Posts Tagged ‘leadership development’
The ten minute business plan
Let me start by pointing out that you will not write a “Business Plan” – big B big P – in ten minutes. Not something an investor or a bank would accept. But you can write a preliminary business plan – small b small p – in ten minutes. And that business plan will be…
Read MoreAn introduction to company culture
It’s not really a “thing”, it’s more of a concept. An abstract we can talk about but not physically build. Right? No that’s not right. Culture is when we put ping pong tables in the office and offer beer on tap and relaxation pods. Right? Is it when I let all my employees work from…
Read MoreHow 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 MoreThe two things that need to change
The new calendar year is around the corner. For many business owners, this means new plans, new goals, and new strategies. It means change. But change is not a light switch you turn on the morning of Jan 1. Change is a process. How does change happen Change is hard. People are used to doing…
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 MoreTo find success, define success
A few weeks ago we established that “failure” is not a moment in time, an ending, or an event. But what about success? Success, it turns out, is also not final. It isn’t like a movie we are watching, with a defined endpoint, when success has been achieved, the music begins, and we fade off…
Read MoreFailure usually isn’t (what we think it is)
“It was a complete failure. All the time: wasted. Everything I tried: wrong. Now I’m doubting everything I do.” Statements that, unfortunately, sometimes happen in a business environment. When I heard this one I took issue with, well, all of it. Something had indeed gone wrong. But no time had been wasted and I didn’t…
Read MoreThree easy ways to keep your brain curious.
Curiosity is good for business. It improves collaboration, keeps your business goals fresh, and can lead to greater innovation. Most importantly, curiosity has been shown to increase adaptability, an essential trait for running your business in the long term. When you demonstrate curiosity in what you do, others will start to emulate that approach. But…
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…
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