Good morning everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend. We sure did here. We celebrated my oldest daughter’s confirmation at church and got to visit with family. Very nice!

Well, as I always like to do, let’s start this week with some of the best articles from the last week or so – and, yes, some tips and insights from me as well. Enjoy! 

• Some of the more-common crises your company might face – and how to deal with them: bit.ly/2bmdUc5
• Thinking about using Facebook ads? Here’s an awesome guide to tackling them: bit.ly/2bcXqkU
• Here are some avoidable mistakes that might be hurting your email marketing: bit.ly/2bcWo8I
• When your startup gets bought by a big co. get ready for some BIG changes: bit.ly/2aOTbuD
• Wendy’s CEO: election weighing on consumer sentiment. His follow-up argument more likely: read.bi/2b8rjWE
• Do companies lean toward CEO candidates with stronger interpersonal skills (vs. qualifications)? bit.ly/2b1MUhV
• New leaders should have 30-60-and-90 day plans to create results: bit.ly/2b6s6aF
• As a leader, you need to develop an “outward” mindset (seeing others goals, needs, etc. matter): bit.ly/2aVDlSD
• The secret to customer relationships may be to “have them be “infatuated” – over and over again: bit.ly/2aGnP9S
• Shake Shack sales results miss badly. A company brand extension strategy gone wrong? read.bi/2aNC27V
• Motivating stories, values, codes of conduct are critical to a customer-centric culture: bit.ly/2aSta1l
• Should YOUR company be using value-based #pricing? Are you leaving money on the table? bit.ly/2b6oNQI
• Why the BEST employees quit (even when they like their jobs): on.inc.com/2b3H3qQ
• The keys to building customer and sales prospect trust: entm.ag/2aIXCKw
• When building your email list, here are some good ways to welcome your new subscribers: bit.ly/2aOQgWx
• Here’s what the predictors of the future of user experience are getting wrong: bit.ly/2aCFzD6
• My friend and respecte colleague at Resonance Content has written a new book on how to win at content marketing – and it’s ready for pre-order! Be sure to check it out! bit.ly/2b8DvH1’s
• Some ways to look at the decision about whether your next hire should be an employee or a contractor: bit.ly/2b8Bsmk
• Wal-Mart confirms $3 bilion purchase of Jet.com. Feels very dot-com-era-like to me: bit.ly/2aGqIgz

Last week I was thinking quite a bit about the things that hold our companies back; the things that limit the growth of our companies. I shared a few tips I shared on social media:

• Take a step back and identify which factors are limiting the growth of your business.
• Be honest.  Is your mindset about what’s POSSIBLE (or been done before) limiting the growth of your business?
• A good way to kick-start business growth is to leverage existing customer relationships.
• Consider what changes you would make to help your business grow if you had unlimited resources.
• Identify ways YOU as the leader might be getting in the way of your business’s growth…and make changes.

And in my latest blog post, I dug a little deeper into one of the key behaviors that might be holding your company back – your mindset, your lack of a bold vision. I’d love for you to read “Is Your Lack of Vision Holding Your Company Back?” and let me know your thoughts.