Posts Tagged ‘lessons learned’
The historical lens of lessons learned
One of the challenges of studying history, classics, and the past, is knowing how to read stories through the right lens: is it ours, or is it the lens of the time? Do you know how this comes up in business? In your Lessons Learned. Lessons Learned After a major project or process update, you…
Read MoreThe best lessons are the ones we learn
There’s nothing wrong with things going wrong in business. Do you remember Apple’s first hand-held device, the Newton? No? That’s ok, neither does anybody else. Managerially the company did everything right and yet the product was a huge flop. But the brand didn’t disappear, and 13 years later they launched the iPhone, which quickly set…
Read MoreStop trying to stop making mistakes
Mistakes should never be your primary goal. If you know that something is the wrong thing to do, don’t do it. You don’t have to chase mistakes because they’ll happen anyway, regardless of your planning and precision. When we don’t make mistakes, we get to do things right. When we do make mistakes, we get…
Read MoreInnovation happens when you think inside the box
Innovation happens when you are good at something you do… and then you do it a little bit better. Innovation matters because it ensures that you are always doing things in the best possible way. “Innovation is about tweaking systems that are already faring well”, according to Business News Daily. It’s the little changes you…
Read MoreWhen you want to make bad decisions, follow these tips ✅
It is true that we learn more from failure than we do from success. When you’re looking to add to your failures and learn some great lessons, you want to make bad decisions, decisions that lead to more problems. Wondering where to start? Here are some tips. Panic Assume the worst will happen. Let go…
Read MoreHow to stay busy without losing your mind
A client recently told me that his favorite thing about working with me was the accountability it gave him. We created a new management plan, rolled it out to his employees, and then structured his management meetings. While he enjoyed all this work, the knowledge of upcoming meetings with me, and knowing that the work…
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 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 MoreWhat is Information, and how should you use it?
What makes a small business work? Information. Whether it is information about clients, about projects, about people, about jobs, about plans, or about goals, that information has to move throughout the business for everybody to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. But when is information reliable? Here are…
Read MoreComparing to the Competition
You have heard me say it before: innovation is about customers, not the competition. If you are looking at your competitors to decide your next move, you are doing it wrong. But that doesn’t mean that there is never a reason to look at your competition. Sometimes you just want to look and compare: so…
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