As the economy continues to tighten, companies continue to make the hard decisions of where to cut costs until the economy turns around.

We’ve heard the message over and over from one economic down-turn to another that the successful companies do not cut back on marketing and employee training during down-turns.

We often hear managers use the word “empowerment”.

Many managers tell me they have empowered their people. However, when I visit with their people, they disagree. They tell me that they are asked for their suggestions, but no one really listens.