Are you living by your guiding principles?

Leading by example is one of the main points of leadership.  You may have noticed: it’s in the word.  To get the behavior you want from your employees is to be the person you want them to be.  They can see you We don’t live in an episode of Big Brother, but we are being…

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Are you achieving all of your goals on time?

The next question is: does it matter? What’s most important to you when it comes to achieving your goals? Meeting a deadline Checking a “completed” box Creating new value in your business You probably know where I am going with this: goals aren’t about dates and times.  Goals add value to your business.  What has…

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Why you should stop having performance reviews

The annual performance review.  Every employee’s favorite moment of their favorite day. They prepare for it, they celebrate it, they wait all year or all quarter for this fun, exciting, stimulating moment— Clearly: I am joking.  Nobody likes performance reviews, neither employees nor employers.  So let’s stop doing them.  Let’s have Stay Interviews instead.  What…

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The most important line in your job descriptions

There’s one sentence in your job description that matters the most.  If you were only allowed to share one line from your job description, this would be the line to share.  It’s the line that tells people what to do. And it goes like this: “The purpose of this role is…” A job adds value…

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The 4 stages of a new hire (but only use 3)

Congratulations: you hired someone new!  And of course, they are the right person. Probably. Almost definitely. But, still, we need to have a conversation.  New hire journey First of all: of course you do. It will take everyone time to learn the job, the business, the culture, and even what to do when the coffee…

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3 simple ways to destroy your work life balance

“40 hours is enough”. So Jason Fried tells us when he is telling us about a work week.  40 hours of work each week is enough. Because your life is not just work. Your life is also life, and everything that goes into it.  It’s important to make time for other activities and responsibilities so…

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How to give the people what they want: hr edition

“Organizations… are nothing more than the collective goodwill and aspirations of the people involved”. – Sergio Marchionne As a business owner, you are responsible for the collective goodwill, you are the vehicle for people to achieve those aspirations. You are, in short, responsible for a positive working environment.  The workforce solutions company ManpowerGroup did the…

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The single best business tool you can ever use

Adapt tools to your needs, not your needs to the tools.  When you turn to the tools, start with the best one. The one tool that will solve problems and get you started on every project. The tool from which any other tool can be built.  A list.  Why lists are the single best business…

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Hire the right person the first time

Hiring is difficult.  It’s complicated, and confusing, and will take a long time.  Here’s one way to simplify your hiring: start with essential skills.  What are essential skills?  Essential skills are the skills you need for the job but don’t have time to teach.  You can teach somebody how to use a hammer to hang…

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Did your employees mess up? It’s probably your fault.

Photo by Alice Achterhof on Unsplash

Raise your hand if you ever had a roommate.  Keep your hand up if you ever tried to pour yourself a glass of milk only to discover there were only 8 drops left.  So you tell your roommate to please add milk to the shopping list when they finish it, and your roommate answers: “I…

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