Posts Tagged ‘business management’
How to be specific and not too specific at the same time
Tell your employees exactly what is expected of them. But don’t tell them what to do. A client recently asked me how to balance these two instructions. We were building role descriptions and she wanted to know how to be specific enough that people knew what to do but also open enough that she wasn’t…
Read MoreThe quick and easy solution to business problems
She had a crack in her windshield. She decided she would go to the repair shop to have it looked at, but of course not today, she was too busy today. And not tomorrow, because what if they hold on to the car for hours and she needs it. At some point, when the opportunity…
Read MoreHow to make your business pass the So What test?
New year, new you, new resolutions, new goals. But all in the service of what, exactly? As you start the new year – or any new day – make sure you know why you do the things you do and why others should take interest. Make sure your business passes the so what test. What…
Read MoreYour next employee is exactly nothing like you
There are so many theories about how to decide who to hire. Only hire somebody you’d want to hang out with on a weekend. As well as Hire people who are completely different from you, and that you wouldn’t otherwise connect with. And everything in between. What’s a business owner to do? The hiring balance…
Read MoreHow to be the smartest person in the room
Who is the smartest person? The person who knows the most? Or the person who learns the most? Conversation When you are trying to connect with somebody, you probably won’t pull out a PowerPoint and give them a 20-minute presentation. You will engage in a conversation, which means more than one person speaking and some…
Read MoreThe one question that will transform your performance reviews
You can throw company happy hours, host team dinners, buy pinball machines and eliminate job titles all you want. But once you put an employee in a performance review, there is a strict hierarchy of who reports to whom. And that hierarchy is what makes it challenging to get good feedback: the employee knows you…
Read MoreHow to talk to problem employees
Nothing you tell your employees should ever come as a surprise. This is especially important with bad news. If you are telling an employee that they are at risk of being fired, and they had no idea, then you are the one who made a mistake, not them. But don’t tell your employees about their…
Read MoreWhen company values become harmful
I’ll get straight to the point: company values become harmful when they are not enforced. This happens more often than you would imagine, and usually because of good intentions. But the harm is always greater than the perk. The wrong way to use values Let’s say you claim a core value at your business is…
Read MoreWhich work should you delegate?
Delegation: it’s a chore. Don’t you sometimes wish you could delegate the task of delegating? After all, it takes just as much time to have to explain something as it does to do it yourself. Here’s a trick to make delegation easier and last longer: Don’t delegate tasks: delegate responsibility. Start by deciding what you…
Read MoreWhat do your clients do after you leave the room?
There is no fadeout, no ending music, no rolling credits. After you leave the room, your clients’ lives go on, just like your life goes on. So what are your clients doing after you leave the room? And why should you care? Nobody wants to buy your product It’s a common refrain on this blog. …
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