Click here to close


Please take a moment to complete our survey. Click here for details.

Leadership


32 best management ideas



The top tips from leading St. Louis CEOs to help get you through tough times

Smart Business St. Louis | December 2008

Page 1 of 6

Print This Page
Send this page to a friend

We’ve all had days where we would rather not open the newspaper, turn on the TV or pick up the phone for the fear of learning about more bad news.

Unfortunately, there have been a lot more of those days for all of us lately.

The stock market is going through extreme ups and downs, capital has dried up, and key customers are cutting back. You start to wonder where the sales are going to come from to enable you to make this quarter’s budget. If things don’t turn around soon, you’ll have to consider drastic cutbacks yourself.

In times like these, what’s a CEO to do? The answer: Get back to basics. Focus on the things you do best and do them as efficiently as you can. Use your strengths to exploit your competitors’ weaknesses and outhustle them.

It’s often the simple things that made you a success in the first place, and it will be the simple things that keep you afloat during the economic storm.

With that in mind, we’ve assembled the best pieces of advice garnered from St. Louis’ top leaders from throughout the year. We think you’ll find some great ideas to help you improve your business within these pages, and we encourage you to keep this issue as an ongoing reference to help you find your way through the trying times that lie ahead.

More Leadership




Playing to win
How Joe McKee builds relationships to fuel growth at Paric Corp.


Taking the offensive
How Tom Cornwell helped employees at DRS Sustainment Systems learn to work as a team


Searching for the bottom
How Jon Vrabely keeps Huttig Building Products afloat during tough times




Charging ahead
Robert Reeg shares the lessons learned after a $160 million change at MasterCard Worldwide


Preaching patience
How Russ Burns uses a steady hand to guide Clayco through rough times


Savvy leadership
How Philip Koen rallied the troops at SAVVIS Inc. by rebuilding their trust in the company


Building rapport
How Mike Bolen keeps McCarthy Building Cos. on top by listening first and speaking second


Selling the big picture
How Peter Van Cleve engages employees to work toward a common set of goals at Bryan Cave LLP


Pointing the way
How Steve Maritz led Maritz Inc. through chaotic times by keeping everyone focused on one vision


Return on investment
How Jim Weddle grows Edward Jones by empowering his leaders to make a difference




search



Copyright © 2009 Smart Business Network Inc.  •  Publishing, Sales, & Editorial Office  •  Smart Business Online
835 Sharon Drive,  •  Suite 200  •  Cleveland, OH 44145  •  P: 440-250-7000  •  F: 440-250-7001  •  E: webmaster@sbnonline.com

Website Development: Veridean Technology Solutions, LLC.