The words of Reverend Martin Luther King ("Anyone can be great because anyone can serve.") remind us that leadership possibilities, like service opportunities, exist for each of us--no matter our level within the organization. Leaders can make a difference--small or large--in the way things are done in a workplace. There are some cautions, though, for those, interested in bringing improvement to their organization.

The noughties (the decade from 2000 to 2009) have left the world in a state of anxiety & doubt where consumers and customers do not trust big institutions (e.g. banks), corporations, and governments. Customers are conscious of what they spend and will turn to brands/suppliers that they feel they can trust – and trust is what we need to rebuild as we move into the teenies (2010 and beyond). Lean can help turn that into reality. Organizations are looking for ways rebuild trust with key stakeholders, customers, employees, and suppliers while at the same time reducing costs. How can ‘lean’ do this?

Traditional sales psychology based upon the assessment of the customer’s personality traits is obsolete. The typical descriptions of personality types have little relevance to C-level sales calls and presentations. In reality, the most important psychological factor is the language that the prospective customer uses. Sales Linguistics --the study of how the customer’s mind creates and interprets language during the decision-making process-- is the new sales psychology!

Decision-making lies at the heart of our personal and professional lives. Every day we make decisions. Some are small, domestic and innocuous. Others are more important; decisions that affect peoples’ lives, livelihoods and wellbeing. Inevitably, we make mistakes along the way. We are only human – even when we are at work. Indeed, the daunting reality is that enormously important decisions made by intelligent, responsible people with the best information and intentions sometimes go wrong.

Any company, whether large or small, can benefit from hiring a freelance writer. A large company, which already has staff for marketing and communications functions, can supplement staff when there is a surplus of work. A smaller company, which does not have its own communications staff, can hire a freelance writer as and when needed, and can thereby save money by paying the writer per project instead of hiring an employee.

The ability to select, motivate, develop, engage and retain top people is critical to a company’s success. If you want to build a company where people love to work, you have to know how to hire and keep great people. Unfortunately, a poor hire can cost a company a great deal of money and cause undue distress and wasted time for everyone involved. Great companies and managers start with optimistic, change-resilient, and committed people whose values fit the workplace culture. Keeping great people involves creating a healthy work environment where people can use all their knowledge, creativity, and skills. Self-managed organizations create work environments where people can continuously learn and make decisions.

The layoff announcement can have a significant impact on organizational culture. That communication sends a critical message about how the organization treats people. And, when the communication is not managed well, feelings of uncertainty and insecurity deepen the escalating stress. Multiply these feelings times the number of employees and what you get is a pretty stressed out work environment. So it is really important to reflect and think carefully about what, how, and when you announce the layoff.

You understand the importance of good customer relationships. After all, without customers, we wouldn't have jobs. It's as simple as that. Some of your staff members, though, may place less importance than you do in these relationships. It may be time for you to take a leadership role in improving customer interactions. Essentially, leaders are associated with change. And, with change comes fear-primarily a fear of the unknown. Leaders overcome that fear, in part, by returning to fundamentals and moving from them to new or improved behaviors.

Times are tough-but so are you. If your mindset is simply the desire to just survive this economic cycle and you are hoping you can outlast the storm, you are actually planning for failure. Your mindset will become the mindset of your team. You are the leader. Your thoughts are powerful. They will show through any kind of front you may display. Times are tough but the sky isn’t falling. So start thinking and acting in such a way that you can gain market share in any economic climate. Take advantage of the window of opportunity. You want to thrive not just survive.

Much has been written regarding Google’s latest challenge to Microsoft–its announcement last week that it plans to unveil a new operating system (OS) in the second half of 2010. So, while Microsoft has been obsessed with derailing Google's dominance in the search business, Google has been equally focused on dislodging Microsoft from its OS and office ‘productivity’ perch. Industry statistics already show a decline in Microsoft’s market share as a result of greater acceptance of Open Source Linux and Apple OS. Yet, neither can be considered as potent a potential competitor as Google.