Great businessmen and women know how to lead, inspire, and motivate their team—and more importantly, they know when to seek advice. No one has all the answers, and the best leadership experts agree that they’ve honed their skills through experience, advice and mentorships with others in the biz. So what do top experts say about leadership?

Michael Talve, the Founder and Managing Director of The Expert Institute:

"My best leadership tip is to think of leadership as a responsibility as much as an opportunity. Effective leaders understand that they are responsible for everyone that they are leading, and consider that responsibility as the main concern of their position. If you ever lose empathy for, and dedication to, the people you are leading, you are not being a leader."

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Frank Sonnenberg, author of Follow Your Conscience

"Leaders with character are highly effective. They have no need to pull rank or resort to command and control to get results. Instead, they're effective because they're knowledgeable, admired, trusted, and respected. This helps them secure buy-in automatically, without requiring egregious rules or strong oversight designed to force compliance."

Jeff Harmon, author of The Anatomy of the Principled Leader and founder of Brilliance Within Coaching and Consulting

"Repeat the words, 'It's not about me!' every day, multiple times a day. Don't make your leadership about being in charge, being right, getting promoted, or looking the best. Make leadership about the cause of the organization, serving the legitimate needs of those you're leading, and not taking yourself so darn seriously. You'll have people lining up to work for and with you and the results will follow."

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Peter Barron Stark, a consultant, speaker, and author

“When you're leading a new team or joining a new organization, honor the new team/organization's past, and then build them a bridge to the future. Too many leaders inherit a new team and want to tell everyone how much success they had in the past, and how good their old organization/team was. When leaders disrespect their new team, team members start asking each other the following questions: If your old organization or team was so good, why did you leave? If your old organization is so good, why don't you go back?"

Do you have any favorite leaders or leadership quotes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

“On average, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their first purchase.”
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- White House Office of Consumer Affairs

In 2011, American Express conducted a survey of their customers, which revealed that 3 out of 5 customers are willing to walk away from their favorite brand if they received poor customer service. Many entrepreneurs and businesspeople struggle with various aspects of customer service, but it’s clear that customer service can certainly make or break a business. In addition to the American Express survey, another research report showed that 90% of Americans are willing to spend more if it means excellent service.

Fantastic customer service can help a business rise in the ranks, and the loyalty of a client base that appreciates you and what you have to offer is paramount. Loyal customers are familiar with you and your brand, and therefore are much more likely to check out new products or recommendations you make.

“Brand ambassadors” are popular, especially on social media, where Tweets, photo posts and hashtags make it easy for customers to share a great experience—or a bad one. Keeping your customers happy, with quick responses to their questions or concerns, gives them a positive experience they wish to share. If they love your service or product, they will speak up and share, and word-of-mouth marketing is an extremely powerful channel.

Having brand ambassadors can assist you in creating new customers, as they are taking a recommendation of a friend or family member who mentions your services. This is a much lower cost to acquire, as most business need to advertise and market, offering free product samples or discounts in order to attract new customers. By providing great customer service, you create an experience others will want to share. And as a reward, they will sell others on your business.

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Here is Cydcor's review of Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty.

About Capital in the Twenty-First Century:

Thomas Piketty is a French economist who shows that modern economic growth and the diffusion of knowledge have allowed us to avoid inequalities. Piketty is arguably the world’s leading expert on income and wealth inequality, and does more than document the growing concentration of income in the hands of a small economic elite. He makes a powerful case that we’re on our way back to “patrimonial capitalism,” in which the commanding heights of the economy are dominated by inherited wealth.

Why Cydcor recommends Capital in the Twenty-First Century to future leaders:

This book is a beast; it’s just over seven hundred pages and has seventy-seven pages dedicated just to endnotes. But despite its length, the book is engaging and, at the moment, Piketty is currently the most talked about economist in the world. His book spans across nations as he analyzes tax records and data from the United States, France, Germany and Japan, among others.

Financial Times and McKinsey have named Capital in the Twenty-First Century their business book of the year. Strategy+Business magazine also named Piketty’s book as one of the best books of 2014. It is backed by remarkably detailed data and analysis, and his historical proofs and economic analysis make a fantastic book, and is a must-read for any business leader to truly understand present-day economics.

Our favorite part:

The most admirable part of Piketty’s book is how he takes tremendously complex data and simplifies it in a way that the layman can understand. Piketty's book is commendable both in its content and its attitude. Its content is straightforward. It is a bold analysis of a tremendous effort by Piketty and other scholars to collect data on income distribution and capital accumulation and distribution over many years and many countries. Whatever one thinks of the analysis, this data collection effort is an important contribution to our knowledge about our modern economy and its history.

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Here is Cydcor's review of Start with Why by Simon Sinek

About Start with Why: Author Simon Sinek studied leaders all over the word, researching how they thought, worked and communicated. With this information, he wanted to determine how these leaders were alike and different. Drawing upon a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire, using such examples as Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Wright Brothers.

Why Cydcor recommends Start with Why for future leaders: Simon Sinek's Start With Why is a must read for any entrepreneur or leader struggling to create a long-term vision and guiding principles for their company or cause. Sinek’s book helps provide inspiration that one needs to get started in the right direction. He teaches important lessons on what future leaders need to figure out in regards to their company, and why such lessons should be meaningful.

Start with Why provides great insights for developing long-term strategies to combat issues such as price-wars, customer churn and competition. Sinek also talks about how important it is to understand that your product and its features might be replicated by others. He explains that no one can copy your confidence and customer service style or how your clients feel about you and your organization. Those feelings come from intangible values and beliefs that only you share with your customers.

While several moments in the book feel a tad repetitive, it’s an easy read—and sometimes great points need to be repeated to be ingrained into our minds.

Our favorite part: Sinek’s Golden Circle Concept is an interesting notion to help ask us “why?” This line of thinking can be applied to multiple facets in life, whether personal or customer relationships, business decisions or career choices.

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The overall consensus when meeting someone new is that you have thirty seconds to make a good impression. From the handshake to your following conversation, it can feel like a lot of pressure to nail such an interaction on the first try. But what can you do if you make a poor first impression? Whether you forget their name or a joke falls flat, top networkers say there are ways to bounce back.

“It is much easier to turn a good first impression into a bad overall impression than it is to turn a bad first impression into a good one,” said Anna Musson, an etiquette expert. When we meet someone new, our sensitivity and guard levels go up. "We like to think that we're right and once we've made up our mind about a person we need to be persuaded otherwise.”

Sometimes our insecurities get the best of us, and it’s easy to assume that others might think the worst of you. However, what we imagine is often far worse than reality. Own up to your feelings, and don’t make assumptions. Time is of the essence when it comes to damage control, but take the time to formulate your next interaction to address the issue.

Acknowledging where the breakdown might have stemmed from –-a joke or a curse word, for example— can be cleared with a simple, “I apologize for how I behaved and I realize I might have offended you.” Don’t over-apologize; so keep it polite and concise. Don’t put the other person in the uncomfortable position of having to reassure you.

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Be sincere, and own up to any breakdown during an impression without blaming others or circumstances. Depending on the situation, self-deprecating humor can really help you. Be mindful that it’s only directed at yourself, and does not make others uncomfortable. This can provide an opening for you to recover, but remember that too much humor can have the same effect as over-apologizing.

Every impression you create is a learning experience and can help you improve your body language and communication skills. Overcoming a poor first impression requires total ownership of your behavior and adds to your confidence and ability to learn from such mistakes. It’s also an opportunity for you to be mindful of appropriate interactions, and to monitor your behavior to make the best impressions possible in the future.

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November marks the start of the holiday season for many businesses, and there’s no better time than now to begin preparing a holiday strategy. Be sure to take into account that in 2014 there is a shortened selling season, with only 26 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so planning is key. Here are some tips to help you boost your online and sales presence during the biggest retailer and sales months of the year.

Research

During the holidays, everyone is vying for attention from potential consumers, so how do you get yourself to stand out from the rest? Start internally, by determining what message you want to send, what products you want to focus on, and what your customers have been interested in in previous years during similar time periods. Are you aware of online social trends? Where do you find the most social engagement, and what hashtags and images are doing the best in your sphere?

Decorate

Decorate your brand with the holiday spirit! Use fall or winter themed cover photos, profile images, backgrounds and the like. A few falling leaves or snow covered logos and images can really refresh your social pages and show customers you are doing proper upkeep on your assets and are on point with trends.

Traditional

A shout-out to a user via Twitter or a tag on Facebook is what’s popular these days and is certainly a quick way to reach out, but don’t undersell the value of the traditional approach. A handwritten holiday card to your key clients or circle figures can go a long way. In such a digital age, don’t neglect the small, personal touches that others can see going above and beyond to reach them.

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Can you believe it? Cydcor has three weeks until our scheduled move date of Friday November 21st! Last week the carpet and furniture installation started. Rooms are being painted, desks and furniture are being brought in. Looking at the pictures the black frames are the structures for the cubicle workstations.

Our new office space will be modern, clean, and professional and employees will take this into consideration when determining personal items for their new space. T-minus 14 days (work days) before our move!

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A business is nothing without the customers it serves. Truly great businesses also understand that it is important to foster rapport with clients to ensure that you can do business more than once—the key is to have an ongoing relationship with your client instead of just a one-time business dealing.

Clients can provide your business with so much more than money. Happy clients act as advocates, spreading the good word about a business on their own. If done correctly, you might even find fulfilling, long-term partnerships with some clients.

Here are some vital ways to turn your contacts into clients, and clients into trusted friends/partners.

Networking the right way

You are probably familiar with the idea of networking: connecting with a large group of people (business colleagues, business partners, acquaintances, past and current clients) in the hopes of helping each other in some way. The problem is that sometimes it is easy to forget that networking is a two-way street. If you use your network the right way, you can add value to the connections you make instead of only worrying about the value others give to you.

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Keep in contact

Networking is wonderful, but it must be nurtured to survive past the short-term. No matter how engaging or memorable you are when meeting a contact for the first time, you’ll have to remind them that you exist or inevitably they will forget you. Even if your contact is uninterested in what you have to offer at the current time, that might change—and you’ll be there if it does.

Add value to the relationship: reward your returning customers

As mentioned above, be sure to add value to the relationship. This might be in the form of tangible rewards like coupons, discounts, or free merchandise—or it could be something a bit more abstract like passing along useful information or sending friendly messages about new products, services, or deals that they might be interested in. The goal is to not only receive from your clients, but to give back in the hope that they return the favor. This is crucial because, as many studies have found, returning customers spend more on average than first-time customers.

Care about your clients

Care about your clients as both important business transactions (by providing them the best of your services as possible) and as people. Be honest with them at all times and keep your word: it might seem like a no-brainer, but you are dealing with people, so you should treat them with the respect they deserve. They will appreciate it!

The final step: from client to partner

If you do everything right, you can begin forging a partnership with your clients. They will grow in value for you today and in the future—and you for them. They will add value to the relationship as advocates of your business wherever they go. View this partnership like a great friendship, and you will both be very happy.

In March of this year, Cydcor volunteers went to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, thanks to our Operation Smile fundraisers—which have raised over $480,000 for the children’s medical charity to date. Helping to fund cleft palate surgeries for needy children around the globe, Cydcor has previously volunteered in Brazil in 2012, where more than 600 surgeries were provided to children.

Cydcor is proud of this partnership with Operation Smile, and with the great success of our Week of Smiles campaign, we are funding another medical mission trip to Guatemala in November 2014. Spending a week in Guatemala, our volunteers will support the screening process, helping families through the procedure and entertaining children while they wait for their procedures.

The mission involves sending doctors, volunteers and equipment to an area where access to healthcare is difficult, providing screenings and surgeries for children. Cleft palates often result in complications to eating, drinking, speaking and even breathing, and many infants do not survive. Operation Smile and Cydcor hope to restore millions of smiles and give those children a better chance of thriving.

One of the most rewarding aspects is our chance to spend time with the families of the children being operated on and see them through the transition of surgery. A large part of Operation Smile’s strategy is to assist facilities in the field, helping enable them to provide treatment of cleft palates and other facial deformities.

You can make a donation to Operation Smile today and support this great cause!

Here is Cydcor's review of Business @ The Speed of Thought by Bill Gates:

About Business @ The Speed of Thought: Microsoft founder Bill Gates is the author Business @ The Speed of Thought, which focuses on the importance of technology.  In the book, Gates shows how technology can help businesses better today and gives predictions on how that technology could transform the nature of business in the future.

Gates speaks to the business managers reading and stresses the importance of viewing new technology as a strategic asset, not as overhead or something to be dismissed. He gives detailed examples from Microsoft and Dell, among other successful companies, who have taken the latest technology and used it to their business advantage.

Why Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders:

Bill Gates is essentially the definition of “successful business person,” and he does a fine job explaining how the new digital age can impact all offices across the world. While the book itself might be more interesting to IT folks, as Gates goes in-depth into technology, he does speak to business strategy. In regards to technology, he doesn’t delve too deeply into the pitfalls and problems that can arise from depending too much on such tech.

However, for those who believe that technology will continue to grow and intertwine with business and those who believe it will play an increasingly significant role in the marketplace, this is a must read.

Our favorite part: Gates provides a 12-step program to implement a “Digital Nervous System,” which is a useful guide to integrating IT with existing business resources. Business @ The Speed of Thought also gives detailed case studies of large companies such as Microsoft and other businesses outside of the tech industry, making the “Digital Nervous System” relevant to a broader audience.

Check out Cydcor's YouTube page for a re-cap of our recent R&R 2014 event in Nassau, Bahamas!

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Communicating in a clear and effective way is always important, both in real life situations and especially in business communications. We converse so much that we often forget to stop and think about what we are saying. When communicating in a professional context, you need to be aware of the little nuances that are held in your words and actions.

Here are some tips for becoming an influential communicator:

Have a clear goal and benefits for all parties.

Transparency is important. The worst thing that could happen is having your conversation be misunderstood. Therefore, you will want to make a clear goal when talking with a client, or potential client. It also helps to make sure that you frame your message in a way that presents the benefits for that party.

With that said…

Know your audience.

Your audience is whomever you are communicating with. Who are they? What do they want? How do they speak? What do they know? Understanding your audience is incredibly important because it provides you all the information you need to tailor your communications to be the most effective for that specific person or group of people.

Knowing your audience makes it less likely that you will waste time explaining things that are already known, glossing over important details that you assume are understood.

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Be sure to ask the right kinds of questions

Learn to strategically drop “leading questions” that prompt longer answers than “yes” or “no.” This will help guide your conversation in a productive direction.

Ask important qualifying questions to ensure that your leads will turn into a prospect. Largely, you’ll be asking questions that are focused around answering these key questions: Can and will you be able to authorize on the sale? What can I do for you to close on this sale?

Naturally, you should take information you learned from your audience and tailor the question accordingly for them, but these simple questions capture the essence of what you need to find out from your prospect.