12-11-2017, Mobile Electronics -- The end of the year brings many tasks for a retail shop. Decisions are made about the success or failure of product lines, promotions used throughout the year, employee growth versus areas for improvement, hiring, firing, profit versus loss on the year and hundreds of other micro issues that can stress out even the most seasoned business owner. In 12-volt, there are enough categories of product alone to make a person's head spin. That's why for the second year in a row, Mobile Electronics magazine sent out a job satisfaction survey to help retailers identify issues they might be having related to employee satisfaction. This was done not only to help take away the stress of finding out these things themselves, but had the intention of helping take a major category off of their plates when planning for next year. Each portion of the survey was broken into sections that focused on a different topic. The 47-question survey included questions on career development, work engagement, compensation, relationship management and work environment. Career Development The first topic the survey focused on was career development. The majority of those surveyed in total (46 percent) were owners, while lead…

12-6-2017, Forbes -- Have you ever listened to a speech that inspired you so much, you were ready to make a change in your life immediately? What was it about that person, that presentation, that drove you to take action? Chances are, the speaker had some pretty solid qualities that inspired you to follow their lead. Now imagine a typical day at your office. Are your employees energized and ready to drive change, or do they appear quiet and listless, only striving for the bare minimum? Motivating your employees, while no easy feat, is critical to driving results. When people come to me for help with a career change, they are often looking to leave a job due to a bad boss, lack of opportunity, or pure boredom (aka not enough change). As a career coach, I remind my clients that some of this is due to poor leadership, while some simply boils down to a lack of communication. You don’t want to be the “boring boss” who could have, in fact, potentially saved that employee from walking out the door, do you? Chances are, if this person was looking for growth - for change - you could have inspired them to…

12/6, ABC 15 Arizona -- PHOENIX - The Valley has quickly become the hub for testing driverless technology. It's no secret Waymo is testing in Chandler and that Uber is testing in Tempe and Scottsdale — but rumors are swirling Apple is doing work in Surprise. Several sources close to the company believe Apple is leasing the former Chrysler Fiat proving grounds to work on its autonomous technology. John Lewis, the CEO and President of the East Valley Partnership, has been working with the companies since the very beginning. "From a regional perspective it's just exciting," he said.  Lewis said the tech giants chose Arizona because of the friendly business and tax regulations, the climate, and ability to test the vehicles in multiple settings. "When you ask Waymo why they like to do their testing here, some of it is tied to the climate," he said. "Some of it is also tied to the fact they can do urban and suburban testing and can do freeways and residential streets, too." Read the rest of the story HERE.

12-5-2017, Entrepreneur -- For busy entrepreneurs with loaded schedules and brimming task lists, there's nothing more frustrating than having the time to work but being so unable to focus that they feel that they're getting nothing done. If it's any consolation, know that your situation is hardly unique: even in a task as simple as reading, the average mind wanders from the task at hand anywhere from 15 to 20 percent of the time, according to Canadian researcher Jonathan Schooler. But knowing that most entrepreneurs and professionals have trouble focusing doesn't exactly help with your problem. If you want to improve your focus on a daily basis, and correct the chronic distractions you face, you'll first need to determine the root cause of the issue. So, if focus is a major concern in your work,the reason is likely one or more of these root causes: 1. Sleep deprivation It shouldn't surprise you to learn that missing out on sleep can make it more difficult for you to focus. You're supposed to get seven to nine hours of sleep every night, but that's a hard requirement for entrepreneurs; as a result, many end up being chronically sleep-deprived professionals unable to focus their full attention…