, Elizabeth Holmes, and Anna Delvey have documentaries or TV series about how they defrauded investors out of millions and even billions of dollars. I admit it, I’ve seen them all. At first, I thought it was just a guilty pleasure. But upon reflection, I think these shows teach the wrong lessons and draw the wrong conclusions. In

In our previous two blog posts, we discussed how we engage with potential new clients and how we ensure on-time delivery. In both posts, I highlighted the involvement of CodeStringers' senior leadership. This hands-on approach sets us apart from countless other software outsourcing companies in terms of the quality and outcomes we deliver for our clients. In this post, we want to clarify all the value that potential clients can expect when senior leadership is actively involv

With the development of current data storage and processing technology, it is relatively easy and inexpensive for businesses to start owning a data warehouse or building their own reports/dashboards. But to gain value from that data, one must create a close link between business strategy and technology. This requires an investment in the right tools for each stage of the data lifecycle. So what are the right tools? And how does one implement them properly to achieve maximum i

As an entrepreneur, it’s an amazing feeling when your customers tell you that your business is delivering something unique. I recently had this happen and wanted to share the anecdote. I was recently introduced to a potential new customer looking to build a software product for a new business. The contact who introduced us joined us on a call where I described how we typically engage with customers when defining and building a “minimum viable product (MVP)”. I stated that Cod

You can’t watch the news for more than five minutes these days without hearing predictions of a recession, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, tightening of credit markets, global supply crisis, et cetera. When consumers get wind of these adverse events, they begin a cycle of economic decline: Consumers get nervous, so they spend less, Businesses make less money than they did before, Businesses slow hiring and/or lay off employees, Which makes consumers nervous, so they spen

Research on the relationship between leadership and organizational success has shown that a leader's capacity for empathy and compassion has the strongest influence on organizational profitability and productivity. How does empathy relate to your ability to lead? What can you do to improve your leadership skills? In this post, we will define empathy and empathetic leadership and provide advice on how to enhance this skill. What is empathy? The term empathy was first introduce

People frequently use the terms “leadership” and “management” interchangeably. In many situations, they are sufficiently similar to be used as synonyms. Both involve overseeing others' performance and require similar skills. However, there is certainly a difference between leadership and management. Knowing the differences will help you achieve the best balance of leadership and management traits. You can refine your abilities and reach your full potential once you recognize

Many businesspeople believe that certain leadership styles are superior to others. However, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. Every leader has a unique personality and background that affects their leadership style. This style may change over time and could even change to best meet certain situations. Perhaps leaders could think of different leadership styles as tools in their toolboxes. We'll go through 9 leadership styles and theories to

If you're looking to motivate your team effectively, you must understand that your success as a manager relies on their success. When you lead them well, you can transform the collective effort into something greater than the sum of its individual contributions. Conversely, poor leadership can result in an unhappy, unproductive, and unsuccessful team. So, what steps can you take to become a better leader and motivate your team? 1. Empower them to make their own decisions… wit

Why do people really quit their jobs? Before you say "salary," "benefits," or "workload," take a second to think about the worst boss you've ever had. Were they bad at giving feedback, not helpful, or just plain mean? Did they have you feeling unmotivated, too nervous to offer ideas, or fearing that you'd lose your job with the slightest misstep? Once you let those memories sink in, you probably won't second-guess the statement: "People quit their managers, not their jobs." O

As an individual If I could give one piece of advice to someone starting a business career, it would be to “know your lane.” I would tell them to do an honest soul-searching session and ask themselves a few questions: What are you good at? But perhaps more importantly, what are you not good at? What kind of work do you enjoy doing? (granted, “enjoy” is a relative term in business) Do you want to be challenged every day, or do you prefer something a bit more rote and routine?

Great leaders are charismatic. They hold strong opinions. They take strong stands. Through force of personality alone, they tend to own the rooms they inhabit. Like Jeff Bezos. Or Mark Cuban. Or Elon Musk, who once said, "I say something, and then it usually happens. Maybe not on schedule, but it usually happens." In short, great leaders are extremely confident -- and that confidence produces results. But not always. According to a 2012 study published in the Academy of Manag

A top global strategist based in London advises TechRepublic to be better prepared for the next transformative journey, as it may emerge while the current transformation is still ongoing. Organizations need to acknowledge that, whether it's a minor obstacle or a significant wave of change, once one challenge is overcome, another one will follow closely behind. In other words, if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's the fast-paced nature of sudden change. Busines

As an adviser to new businesses, I’m a strong believer that no one succeeds alone in business. Yet I find that many entrepreneurs struggle and fail in the transition from personally developing an innovative idea to building the relationships necessary to transform it into a successful business. These relationships include investors, an operational team, and customers. I encountered this challenge, reaffirmed and magnified, in an inspiring book titled "No One Succeeds Alone: L

According to Buffett, your leadership could be in trouble with this missing element. Back in 2005, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates held a Q&A at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A student in the audience asked Buffett how he would know that his management team is making ethical decisions that would parallel his own. Buffett offered up advice in the form of a "test" that many managers today would probably fail. You may want to read Leadership vs. management: What’s the differ