Introduction

Wouldn’t you like to tap into the most creative, innovative, entrepreneurial minds to help you
lead and grow your company? At Inc., we’ve been reporting and writing stories about smart and
inspiring entrepreneurs since 1979 and, along the way, we’ve introduced our readers to topics
and tactics that have the power to enlighten and transform. Over the years, we’ve learned again
and again that big, bold, and audacious ideas are backed-up by seemingly small daily deeds that
build a long-lasting enterprise. That’s why we created our new “101” series of digital books.
We’ve culled the very best actionable advice from Inc. magazine and Inc.com and condensed it
into a format that we hope will motivate and inspire you. Don’t (we repeat, don’t) read all these
at once. When you find a tip that strikes a chord, we hope you’ll stop reading and take the first
small step toward turning that idea into action. Read. Act. Repeat. You get the gist.
The first book in our series focuses on leadership and management. It’s one fundamental
discipline that can make or break your company, and one that we bet you may have little time to
perfect when you’re juggling a million balls. Some lucky entrepreneurs seem born to the task,
but most struggle mightily, preferring instead to focus on the pursuit of revenue and profit. Who
has time for pesky HR issues when you have new markets to conquer? But the bottom line is
this: if you want your company to grow, you must devote time and energy to create an
environment where employees feel invested not only in their own success, but in the success of
their co-workers, and in the future of your company.
As a CEO, you need to keep a close eye on the changing day-to-day management challenges in
your company and respond to them. But you also need to take care of yourself. So we’ve also
included tips on time management, travel, and stepping away to recharge your batteries. We hope
you’ll be reinvigorated by what we’ve compiled.

HIRING
1. Why You Should Recruit Every Day
“I used to think business was 50% having the right people,” says serial entrepreneur Kevin P.
Ryan, the founder of DoubleClick and the CEO of Gilt Groupe. “Now I think it’s 80%. The best
way to be productive is to have a great team.” To ensure that his companies hire the best possible
people, Ryan invests some 20% of his time on human-resources-related tasks. For instance, he
spends at least an hour every day interviewing a job candidate and meets with his HR director
every two days to discuss recruiting and other issues. Why spend that kind of time trying to find
the best people for the job? Ryan says knowing his staff enables him to delegate with confidence.
“I take six or seven weeks of vacation a year, though I’m always connected,” he says. “When
you’ve got the best people running things, you can take your kids skiing in France.”
2. How to Interpret the Labor Market
Even when unemployment is high, businesses looking for top talent can’t afford to be
complacent about hiring. That means you need to be aware of what kind of skills will be in
demand five years out, says Michael Metzger, CEO of PayScale, which operates the world’s
largest database (35 million unique career profiles) of salary information. He predicts companies
will continue to hire people who are fluent in the technology that is currently used in business;
the language of tech is increasingly the language of work. And don’t think you’ll be able to get
that kind of talent cheaply, as average pay hasn’t dropped much, despite the recession. Another
driver of jobs and job titles is increasing use of sales and marketing via smart-phones and ultra-
portable devices, says Metzger. He says he’s seeing more titles related to the Internet and
marketing, like SEO marketer. And there will be a whole set of green-sector jobs that reflect the
intersection of technology and function, such as fuel cell product manager. Thirty years ago,
there were probably a few dozen wind-turbine technicians in the country. Now there are tens of
thousands. In other words, if your business operates in sectors like these, prepare to pay up.