The Leaderboard

4 leadership lessons from George Washington
George Washington led his troops to victory against the British redcoats in 1777 in part by adopting a more democratic approach to leadership, writes Signe Spencer. Rather than simply issuing commands and expecting obedience, Washington sought the advice of his subordinates and thereby hatched a battle plan that was more innovative and effective than anything a single general could have devised alone. Great Leadership (2/17)
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Sales Strategies

What you should know about sales training
As you develop a sales-training plan, you should work to motivate your employees and recognize that a one-size-fits-all program isn't always the right answer, writes Richard Ruff of Sales Horizons. It's also important to understand that some problems, such as a poorly constructed compensation system, also may be hurting salesperson performance. SalesTrainingConnection.com (2/15)
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Ask better questions to produce better behaviors
If you want your salespeople to engage in more effective interactions with customers, you have to start asking better questions, writes David Brock. You can determine what sort of questions to ask by examining your sales process, he writes. Partners in Excellence Blog (2/15)
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Daily Data Points

Economic indicators are expected to point upward
An indicator this week for the U.S. economy is expected to reveal continued strength in the housing market as measured by construction. Meanwhile, a business-outlook gauge is projected to turn modestly positive this month, from negative last month. MarketWatch (2/17)
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Analysis: Huge M&A deals return after half-decade of doldrums
After a dry spell that lasted half a decade, the volume of multibillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions soared at the beginning of 2013. A key factor is the more than $1 trillion of cash accumulated by Standard & Poor's 500 corporations that is generating almost no returns. The renewed health of U.S. banks is also driving the trend. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/DealBook blog (2/14)
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Strategies from Sales & Marketing Management

How marketing automation can be a solid investment
Growth-minded companies continue to experiment with marketing automation in an attempt to increase revenue. How much impact can it have? Debbie Qaqish of The Pedowitz Group answers that question from sales and marketing viewpoints. Sales & Marketing Management (2/18)
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On the Road

Which airplane business seats are worth the price?
Worth magazine has unveiled its "Top 10 Seats in Business Class." Emirates, Cathay Pacific Airways, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic Airways are some of the carriers with business-class seats that made the list. Luxury Travel Magazine online (2/12)
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App Update

Goal-setting Everest app wants users to reach their potential
The Everest application encourages users to reach their highest potential by setting and then completing goals and challenges. It has backing from venture capitalist and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, and is led by CEO Francis Pedraza, who sees the app as a "self-actualization" platform. The app sends goal-setters push notifications, and "is pretty, in part thanks to the crack iOS developers, including some poached from Jawbone," writes Josh Constine, although its usability still needs some tweaks. TechCrunch (2/14)
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Making Small Talk

Attack of the "night people"
In the mid-1950s, a late-night radio host named Jean Shepherd rallied his listeners -- who called themselves "night people" -- and ordered them to bombard bookstores with requests for a non-existent book called "I, Libertine." The surreal prank became a global sensation but got out of hand as the mainstream media began to investigate. "In our time of memes, virality, and reality blurring, the hoax Shepherd dreamt up seems extremely modern and prescient in its contours -- as does the fact that, eventually, it got out of his control," writes Matthew Callan. The Awl (2/14)
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SmartQuote

Sales managers have a great deal of influence on the behavior of their people just by the questions they ask." -- David Brock, writing at the Partners in Excellence Blog Share: