http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/142/switch-how-to-change-things-when-change-is-hard.html

Switch: Don't Solve Problems--Copy Success

Find a bright spot and clone it.

That's the first step to fixing everything from addiction to corporate malaise to malnutrition. A problem may look hopelessly complex. But there's a game plan that can yield movement on even the toughest issues. And it starts with locating a bright spot -- a ray of hope.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/health/ci_14248028?nclick_check=1

How to deal with a complainer, even if it's you

JUST CALL HER "Smiley." Retail Worker Angela Royal -- who prays and meditates every day before clocking in -- earned the moniker at her workplace because of her cheery demeanor.

"You are only there eight or so hours a day, so why not make the best of it?" she says.

Despite how she feels, however, there are people at her work that are constant negative influences. People who, she says, complain about other co-workers, the boss and customers. They complain about the job, the hours and the pay.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/15/news/companies/walmart_dropping_brands/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=Sbin

Dumped! Brand names fight to stay in stores

Don't be shocked if you can't find your favorite salad dressing or mouthwash on your next trip to Wal-Mart.
Large retailers -- including Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500), the world's biggest -- are wrestling with having too many types of brand-name products. At the same time, shoppers are buying less and looking for bargains.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_08/b4167084083914.htm

The Power of Saying 'We Blew It'

New ads for Domino's Pizza display unusual corporate vulnerability--and the surprising effectiveness of talking straight

I recently saw a television commercial that made quite an impression on me, and I have a hunch that it might go down as one of the most effective advertisements of all time, assuming the company behind it is sincere. I'm talking about Domino's Pizza (DPZ) and the recent ad in which the company concedes the shortcomings of its product and explains what has been done to improve it.

http://blog.inc.com/one-person-business/2010/02/is_your_client_costing_you_mon.html

Is Your Client Costing You Money?

We've all done it...hung on to the client who makes unreasonable demands on our time and resources. We may hang on out of the fear of letting go of the revenue, or we may believe that the impossible client is going to change, so why not wait it out?

http://www.startribune.com/business/84278527.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU

A hasty blog post from a Twin Cities woman launched a national buy-local movement that's now 16,000 members strong.

Most people want to sidle up to Oprah. Cinda Baxter took her on.

"Oprah, you've got it wrong," Baxter lashed out in a blog entry that would launch a thousand e-mails and a new business venture

http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/15/re-thinking-my-meeting-strategy/

Rethinking My Meeting Strategy

I recently implemented a formal set of procedures to evaluate key business metrics. We are using an Excel spreadsheet to capture the data that is then funneled into an executive dashboard that gives me a snapshot view of what is happening at any point in time. I look forward to seeing how this tool scales and evolves as we grow.

http://www.inc.com/articles/2010/01/10-awkward-social-media-moments.html

Top 10 Awkward Social Media Moments

Your social life is no less immune to awkward moments because it's happening online. Companies -- and their employees -- discovered that the hard way in 2009. Big and small enterprises alike demonstrated why it's important to invest in a bit of social media training or at least use some common sense. Here, we rank the most embarrassing blunders of the year. Small businesses take heed.

http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/a-must-read-for-anyone-who-wants-to-sell-a-business/

A Must Read for Anyone Who Wants to Sell a Business

When I discovered "The Offer," a series by the veteran entrepreneur and Inc. columnist Norm Brodsky, I think I must have gasped audibly.

There they were -- detailed installments spanning a three-year period during which Mr. Brodsky negotiated the sale of CitiStorage, his Brooklyn-based document-storage business. Because the purchase and sale of privately held companies are typically protected by strict confidentiality agreements, this type of real-time disclosure is a rare find.