Business Coaching

During many years leading organizations of various sizes, I learned how much folks enjoy receiving thank you notes—especially those which come from their boss or their boss’s boss. Being fully retired, it is great fun sending off handwritten notes to thank people or to congratulate them for a special accomplishment. These notes are sent to the home address of the individual. This prevents them from being intercepted by an executive assistant or another staff member. Even the most well-known people do not get many notes at their home addresses. One of the best

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about the relationship between business success and whom you hang out with. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: A common business saying is that to be successful, you have to be around other successful people. How does this help someone be successful in business? Rick: A lot of it has to do with learning. You can learn how other people

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about the quality of education available at the College of Business. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: The CSRA is fortunate to have a strong business school in the area. What are the educational aspects of it, both for undergraduate students and for those who are already in the professional business world? Rick: We give all undergraduates a core education

The Damar Hamlin story has been an inspiration to millions of people in America and beyond. One week after his heart stopped, he left the hospital in Cincinnati and returned to Buffalo. Danny Killington, the assistant trainer for the Buffalo Bills, is credited for saving Damar’s life but many others assisted. The power of prayer may well have played a role. One aspect of the Hamlin story needs to be emphasized. At age 24, Hamlin had already established a foundation to lend aid to children in his hometown. Just think about

While it’s too late to make any changes that would affect your 2022 individual and business tax returns, David Ussery has practical advice for preparing for your 2023 returns. Ussery, a certified public accountant and partner with SME CPAs, will be the guest speaker for this month’s special edition Third Thursday Business Builder, hosted by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Jan. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Chamber Conference Room. His presentation will be titled “Take Control of Your Taxes in 2023.” “One of

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about good business resources and how to get the most out of them. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: The start of a new year is a good time for business professionals to do a little self-education, either through books or other sources. What are some benefits of taking the time for self-education? Rick: It widens your perspective. The people

It is important to be aware of bad news, and more importantly, to take steps to deal with it. However, recognizing, celebrating, and enjoying the good news should be part of everyone’s life journey. A favorite expression in our family is “Don’t Postpone Joy” Here is some good news list from far and wide. The strength of the dollar. For the first time in twenty years, the dollar is worth almost as much as the Euro (the other important currency in the world). This news is mostly positive. It indicates

Let’s just go ahead and preface with this: I fell into entrepreneurship and therefore leadership. And riding a bull is about the equivalent of being a business owner; perhaps you can relate. There are tremendous ups and downs, spins and ejections. So, keeping that in mind, I wanted to talk about questions that continually come up for me while I am out in the community: “How do you do all the things you do?” “I see you everywhere! Do you sleep?” “Do you have a clone?” “I didn’t expect you

Each year around this time, one of the world’s wealthiest fictional characters receives a lot of attention. That, of course, is Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly and bitter character created by Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol and retold in a number of movie versions. But just how wealthy was Scrooge and how did he earn all that money? Dickens’ novel, published in 1843, doesn’t say for certain, but obviously Scrooge was extraordinarily wealthy for the time period. Various people have ventured guesses at Scrooge’s wealth. Forbes listed him as the