Building a Brand in the US
Presented to Work In Progress Las Vegas, June 18, 2019.
The Baseball of Business
Wow! What a World Series! I’m somewhat of a neutral party (being a long time and now long suffering Dodger fan), so I was able to calmly sit back and enjoy the intensity and drama of the Series as it unfolded. And hats off to the Cubs who finally brought the trophy home after 108…
What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From A Glass Of Wine
Full disclosure: I love wine. It’s a fascination and affection that goes beyond just consumption. So, one has to cut me a bit of slack in trying to connect entrepreneurship with a glass of wine. Truthfully, it’s an enticing framework to share some more serious observations and insights gained over the years. So, pop the…
Why Fear As A Tactic in Business Is Overrated
Have you ever been “dressed down” by your supervisor in front of your peers? I have on more than one occasion in my business career. It’s a tactic of intimidation and a sure sign of a supervisor that considers fear to be an important ingredient in getting things done. After all, you can’t be soft…
Are You A Leader Or A Manager?
The terms leader and manager are often used interchangeably. C-Level executives are often referred to as company managers or senior management. In a typical corporate structure, there is generally a manager position and title, often indicating the first opportunity for one to oversee people or other resources. At the same time, there isn’t ordinarily a…
Why You Should Skip That Next Meeting
Why? Because it is likely that it will be an unproductive, wasteful use of your time. Now, meetings do have a value if held for the right reason and managed properly, but one doesn’t have to survey too many studies to conclude that the odds are against you. Late last year, I read with interest…
5 Simple Rules for Negotiating Successfully
When I was a young Product Manager at Mattel, I was tasked with negotiating an important promotional deal. It was really my first meaningful negotiation assignment and involved confronting an eclectic artist/designer whose external eccentricities actually belied his business savvy. I recall vividly sitting in my boss’s office with my “adversary” and stumbling my way…
8 “C-words” Associated With Successful Businesses Today
Hi there! We’ve noticed a lot of interest in this post recently (which is cool, since it’s a decade old). There’s an updated version of it here! It occurred to me recently that certain concepts, trends, guideposts, whatever you want to call them, kept coming up in my reading, research, discussions, and consultations. They’re not…
In Getting Ahead, Less Is Often More
At an early point in my career, I worked in the manufacturing division of a Fortune 500 company. I did production analyses and planning. In all honesty, I wasn’t too crazy about the gig. I was young and inexperienced and quite intimidated when I had to make my weekly trips from headquarters to the nearby…
Are Performance Reviews Underperforming?
Articles I’ve read recently in The Los Angles Business Journal and The Wall Street Journal that indirectly touched on the topic of how to measure the performance of employees were the inspiration of this piece. It made me think about the decades-old and well-used tool known as the “Annual Performance Review.” Goodness knows, I’ve had many given to me,…
The Truth About Honesty
The topic of honesty is somewhat unavoidable. That’s a likely product of a couple of obvious things: First, we inevitably face choices everyday which challenge how we define our notion of honesty. Beyond that, issues related to honesty, or more prominently, the lack thereof, serve as constant fodder for the news media-drenched world in which…
- Las Vegas | Restaurants | Wine
Favorite On-Strip Drinks And Dining
I was asked to create a “Strip” companion piece to my “favorite Off-Strip” wining and dining places. Here are my current favorites: Wining I’m not one for boisterous bars, so my favorite places to imbibe (with one exception) are the lounge areas of restaurants. If you’re looking to dance or hook up, this isn’t the…
Off-Strip Dining Recommendations
It’s always a crazy time when a big show or event is in town. Getting restaurant reservations – or being able to walk in, for that matter – can be impossible. So for those who have asked, here (in alphabetical order) are our favorite places to eat and drink away from the Strip, and why…
Wynn Villas
An upper floor window at Palazzo affords a glimpse of what few get to see otherwise: the luxury villas at the front of Wynn Las Vegas. Three of them sit above the casino floor; three face toward the pool complex (click on the photo to enlarge it for a better view). They each have private…
Las Vegas Lighting
I’ve long had a fascination with light fixtures, and Las Vegas – my newly adopted hometown – offers an exciting array of them. From functionally utilitarian to over-the-top, from vintage finds to multi-story custom-designed installations, I find them irresistible. I’m documenting my discoveries on a Pinterest board: Follow Arlene Wszalek’s board Las Vegas Lighting on Pinterest….
10 Things To Know About The High Roller
The High Roller, which opened on March 26, is an engineering marvel. At 550 feet, it’s the tallest observation wheel in the world – even taller than the London Eye and the Singapore Flyer. It’s already an indelible part of the Las Vegas skyline and well worth a visit. Here are 10 things to know…
My Vegas
There’s more – much more – to Las Vegas than The Strip. Inventive cuisine, art, recreation, and nature abound. As the crow flies we’re eight miles from Bellagio, and this is our view. Don’t get me wrong – we love The Strip for all its amazing food and wine, architecture, theater, music, recreation, and of…
Burning Man Art Comes to Vegas
One of the many grace notes of Tony Hsieh’s ambitious Downtown Project is the integration of visual art into the Las Vegas community. Last year, the Project struck a first-of-its-kind deal with Burning Man to display art from the Burning Man festival once it concludes. Separately, Hsieh bought sculptor Kirk Jellum’s 40×30 foot, fire-spewing “The…
Ceiling Detail, FIX, Las Vegas
Such a beautiful room. FIX is open to the casino floor, yet it beckons patrons inside. Designed by Graft of Berlin, it features an undulating ceiling made of Costa Rican Padouk wood. FIX is a Light Group restaurant. It’s on the North Valet side of the floor, near the shopping arcade.
Career Networking Conundrum
Yesterday I was approached via email by a fellow Smith College alumna who found me through our alumnae directory. She’s a career consultant and asked me to spend a brief amount of time on the phone advising a client of hers. Edited to add: the client is not a Smith alum. I’m grateful for the…
- Las Vegas | Restaurants | Wine
Aureole Wine Lounge
When signing onto the in-room wifi at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, as we did when we stayed there in June, we were automatically redirected to the hotel’s website. We found that quite fortuitous, as one of the website’s promotions was for the Happy Hour at Aureole Wine Lounge. We had dinner reservations elsewhere in the…
Be Nice Or Leave
Sign by the cash register at The Juice Fountain in Hollywood.
Is Birth Control A Health Issue?
Carrying over an energetic discussion from my Facebook page. Pat writes: ” This may dismay some folks (I’m used to it though), but while pregnancy is a health issue, what makes birth control one? Because a pill must be prescribed? Well, it doesn’t have to be. A doctor was never part of our practice of birth control….
