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When things go wrong in business, there is more than one way to deal with them. And the way you handle mistakes in your business will affect the culture. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has a naming policy for when somebody calls out a mistake.  They don’t call them “near misses”. They call them “good…

Managing people is never more important than when managing mistakes.  How do you react when an employee makes an error?  Do you want them to feel bad and repent?  Or do you want them to learn, grow, and do better next time? Who has responsibility Last week, we talked about taking responsibility for mistakes with…

There’s a story about a high school nurse giving crutches to every student. If they had a nosebleed, a cold, or a cut on their arm, she gave them all crutches.  Maybe it was a symbolic gesture telling students to take care of themselves. But more likely it was a simple story about solving the…

You must work on your business, not in it.  Since you started your business, you’ve probably heard a version of this idea every month. But what does it mean, really? How do you know when you are working ON your business rather than in it?  Work ON your business Working on your business means looking…

SWOT is probably familiar to anyone who works in business. A SWOT analysis is one of the most fundamental tools in business strategy.  But what if we flipped it?  What if we challenged the way we see our strengths and our threats? What might we learn about our business? SWOT Analysis explained A SWOT maps…

Seen recently on a social media platform: “We don’t have a Plan B, to write a plan b would be to accept failure before we even begin.” If that sentence inspires you, please read on. Let me share why this is not a sound approach to business.  Accepting failure Managing risk is not about accepting…