Posts Tagged ‘innovation strategies’
Beyond the Checklist: Productivity Is a System, Not a To-Do List
Now that we understand what productivity is—and what it isn’t—it’s time to explore how it works. Productivity isn’t about checking tasks off a to-do list. It’s about the way you work and how your entire business operates. Productivity comes before work The truly productive business has become so by building systems geared towards productivity. It…
Read MoreMore Than a Transaction: Training New Hires To Truly Know Your Clients.
Onboarding a new employee is not all about you. You think of everything the new hire must know about your business and people, but don’t forget what they must know about other businesses and people too. Don’t forget your clients. More than a transaction Your clients are whole people, or businesses made up of whole…
Read MoreAdapt with Consistency: How To Change Your Business When Things Change. (The Worksheet)
Adapting. It’s a skill we use every day, often without even realizing it. When your GPS suggests a faster route mid-drive. When you’re cooking and discover you’re missing a key ingredient. You pause, you reflect, and you adapt to get where you want to go. In business, we do the same thing. Consistency is key…
Read MorePrecision Troubleshooting: Fixing What’s Broken Without Breaking What Works. (The Worksheet)
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…
Read MoreMistakes Are Not Failures: Why Solving Your Own Errors Matters. (The Worksheet)
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…
Read MoreWhy Professional Problems Happen: A Client-Centric Problem-Solving Strategy. (The Worksheet)
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…
Read MoreWorking In vs. On Your Business: How To Shift Your Leadership. (The Worksheet)
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…
Read MoreThe SWOT Paradox: Turn Your Strategy Upside Down And Find Opportunities. (The Worksheet)
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…
Read MoreWhat You Can Control: Three Steps to Effective Risk Planning. (The Worksheet)
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…
Read MoreFrom Goals to Gratitude: Better Goals For Devoted Clients. (The Worksheet)
“The secret to setting up the correct goals is to always tie your goals to your customers,” writes Pooja Agnihotri in her insightful book, 17 Reasons Why Businesses Fail. I agree. As regular readers will know: your business goals should address your 3 core pillars of Business Goals, Happy Employees, and Loyal Customers. The question…
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