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David was recently quoted in an article in Entrepreneur magazine:

Hiring has changed from the days when resumes, interviews and reference checks were an employer’s sole means of screening candidates. Technology is opening up more possibilities to compete with larger companies for the best hires, says David Nour, managing partner of Relationship Economics LLP, who coaches clients on using technology to acquire top talent. Take networking sites, for example. “Traditional resumes tell you what you want to hear,” Nour says. “I’m looking for different perspectives on this person. LinkedIn shows you guilt by association.” Entrepreneurs can contact the candidate’s associates to learn more about the person. Other networking sites include ZoomInfo and Spoke, but that’s only the start

Read Recruiting Employees 2.0

by RUTH A. HILL

Did you hear the one about Danna Walker, an American University professor who required her “Understanding Mass Media” students to undertake an e-media fast? She insisted they do no TV, computers, iPods or other MP3 devices, radio, video games, CD players, cell phones, or land phone lines for 24 hours. Despite student shrieks of, “What, no cell phones?” and other cries of desperation, the fast was completed, reports were written, and results were discussed.

In her article published in The Washington Post, Walker reported some students said they had gotten more sleep or spent more time with their families. Others said it felt like they were in isolation, because they realized most of their friends weren’t in their same geographic area. Clearly, those students had been spending more time on social media sites such as MySpace than with classmates and others in their real-time sphere.

Read the rest of the article here…

I recently heard an excellent description of the correct use of e-mail from a CEO I am growing to appreciate. His idea? Use e-mail to convey facts and not opinions.

• “The meeting is at 10 AM in Room 128B.”
• “Attached is the document you requested for XYZ proposal.”
• “Attached is the project plan for this key initiative.”

Those are all examples of factual information, which is applicable to most of what’s in my inbox. Conversely, if the e-mail includes comments such as “I think, we believe, you should, etc.”, you should pick up the phone instead!

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At a recent Society for International Business Fellows (SIBF) luncheon, a speaker with an impressive background in both the domestic and international financial sectors shared some speculative and provocative insights on the quaintness of the protectionist sentiment and the idea of economic nationalism.

To give you some background, Atlanta is the sixth Federal Reserve district covering Georgia, Alabama, parts of Mississippi and Tennessee, Florida, and the southern half of Louisiana. This region populates 45 million people and has an estimated economy of $2 trillion, which is roughly 13% of the U.S. economy. If this district were a country, its economy would be between those of Italy and Canada or roughly the eighth largest in the world.

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In his book, Winning, Jack Welch points to a lack of candor in corporate America.

One thing that is critical in any company that is determined to grow, learn, and prosper is a culture with the courage to criticize. Although seldom fun for the person doing it – or for the one on the receiving end – in life, and certainly in business, we need to criticize the actions of others when the time calls.

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In old school selling, we were always taught that the customer is always right. But are they really? Last time I checked, customers are comprised of individuals. Every day average Joes like you and me. And I make a lot of mistakes (which is often reinforced by my wife).

If you have been selling for any decent period of time, you are bound to run into a prospect who you really like and want to do business with, but whom you have found to be outright clueless, undereducated, highly opinionated, and most dangerous of all – extremely short sighted.

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