Simon Sinek (he’s the one who told you to identify why your business exists, not what it does) has introduced some new thinking into our business lexicon: Do you have a finite or infinite career mindset? Illustrating the concept at the leadership level, a leader with a finite mindset focuses on winning and competition while… Read more »
Business Management Blog
How to Develop a Sales Plan
You’ve recently been charged with developing a sales plan but you don’t know what it should look like or how to do it. Though it isn’t easy, the process is fairly simple. A sales plan will help you: define your sales strategy (goals) identify sales tactics (activities) assign accountability for you and your sales team… Read more »
Promoted to Manager? Some Lifesaving Tips for Managing Your Peers
In the first class of our management training programs, we ask what each participant’s goals are. How to manage time, how to delegate, how to motivate, and how to develop employees are common requests. But the lucky few slated for promotion also ask, “How do I manage my peers? I used to be their co-worker… Read more »
I Can’t Get Any Work Done At Work!
The open office design movement was intended to increase and improve collaboration. Evidence suggests that it has had the opposite effect. People are increasingly hiding behind their noise-cancelling headphones to concentrate. When we hear, “I go in early so I can get some work done before everyone shows up,” we know something’s gone awry with… Read more »
I’m Sorry! The Do’s and Don’ts of a Good Apology
You’ve probably apologized many times in your life. When we apologize (and when we actually mean it), it’s important to be direct and own up to our mistakes. However, it’s hard to do this properly because our instinct is to protect our ego. We want to maintain our self-image so much that, when we say… Read more »
5 Tips to Overcome the Mid-Career Crisis
If you are experiencing the mid-career crisis, you are not alone. In 2004, Blanchflower and Oswald (and the Gallup organization in 2008) studied psychological well-being as it relates to age. What they found is a u-curve, with well-being bottoming out around age 50 and then increasing to its peak when people reach their 80’s. A… Read more »
The Problem With “Constructive” Feedback
The traditional annual performance evaluation system has recently come under attack, particularly because of its ineffectiveness in helping develop great performance. A once-a-year snapshot forced down the throats of managers that doesn’t develop excellence? Shocking! 🙄 The research suggests that more frequent feedback provides better results. But what separates the inspired manager from the mediocre… Read more »
Are Emojis Okay for Business Email?
Have you ever experienced the scenario where a team member is lamenting their colleague’s lack of responsiveness? The email chain has gone back and forth ten times with clarifying questions and still there is no resolution. In your mind, the situation is ridiculous. The people writing the emails are sitting three cubicles away from each… Read more »
The Employee Development Path
Directing to Delegating A planned approach to employee development is the most effective way to get things off your plate and onto your team’s. Yet some managers only think of delegating when their work is spilling off their plate and they see no other option but to hand it off. While a more measured approach… Read more »
Bookkeeper, Controller, or CFO?
What Position Do You Need? When starting a business, the leader or a family member often “handles the books” given the sensitive nature of the information and the minimal time required for this task when a company has few transactions to process. While the leader sees this work as mostly administrative, the value of the… Read more »