Articles

I am curious. Thus, an ardent learner. Curiosity fuels knowledge and experience. As I learn, personally grow, and continuously improve, I am propelled to share this wealth of knowledge. Some things I have learned from textbooks and traditional education. Others, from the School of Hard Knocks. Mostly,  I put my college education to the test in the field to bring you theoretical book-learning backed and tested through real life in business.

My most popular articles are found below, grouped in the following categories.
Feel free to click on the red links to directly jump to your favorite functional area:
Christian D. Malesic, EzineArticles Platinum Author

Leadership & Management  |  Communications  |  Profitability  |  Career Development  | Operations
Marketing  |   Non Profit Management  |  Persuasive Promotion  |  Politics & History 

My goal is that these words bring you understanding, deeper knowledge, and more importantly... business hacks, best-practices, tips, and tricks to improve the way you think and operate.

On Leadership & Management...

Sacrificing Culture on the WFH Altar

Also published as: Work From Home Just Isn't Working

SYNOPSIS: Company culture was all the rage. Then, businesses sacrificed culture on the Work From Home (WFH) altar for short-term record profits. It is now clear that WFH, in its current form, is mutually exclusive to culture. Since culture breeds loyalty, it follows that the talent wars (Great Resignation) will continue while loyalty numbers shrink further until culture returns.
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Boot Camp: Character Discovered Daily

SYNOPSIS: Your fellow veterans get it. Unfortunately, your loved ones, who never shared the experience, just don't understand boot camp. What happened there? Why have you changed? The following was documented to help you start that conversation. They will never really know. Maybe they can at least understand.
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You Can’t Out-Give What You Get

SYNOPSIS: Leadership is a daunting topic. We all recognize it when we see it; yet, have difficulty describing it. Why do some choose to lead while others do not? What makes them leaders? How do they make decisions?
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Published:

  • INSIGHTS national magazine [March 2012]

Forethought & Training Makes Managers

SYNOPSIS: Senior management in every industry is well-known for setting-up our best-skilled workers for failure. It is as if we are specifically trying to sabotage our own companies by reducing the workforce skill level and using poor management to try to fix it. A fancy new title and a raise does not a manager make.
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On Communications...

Break Through the Noise with Your Communication

SYNOPSIS: Communication is not just about providing a message; it is about having the message heard and understood. Ideally, communication goes a step beyond. For our message to really make a difference, to be ‘successful’ communication, we need the receiver to interact and take action. Thus, anything short of interaction is a fail. But, how do we break through?
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The Goldilocks Zone of Communication

SYNOPSIS: We all get too much. The noise is at such a peak that advertisements, marketing, and propaganda are often confused with the communication messaging we really want. So, when we are on the other side, as the one sending the message, how do we get our communication through to those that really want to hear from us?
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Do It Their Way: Connecting with Clients & Members

SYNOPSIS: Communicators have become lazy and cheap. When a new message is upon them, or when the last message did not attain the desired reach, they can, unfortunately, be heard mumbling “we’ll just put it up on Facebook.” There is so much more to really communicating with your clients or members than just posting another post on social media.
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Anatomy of a Communications Message

SYNOPSIS: Properly executed, a communications message is a prescriptive formula designed to interact with those who appreciate you most with the opportunity to increase their love by providing that which they most desire from you.
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On Profitability...

Four Approaches to Paying Down Debt

Also published as: Paying Down Debt

SYNOPSIS: Debt can be good. It builds credit, allows expansion, closes gaps, and funds education. However, too much debt can plague a company. To reduce debt cash flow, a firm first must be able to pay all of the minimum payments on each debt and other monthly expenses. Additional funds can then be applied to one of the debts with the intention of eliminating it.
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               [September 2011]

King Cash, Queen Cash Flow, and Prince Profit

SYNOPSIS: It takes cash-on-hand to run a business. Cash allows bills to be paid, payroll to be met, and capital improvements to fuel expansion. Cash, however, depletes quickly and must be replenished by a steady cash flow stream for the business to survive, even in the most prosperous times. In the new economy, poor cash flow kills companies.
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Extra Profits: The Magic of Purchase Discounts 

SYNOPSIS: Utilizing purchase discounts is a recipe for success in any economy. Mixing a scoop of best business practices, a pinch of strengthening supplier relations, and a dollop of profits creates a dish that is sure to fatten your bottom line. If you are asking the question, paying supplier bills early enough to take advantage of purchase discounts is the answer.
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Published:

  • INSIGHTS national magazine [March 2011]
  • ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR national magazine
               [February 25, 2011]               [February 11, 2011]

On Career Development...

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

SYNOPSIS: By now, it has been asked of you hundreds of times. You’ve probably even asked it yourself of many kids when you have made their acquaintance. It is a simple question. Straight-forward. Clear. Concise… As an adult, a smile would probably come to your face if you were asked this ‘kid’s question’. But… do you know? Can you answer it?
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Alphabet Soup: Letters After Names

SYNOPSIS: When you are handed a business card of a professional with letters after their name, what thought comes to mind? That of the infamous billionaire Thurston Howell III, the famous character from TV sitcom, Gilligan’s Island, who was tactless, pretentious, and lazy? Or, the customer-serving, educated professional who wants to do the job right the first time?
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               ASSOCIATION OF BREVARD [May 2017]

Become the Next Great Writer

SYNOPSIS: Write it down! Tell the world. Accomplished authors, whether known worldwide or only in smaller professional circles, are able to reach every dream faster... and then some. People look up to the successful among us. They hire, promote, or buy from the expert who has demonstrated they are a mover and shaker in their field. Are you?
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On Operations...

The Savings in Safety

SYNOPSIS: Safety is thought of as a compassion issue or a workplace improvement. The care and consideration placed on safety issues by management is seen as an indicator of attention-to-detail and teamwork. Safety is all of those things; but, it is also a “profit center” that should be monitored by management. Said plainly: Safer companies are more profitable!
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Published:

  • CONSTRUCTION EXECUTIVE national magazine             [October 2011]
  • THE CONTRACTOR'S COMPASS national magazine
               [4th Quarter 2011]
  • PROFESSIONAL AFFAIRS national magazine
               [June 23, 2011]
  • INSIGHTS national magazine [May 2011]
  • SAFETYBOK.ORG [May 16, 2011]
  • MAG ARTICLES [April 27, 2011]
  • EZINE ARTICLES [April 12, 2011]

Balancing the Busy Business Schedule

Also published as: Balancing the Job Schedule

SYNOPSIS: Scheduling tasks is a juggling act. As long as all of the balls are in the air, the act is going smoothly. Oft times, however, when one ball is dropped, the juggler may drop a few more balls while attempting to pick up and add back into the routine the first one that fell. Scheduling becomes even more complicated when mixing in various sized tasks.
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Cherry-Picking Orders Yields Bad Fruit 

SYNOPSIS: The world we live in thinks "low bid" instead of "best value." The lure of the dark side is strong when price is the prime decision tool and the value equation is cast into the abyss. These moments can sometimes find us at our worst, willing to create a Frankenstein monster of a bid by "cherry-picking" the best pieces from various vendor quotations.
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On Marketing...

Advertising on 4 Wheels

SYNOPSIS: As jobs are scarce and the New Economy tightens its noose around the necks of small business owners, it is fiscally prudent to cut costs and trim overhead. The natural inclination may be to cut the advertising budget, as it is one of the largest overhead line items and may seem to have little impact on the business model. This is exactly the wrong approach! 
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On Non Profit Management...

The Ultimate Twitter Primer

SYNOPSIS: We have read in our association literature and heard at seminars that we must change or die. We must include the Gen X and Gen Y (and sometime soon, the Millennials) or our associations will slowly shrink and then perish as the Boomers retire. Here’s what you need to know: The Xs, Ys, and Millennials are on Twitter!
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Published:

  • EXECUTIVE OFFICERS' RESOURCES
               [March 8, 2013]

On Persuasive Promotion...

Finding a Super Contractor

Also published as:
   Finding an Awesome Contractor!
   Finding the Right Contractor
   Good Contractors are Worth Tracking Down
   Choosing the Right Contractor
   Choosing a Super Contractor

SYNOPSIS: Super contractors are plentiful and easy to find when you approach the due diligence process with purpose and foresight. Builders, remodelers, and trade contractors will work on your most valuable asset and prized possession - your home. More importantly, they will become your go-to expert and most trusted advisor in their area of specialty.
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Published:

               [August 17, 2013]
  • BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL PA                [August 17, 2013]
  • AT HOME IN BERKS magazine [April 2013]
  • EZINE ARTICLES [March 21, 2013]
  • PENN STATE'S STATECOLLEGE.COM
               [March 15, 2013]

Choosing the Right Remodeler

SYNOPSIS: Finding the remodeler for you is not as simple as looking through the phone book or picking up the classifieds. On a big project, you may be working closely with this individual for several months, so you want to do everything possible to ensure you make the right decision. After all, they will be working on YOUR home!
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On Politics & History...

A Liberal by Any Other Name

SYNOPSIS: Those on the Left side of the political spectrum have always wrestled with labels. Nonetheless, in order to communicate with one another, our language needs a term that describes the political views of those who oppose the ‘Conservatives of the Right’. The Left were 'Progressives' then 'Liberals' now they want to be 'Progressives' again.
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Congress... Enough Tinkering Already!

SYNOPSIS: As if they haven’t done enough harm already, Congress and the bureaucrats in Washington D.C. are now considering the elimination of the Mortgage Interest Deduction. The Mortgage Bubble, also known as the Subprime Loan Crisis, was caused by Congress. Congress is once again tinkering. You do not need the money. Government does.
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