As the CEO and one of the founders of Activate Group, Inc., Howard Shore is an expert in maximizing business performance. Over the course of his long business career, he has built and sold a private company at a 500% profit; helped grow the Ryder Public Transportation Division from $400M to $600M (it sold for $1 Billion); led initiatives at Equiflor Corporation that resulted in substantial increase in financial performance and won Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce “Cutting Edge” award; and managed strategic initiatives for organizations in a variety of industries including import/export, wholesale distribution, business services, finance, mortgage banking, transportation, manufacturing and non-profits.
Howard has also held executive-level positions including CEO and understands the unique pressures and concerns of C-level executives. He is a Certified Coach, Certified Behavioral Analyst, Certified Values Analyst, Certified Attributes Index Analyst, Certified TriMetrix™ specialist, and Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Miami Chamber of Commerce, Gazelles International Coaching Associates and FIU Alumni Association. He has earned Bachelor and MBA degrees from Florida International University, and completed advanced Executive Programs at Harvard Law School and the University of Chicago.
Through this blog, Howard offers advice on business aspects including performance, leadership, innovation, sales, coaching and strategy. Be sure to subscribe using our RSS feed so you don’t miss a word of his sage business advice!
Most Recent Articles
(for previous years’ articles, please use the category or monthly navigation on the lower right)
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10 Signs Your Employees Are Mediocre
posted: February 22, 2012
It’s pretty rare to find a product or service that is truly unique. In my opinion, the only two ways to truly differentiate your business from the competition are through people and company culture. So let’s talk about people. Every …
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POLL: What is the most important part of your business strategy?
posted: February 21, 2012
Take our quick poll and tell us which of these five areas of your business strategy is the one you feel will have the biggest impact on your company’s success this year. Talent Acquisition and Retention Marketing/Communications Sales Technology New …
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Presidents Who Were Also Businessmen
posted: February 20, 2012
Since we celebrate President’s Day today I thought it might be interesting to pull up a little business trivia about some of the past leaders of our republic who were also business leaders. And they did it all without the …
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How Your Inefficiency Gives Your Competitors a Pricing Advantage
posted: February 17, 2012
Could your competition have a cost structure that gives their business strategy a competitive edge over you? If you are operating inefficiently the pricing you offer customers will reflect it. There are three main areas where inefficiency could be directly …
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Why Your Customer Service Sucks
posted: February 15, 2012
Customer service is the new luxury. I’m convinced that the company that owns the voice of the customer and uses it to build an organizational culture that focuses on delighting the customer through uncommon service strategy will own the marketplace. …
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A Business Consultant’s Take on Creativity and Success
posted: February 13, 2012
Right now I am engrossed in Jim Collin’s newest book Great by Choice. As a business consultant and unapologetic fan of Jim’s work, I recommend that every business leader read this book. For those who are currently too buried in …
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Think you are remarkable? Your personal brand may say otherwise.
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We all think we are remarkable in some way—at least when it comes to our career. But are you truly remarkable? If you think you are remarkable, prove it and build a personal brand around it. Do you know how …
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Customer Retention is a Business Strategy
posted: February 10, 2012
I think sometimes we focus so hard on getting new business that we lose sight of how crucial it is to keep existing customers coming back for more. Customer loyalty is one of the strongest indicators of how healthy your …
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Our Free Business eBooks
posted: February 8, 2012
Did you know that we have several free white papers and a free business ebook that you can download right from our site? It takes just a couple easy steps and you get access to these three powerful and informational …
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12 Ways to Stop Losing Money Through Lost Employee Engagement
posted: February 6, 2012
An employee survey conducted by Deloitte found that only 20% of employees are engaged in their work. That disengagement is costing the U.S. economy about $300 million a year in lost productivity. Think about it. When an employee becomes severely …
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Kurlan Provides Shocking Stat on Sales Force Management
posted: February 3, 2012
I read Dave Kurlan’s “Understanding the Sales Force” blog religiously. I happen to like his to-the-point tips and topics on sales force management. One of his recent posts addressed the troubling stat that only 34% of sales candidates take assessment …
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What Advice Would You Give to a New Business?
posted: February 1, 2012
If you were asked to give business advice to a new entrepreneur, what would it be? I’m asked this all the time, and find myself dolling out all sorts of tips and tirades—some quite original and others terribly obvious. But …
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3 Behaviors that Help with Business Success
posted: January 30, 2012
In Jim Collins’ newest stroke of literary genius, Great by Choice, he and his co-author Morten T. Hansen present the results of a research project that identified the characteristics that help businesses succeed in and all economic conditions. The result …
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What Are Your Leadership Training Plans in 2012?
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I don’t necessarily mean what classes HR is going to mandate for your employees. What are you working towards? How will you improve in 2012? In my experience, successful leaders are always antsy. They are always looking forward, constantly working …
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Effective Sales Force Management Starts with Hiring
posted: January 27, 2012
At Activate Group, we have helped hundreds of companies with sales force management and sales candidate screening and hiring. The goal is always to bring the right people into the right positions. Having an effective process is important for all …
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How do you find your “Blue Ocean”?
posted: January 25, 2012
More importantly, what is a Blue Ocean? That is the main focus of our upcoming strategic planning workshop called Keys to Forming an Awesome Strategy Workshop on Feb. 2. In it, we examine some of the principles from the book …
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How to Set SMART Goals
posted: January 18, 2012
The first step in successfully executing a goal is to state it properly. A well-stated goal clearly explains what you are trying to achieve and in what time frame. A well-stated goal is the foundation of an effective business action …
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How 15 Minutes Can Change Your Business
posted: January 13, 2012
A truly effective executive keeps his/her time commitments. Regardless of your industry, position, function, or company size, it’s critical of your reputation to be on time. In addition, I believe that if you don’t get to meetings 15 minutes early, …
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10 Questions to Ask Yourself Regularly
posted: January 11, 2012
After spending time with many business leaders, I’ve learned that knowing your industry, finding investment capital, and hiring good people is not enough to succeed. There are many keys to success, but one in intelligent introspection—asking the right questions. Asking …
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Want employees to care about the bottom line? Set an example
posted: January 9, 2012
As a leader in your company you are the foundation of the company culture. Like many business leaders, you may be struggling with how to build a sense of fiscal responsibility within your team. It’s a challenging thing to try …
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4 Elements of Successful Meetings
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Holding regular meetings can be a game-changing habit or a gigantic waste of time. I hear a lot of people complain about how they wish they could attend fewer meetings. They fear that most meetings waste time that could be …
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3 Tools for Effective Employee Recruitment
posted: January 6, 2012
Acquiring talent is a process just like any other in your company. The entire recruitment process is a sometimes long and arduous one, and therefore it is a magnet for shortcuts and rushing. Don’t give into the temptation to save …
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Are You Priced Right For Your Customer?
posted: January 4, 2012
In this economy, you may be tempted to cut prices to compete for new business, but this could actually be the exact wrong strategy for product or service. A big part of building a good business strategy is segmenting your …
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What do you want to learn in 2012?
posted: December 30, 2011
I am starting to brainstorm a list of business educational topics for this year’s webinars and workshops. In the past I have covered everything from strategy to sales, and culture to communications. I want the 2012 webinar line-up to be …
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What will 2012 look like for your business?
posted: December 29, 2011
The beginning of the year is always a sort of refreshing time for us business leaders. I always feel very optimistic about what the future will hold and have all kinds of different ideas for my business and my clients. …
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4 Trends that Will Carry Over to 2012
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In every economy, we have to adjust our strategies to what’s going on around us. The new year will probably bring a few surprises, but I see three trends from 2011 that will likely carry over to 2012. These could …
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What is Human Capital Management?
posted: December 28, 2011
Human Capital Management is the next evolution of Human Resources. Hiring the right people and managing your talent assets to perform at their highest potential is the core of Human Capital Management, and it is a fundamental philosophical change for …
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Greed is Still Good
posted: December 23, 2011
Ever see the movie Wall Street? The most famous line in that movie, which was also the tagline in the movie poster, was “greed is good.” I may be inviting Occupy protestors to install an encampment in my parking lot, …
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We’ve Moved!
posted: December 21, 2011
We are proud to announce that we have merged our blog with our new and improved website. Thank you for taking the time to visit us here. Please note going forward all new posts can be found at http://www.activategroupinc.com/blog/ Please be …
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Wishing You a Happy Holiday
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We wish you joy this holiday season, and a new year filled with, health, happiness, and success! Sincerely, Activate Group, Inc. Be Sociable, Share! Tweet
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Overcoming the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team
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In his book, Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Pat Lencioni identified team behaviors that reduce positive results in an organization. In my opinion, this book is a must-read for all managers and C-level leaders. As the company leader, you are …
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Overcoming the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team
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In his book, Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Pat Lencioni identified team behaviors that reduce positive results in an organization. In my opinion, this book is a must-read for all managers and C-level leaders. As the company leader, you are …
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Common Mistakes of New CEOs
posted: December 19, 2011
In my line of work, I’ve consulted with many CEOs—newbies and seasoned veterans alike. Nobody’s perfect. We all have skills and leadership issues that need to be honed and improved (even me!). But there are three areas that I see …
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10 Questions Every CEO Should Ask Their Sales Team
posted: December 16, 2011
Your sales team is the lifeblood of your organization’s growth. How effective are your salespeople at delivering on the business strategy and successfully meeting the potential of your market? As a CEO, there are questions you can ask to truly …
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3 Most Common Mistakes of New CEOs
posted: December 12, 2011
For some, the goal of running a company as its CEO is a life-long dream that takes decades to realize. After years of leading various departments or divisions of a company, the role of CEO may seem like the natural …