How to talk to problem employees

Happy 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…

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When 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…

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The Glue Your Business Needs Every Day

What has to happen in your business?  When people think of business functions, they tend to list marketing, sales, finance, human resources, maybe production as well.  However you make your list, there is one fundamental business function that ties all the rest together; the glue that makes it work, if you will.  Management.  Collaborate more…

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How are you hiring?

You have a role; now it’s time to fill it.  Use the work you did to know why you are hiring and who you are hiring to improve how you are hiring.  Hiring skills How important is skill expertise in hiring?  It turns out: not very.  Skill expertise is not to be ignored, of course,…

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Why are you hiring?

Why did you hire your last employee?  When asking business owners why they are hiring, their answers are usually a version of the following: they have gotten too busy, there is too much to do in their business, their client base has grown, they feel it is time to bring on a [insert job title:…

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Why are you managing your business?

This blog talks about business management. Indeed my whole business is about the craft of business management.  And if the business is the idea, management is what turns the idea into action.  But what are you managing, exactly? How do you manage an “idea” into a “reality”? The best way to answer this question is…

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New Course Certifications

I am delighted to have received additional certification approvals for my courses on CPDFormula, a Canadian based platform for CPA training. You can now receive CPA and HR certification credits while you learn about: How to run better meetings How to make business decisions How to create an excellent customer service experience

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Write job roles, not job titles

What has to happen in your business? This is an easy one.  Sales, marketing, human resources, finance, and let’s add legal and customer service. To begin with, anyway.  Here’s the catch: imagine you hire a new marketing employee. And you tell this person to “do marketing”.  What are they doing all day? Is it what…

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How to check in with your employees

You want employees who are happy to work in your business.  You want to know that they look forward to coming to work, enjoy what they do all day long, and value your role as their boss and mentor.  We have already talked about the importance of “checking in” with your employees, to find out…

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Virtual Meeting Etiquette: update to my course

My online course on how to run better company meetings has been receiving regular updates in the COVID19 generation. The latest is a lesson and worksheet on the proper etiquette for virtual team meetings. As managers you want to ensure your meetings are just as effective remotely as they are in person. See a preview…

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