One measure of a manager's ability is how well he maintains his company's profitability. Customer service is critical -- and so are sales -- but if a dealer can't maintain his profitability, he or she will never make it.

As I write this article, I'm at St. Vincent's Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, experiencing the first hospital stay of my life.

"My people don't always do what I want." Where does this declaration rank on your Top 10 Frustrations list?

Remember the surprise winner in this year's Super Bowl? The New England Patriots, the team with a poorer win-loss record than its opponent, outplayed and defeated the St. Louis Rams, a team that boasted reputedly superior talent.

Have you ever been so overloaded with installations that you desperately needed another contractor? I have.

It's easy to expand your store and profit when business is good. But when the economy sours, only strong businesses survive. Like cream, they rise to the top - while weaker businesses drown in deep yogurt!

What kind of leader produces winners among his or her followers?

In my last installment of The Art of Retail Management, I reviewed the benefits of having satisfied and loyal employees.

During the 1990s, Sears analyzed complex mathematical data to determine if, and how, employee loyalty influences the bottom line and whether it pushes it up or down.

The Gallup Organization's recent poll of 80,000 managers in 400 companies confirms a management principle that I've been teaching for 10 years: the No. 1 cause of employees' failure is the boss' failure to convey clear expectations. Too frequently, bosses simply fail to make clear to employee what they should and should not do.