Leadership3 min read
It Can Sound So Good
McDonald’s isn’t trying to upscale their environment so that businesspeople stop in to discuss a potential out-of-town deal.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
CEO / Managing Partner - Spark Partners
Adam Hartung
I currently serve as the CEO of three companies: Content Laboratory (a content services company,) Spark Partners (a growth strategy firm offering assessments, strategy consulting and on-line self-administered revenue growth tools,) and Soparfilm Energy (an oil & gas exploration & production investment company.) Over the last thirty years, I have served on multiple boards, including Audit Chair for a NASDAQ traded company, and advised boards of directors on managing for disruptions and promoting innovation into corporate management.
My passion is public speaking on the importance of growth, innovation and strategy to succeed. As a keynote speaker I have been invited to over 1,000 leadership events, both multi-company and single company. My portfolio includes speeches, presentations, workshops and executive coaching on how to achieve faster growth from higher levels of innovation driven by trends.
1,099 articles · Page 28 of 46
Leadership5 min read
Is Your Market Soft, or Has It Shifted? – Newspaper Failures
The newspaper's owner (Scripps) closed the Albuquerque Tribune and Cincinnati Post last year. And this is just the beginning.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Leadership5 min read
Is Your Company Anti-vacation? It’s Time to Rethink Employee Time Off
The study creators call this the “work martyr complex.” No matter how much we love family, we are martyrs to employers in order to keep that incredibly necessary, and fleeting paycheck.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Leadership5 min read
Is Yahoo Doomed? Probably
Yahoo’s troubles were clearly visible, and addressable. But CEO Mayer simply chose to keep doing more of the same, making small improvements to Yahoo’s site and search tool.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Innovation1 min read
Is Microsoft Nearing the Flats?
"Employees… feeling trapped in an organization whose past successes seem to stifle current creativity."
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Future2 min read
Is It Worth It?
The Coke Success Formula is so powerful around traditional soft drinks it would kill the learning necessary to grow a new Success Formula and develop this new market.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Leadership2 min read
Is Gm Ready to Change?
GM leadership is now entering talks with Renault and Nissan to possibly create a new merged company.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Leadership5 min read
Is Donald Trump the New Joe Mccarthy?
Mr. Trump may be good at media management, but that is not to be admired.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Leadership6 min read
Irrelevancy Leads to Failure – Worry for Yahoo, Microsoft, Hp, Sears, Etc.
The company may have created the smartphone market, but now its products are so irrelevant that it isn't even considered a market participant.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Investment5 min read
Investors Might Cheer Schultz Leaving Starbucks Ceo Role — if Doors to Change Open
In 2005, Jim Donald replaced Mr. Smith. By 2007 (in just teo years) he added a staggering additional 4,000 stores. He expanded the menu.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Investment4 min read
Investors May Regret Target’s Ceo Ouster – Look at Sears, Jcp
In early 2013 I met Mr. Clark after hearing him speak at a National Association of Corporate Directors meeting.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Investment6 min read
Investing or Speculating? Making Money in a Tough Marketplace
The value went up 10x – and then came down 90%. Wild ride – but in the history of markets unless you are a speculator, you should never have invested in Sears.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Leadership4 min read
Investing in, or Against, Indexes – Djia, Gm and Cisco
The Dow should not be a lagging indicator. Rather, given its iconic position, it should hold the "best" companies in America. Not extremely poorly performing mega-bricks – like GM.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Investment1 min read
Invest in your value proposition –innovations built on trends generate growth and value
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Investment3 min read
Invest in the Future, Not the Past
Future success depends upon changing to meet dynamic market requirements. So far, none of the TARP activities, or the spending by the Treasury or Federal Reserve, are meeting this need.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Investment6 min read
Invest in Trends, Cannibalize to Grow – Sell Yahoo, Buy Apple
Company performance today has much more to do with whether the company’s products and services are aligned with trends, and market shifts created by trends, than the overall economy.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Investment1 min read
Invest in Innovation for Greater Growth and Higher Value Creation - Google
Google’s use of technology such as AI (Artificial Intelligence or Augmented Intelligence) is enabling people to accomplish more things, more quickly, more easily.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Leadership1 min read
Introducing the “phoenixionary
Business can be SOOOOO serious, don’t you think? To do our part to lighten things up a bit, you’ll notice a second link below the Phoenixionary which is for a humorous dictionary.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Innovation4 min read
Introducing Innovation Right – Amazon’s Kindle
Amazon's launch of Kindle exemplifies effective innovation strategy: bold claims, selective distribution, targeted pricing, and iterative learning.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Leadership1 min read
Insight on Page 3
The 4 inch by 4 inch text box on Motorola calmly reported that the company was retiring another $1B in bonds.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Innovation7 min read
Innovation – Why Bezos Succeeded, While Lampert Failed at Sears
Last week Sears announced sales and earnings. And once again, the news was all bad.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Innovation6 min read
Innovation Really Matters – Lessons Learned From Detroit
Detroit’s downfall shows that without continuous innovation, cities like Chicago risk economic collapse.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Innovation4 min read
Innovation Matters; or Why You Care More About Apple Than Kraft
Apple's success lies in relentless innovation, while Kraft's decline stems from clinging to outdated products and cost-cutting instead of adapting to market changes.
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
Innovation1 min read
Innovation Leads to Growth Leads to Success
Adam Hartung · 29 April 2025
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