Annual employee surveys gather critical information about what staff members really think of their jobs. If constructed well, a survey provides great insight into what the company excels at, and what it could do better. But many companies do not formally survey their employees simply because they haven’t figured out how to do it effectively,… Read more »
Business Management Blog
5 Ways to Capitalize on LinkedIn
This article is meant for those of you who have either never used LinkedIn, or have used it, but don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Think about this: at the time of the original publishing of this post (September 30, 2012) LinkedIn had over 6 million members in Canada and 187 million members… Read more »
Improve Operations with 5 GREAT Questions
Are you missing out on thousands of dollars just by making the common operations mistakes of entrepreneurs? To find out, ask yourself these five questions: 1. Are we sacrificing the long-term benefit of management and strategy for short term profit? There is a value to prioritizing some time to “management” time in almost every environment…. Read more »
5 Hours to a New Customer
Business in Vancouver asked us what advice we would give an established business to help them find new customers. The answer? Do Something. There are many strategies for finding clients – approach new markets, offer different services, create a unique product, or enter a geographic region you’ve never tried. While business leaders spend a lot… Read more »
Hiring a Consultant: 3 Common Mistakes and 5 Great Questions
People intuitively understand that there is value in an outside perspective. How much value, however, is largely dependent on whose perspective you get. The difference between good and great is often counter-intuitive, and a consultant’s value can be tough to decipher in just a meeting or two. Finding the right consultant was Bellrock’s challenge when… Read more »
Recruiting a Great Manager Part 3: Onboarding the Talent
Missed Part 1 or 2 of our series? Check out Finding the Talent Pool for Your Tribe and Finding The One. Most leaders have the best of intentions at the start of the recruiting process, thinking that when this person comes onboard, this time things will be different. You will teach him everything he needs… Read more »
Introducing Bellrock
They said we were crazy to launch a small business consultancy in Vancouver when we had: No relationships No local track record No start-up capital But, we weren’t worried. After all, it was autumn 2008: It was the middle of the greatest economic meltdown in 70 years The Olympics were coming and no one would… Read more »
Recruiting a Great Manager Part 2: Finding The One
If you consider your people one of your business’s greatest assets, then finding and retaining exceptional managers is a very high priority for you. Those who achieve success in this quest acknowledge that a great manager will pay dividends for many years, and finding a great manager is a time consuming process.
Recruiting a Great Manager Part 1: Finding the Talent Pool for Your Tribe
How many times have you thought: “If we just find the right people, everything else will fall into place.” A good hire can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to your bottom line, and a great hire transforms that one-time bump into an annuity paying dividends year after year. But how will you find that great hire?
Effective One-on-One Meetings
One-on-one meetings are held between a manager and direct report with the objectives of setting priorities, gaining clarity around progress, and improving performance. The value of the meeting should be, at a minimum, equal to the cost of the time spent in the meeting.