You only need two things to meet your goals ✌️

Motivation and support.  When you have the motivation to do the thing, and the support to get it done, you have the perfect formula.  Motivation means willingness, but it is more than that. Motivation is also the excitement of doing the thing, it means looking forward to it and being a reliable party.  Support means…

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How to be a good leader: (hint: know when you should follow 😉)

One way in which people demonstrate leadership is by knowing when to be followers.  This was a lesson I picked up recently from listening to the McKay Interview podcast episode with Dr. Cynthia Cherrey and Professor Mike Hardy.   (If you want to both feel and be smarter, spend some time with The McKay Interview).  A…

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The risks of bad management

Last week we established that management is happening in your business right now, tomorrow, and every day, whether you acknowledge it or not.  This also means that somebody is managing the business, whether they acknowledge it or not.  And that someone is probably you.  But what happens when you don’t acknowledge it? Does any of…

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The quick & easy definition of management

And does a business really need it? “Management” and “managers”? Yes and no.  A business can choose to ignore the word and all its derivations. But the truth is that “management” is happening anyway, whether intentional or not. So you may as well make it good.  What does it mean The problem with asking questions…

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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…

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The 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…

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How 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…

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Your 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…

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How 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…

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The 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…

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