Blog

Guest on The Family Biz Show

August 7, 2021

Recently I was invited by Michael Palumbos to be a guest on The Family Biz Show.  The topic?  “Psychological and Practical Pitfalls in Family Business […]

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What is a turnaround?

November 6, 2011

During the annual conference of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) which was held the last week in October, I attended two sessions about “turnarounds” and […]

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What does a turnaround expert DO?

February 21, 2011

I have recently been asked by reporters, “What would you do at Harry and David?” I responded with a description of the turnaround steps described […]

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Renee’s Rule™: You can’t have two captains on the same ship.

June 6, 2010

One of the headlines today in the New York Times reads, “In Gulf, It Was Unclear Who Was in Charge of Oil Rig.” If “who […]

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Renee’s Rule™: Two sick companies don’t make a healthy one.

August 4, 2009

When revenues decline, and profits are non-existent, companies often believe that if they buy or merge with another company, the increased revenues will solve their […]

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Renee’s Rule™: What gets measured matters.

June 28, 2009

Every manager knows the axiom “What gets measured is what gets done,” but too often managers overlook key measurements. An example: When cash is tight, […]

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Renee’s Rule™: If you can’t understand what someone is saying, he may not be saying anything.

May 27, 2009

I’ve seen some pretty scary hiring mistakes.  Here is an example in which “The Emperor Had No Clothes.” In the 1990’s, I became  Interim CEO […]

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Renee’s Rule™: “Bigger” may not be “safer.”

May 17, 2009

When is it “safer” to hire a “big” professional firm rather than a smaller one?  This is a topic I’ll be exploring in several different […]

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Renee’s Rule™: Don’t sell to customers who won’t pay.

May 10, 2009

I have been shocked by the number of companies I’ve met recently that have been placed on COD or credit hold by their vendors but […]

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Lean manufacturing: not a panacea

March 22, 2009

Not long ago, I attended a meeting of the local APICS chapter at which managers from a manufacturer of dental equipment described the process they […]

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