As opportunities for global expansion increase, so does the trend toward more diversity in the workplace. Successful companies are recruiting professionals with different backgrounds, cultures, styles and motivations. Yet this great resource presents increased possibilities for misunderstanding and cultural blunders.

Leaders must be flexible and be able to adapt to this diverse workforce and global consumers. This requires an understanding of the historical, political and economic references of people. Leaders must understand differences in worldviews, communication styles, ethics and etiquette of the people they deal with, both internally and externally.

Jeff Sexton at Future Now identifies and challenges seven common marketing claims, explaining why they are ineffective and offering ideas for making them persuasive.
1. Superior Customer Service
2. Easy to Use
3. Most Experienced
4. We’re #1
5. 100% Risk-Free
6. Cutting Edge
7. Best Value

Leaders tend to know more about how their cars operate than they do about what motivates and drives the people who work for and with them - and that's not saying a lot. People, human beings, carry out the tasks, projects, and major strategies in any organization. And yet, how much do we as leaders really know and understand about what inspires someone to get out of bed in the morning and want to go to work. When a leader understands this it can make the difference between frustration and joy, mediocrity and greatness, failure and success. Let's take a look at what we know.

Way too many conversion rate optimization projects are coming up empty. Companies feel they work too hard for too little return. Most conversion rate optimizations efforts are focused on pages and elements but don't focus on the entire persuasion scenario. Perhaps and understanding of The Hierarchy of Optimization can help.

For a searchable repository of market data check out our Market Research Center

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Our firm is very skeptical of surveys. They can annoy customers. The questions themselves tend to reflect the bias of the person or company asking them. At best, they offer directionally-correct information, which is often taken out of context and used to replace an old assumption with some shiny new (and equally dangerous) one.

The great thing about Web Analytics is that it allows you to see how people are using your site — without surveying them. But there are things your Web Analytics can’t tell you. That’s when a survey can help. When handled correctly, surveys can provide a good starting point for gathering qualitative data about the customer experience.

The most effective questions are designed to help us learn about the other person’s way of thinking, and to gather information. A truly neutral question is rare. Most of us ask leading questions designed to influence others to our way of thinking.

Slate offers an overview of 12 kinds of advertisements with accompanying video illustrations.

Charlie Munger is an 80-something billionaire who cofounded top-tier law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson and is Warren Buffett's long-time partner and Vice-Chairman at Berkshire Hathaway, one of the most successful companies of all time.

Some people consider Mr. Munger to be an even more interesting thinker and writer than Mr. Buffett. Mr. Munger's magnum opus speech is The Psychology of Human Misjudgment -- an exposition of 25 key forms of human behavior that lead to misjudgment and error, derived from Mr. Munger's 60 years of business experience. Think of it as a practitioner's summary of human psychology and behavioral economics as observed in the real world.

This series of blog posts will walk through all 25 of the biases Mr. Munger identifies, and then adapt them for the modern entrepreneur.

Jeff Sexton offers five ways to increase your website's credibility. Even more useful are the links to related articles and screencasts on the same topic.

For a complete set of career resources check out our Career Center

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This chart is meant to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and give you a better idea of whether you’re ready to become a small business owner. It could also be useful in your career exploration or even in a more conventional SWOT analysis exercise.