Hey everyone! Well, I hope my friends in Houston were okay in the recent flooding. Our home is fine – we just have our eyes on the nearby reservoir here in west Houston. And what a horrendous week for traffic on our side of the city with major roads still closed. Yuk.

Anyway, as always I look forward to a positive, productive week. And to start I like to share some of the articles I’ve been reading and some of the info I’ve shared over recent days. So here goes!

• Dell’s SecureWorks IPO’s on Friday. Meh. Since tech IPOs have been nonexistent in 2016, many were keeping an eye on it. Is this a poor sign for the IPO market (esp. for unprofitable tech cos)? yhoo.it/23Pb6LL
• Yes, there ARE some design principles Apple does gets wrong. Here are a few areas they could strengthen in the future: bit.ly/1qGBlSt
• Your small biz can beat those big behemoths online. This article gave a few tips to follow: bit.ly/1U8Rs7m
• This article argues that perhaps a careful blending of online and offline campaigns my be the best mix for your marketing: entm.ag/26h6Cft
• Isn’t it hard to know if your “great” idea is half-baked or really, really good? This article touched on ways you can tell the difference: muse.cm/1VECMOY
• I like to watch companies and brands and how they react to changing markets. In tho example , LL Bean will be emphasizing their brand’s heritage, durability, quality to take on “fast fashion”: bit.ly/211gjuO
• The rise of smartphones has brought much-needed attention to the question of user experience. This article shared why it’s become so important: stratbz.to/10jj3x
• 70% of U.S. Netflix subscribers will be impacted by a price hike. Will they stick around? It’s an interesting question about quality and uniqueness vs. price: onforb.es/1T9CQCk
• Small businesses are feeling the economic pinch. Revenues remain pretty flat and costs are rising: wapo.st/1WDydDq
• This article argues that sometimes there are things you need to “unlearn” to move your co. forward. It may be that letting go of your past and the way we’ve always done things is harder than we think: bit.ly/1Thou2A
• Netflix stock got pretty beaten up last week after its earnings release. To put it in perspective, it wasn’t so much it’s 1Q results as much as it’s going-forward guidance that has investors concerned: read.bi/1MFOFRz
• This article outlined three types of content that can help you connect with your ideal customer: huff.to/1NklH9D
• Building name recognition is important for your B2B. This article shared some tips for how to do that: bit.ly/1qMO5Ht
• It may be no surprise to you, but tech funding was pretty flat in 1Q: tcrn.ch/1RZHXG7
• There are ways to boost your blog traffic – many of which we either skip or forget. Here are some tips to remember and try: mklnd.com/1RZIHef
• This article share d a good list of books that would help you are you try to improve your business writing: bit.ly/1qvBNCW

Last week I was thinking a lot about the differences between being a manager, a leader, and especially an inspirational leader. I tried to share what I think are some hints that can help make you a more inspirational leader to your team. Some tips I shared:

• A positive and confident demeanor can help your team see you as a more inspirational leader.

• Be an inspirational leader who is authentic. That quality will inspire trust within and outside your organization.
• We focus (rightly) on inspiring our staff w/ our future vision. You also need to share the vision to inspire CUSTOMERS.
• If you want your team to feel inspired by the company’s vision, YOU have to be enthusiastic and passionate about it.
• One characteristic of a truly inspirational leader is that they have an extremely clear vision for the future. Do you?

I also wrote about it on my blog. I’d love for you to check out my latest blog post, On the IDiscover Journal blog today, becoming a more inspirational leader: “Become a More Inspirational Leader“. I’d love to hear your ideas as well. Please feel free to share them!

I also shared a link for the Down Syndrome Association of Houston’s BuddyRun. As many of you may know, I am a member of the organization’s Board of Directors and fully support the organization and its mission to support individuals with Down Syndrome in our community. Please help us by spreading the word, sponsoring the event, or running the 5K – os ALL three! Here’s a link for more info: Buddy Run. (And please hare the info as well!)