What We Think
Tis the Season….
During this season, many of us shift our focus to what we plan to buy for those in our families and sometimes for some of our work colleagues. It is really a great time of the year. Often, the things we buy have a defined shelf life – a specific time of use. When the...
Lessons From 10 Days of Travel
The last two weeks have been packed full with client work in five cities necessitating plane, train and automobile travel through nine states! I write this while flying the final leg home; so far, the travel has been uneventful, except for auto traffic during rush...
A Leader’s Secret Weapon
This was a very interesting week for me. Actually, it was the culmination of observing a consistently common element at play over the course of many weeks. Both the clients I have been working with and many of their employees I have spoken to have expressed a common...
Are You Driving Change?
No one can deny change is all around us. Change is happening the way we shop, the way we view entertainment, the places or sources we rely on for information, and countless other examples. But when it comes to changes in your organization, the question is whether you...
Life Is Too Short To Spend It Unhappily
These words were said by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, who recently passed away. Although this perspective came after a life-changing cancer diagnosis, it is true for all of us how life really is too short to spend time on things or with people who don’t...
Speaking Out
Scan our article archives for expert advice, opinion, and perspective on a number of leadership and development issuesSuccession Planning
Succession Planning – A Necessary Business Tool
In a December, 2008 survey of approximately 600 business leaders and owners, 67% indicated they did not have a written succession plan in place. Of those who had a written plan in place, 55% of them said the plan was either out of date or needed significant revision....
Succession Planning for the Small Business
So you have grown your business to the place you want it to be and you are thinking of an exit strategy or just retiring. Congratulations! But the new question is who is going to run this company when you hang up your business cleats? Succession planning is all about...
Goal Setting
Goal Setting and Goal Achievement
Much has been written about goal setting. Yet, many people comment that they are not satisfied with their performance in achieving those goals. This article is intended to address not only the effective setting of goals, but also to identify 8 steps to ensure that you...
Communication
Communicating Effectively with Your Employees
Just about every client I have worked with or company I have been associated with have stated at one time or another that they have a problem with communication. Why? The specific circumstances are usually different, however, it generally boils down to...
Employee Hiring & Retention
Hiring for the Long Term
Most managers and senior executives would agree that the task of hiring can be one of the responsibilities with the most impact in their organization. There are many reasons for this, including: Many managers simply do not interview often enough to become...
The Art of the Interview
We have all had interviews where the interviewer did so much of the talking that, as a candidate, it was hard to give your best examples of how you can help this company. Then, when the interview is over, the interviewer makes a bold proclamation that this candidate...
Employee Retention — A Bottom-Line Opportunity
Keeping people is arguably one of the most challenging aspects of running a business today. All companies, regardless of size, industry or geography, are struggling with how to keep employees from leaving for more money or better opportunities. Research consistently...
Delegation
The Value of Delegating
For the small business owner, deciding what, when and how to delegate, along with to whom to delegate to, are sometimes very difficult decisions to make. After all, it has taken your blood, sweat and sometimes tears to build the business. If you really want to let the...
Coaching
We Can’t All Be Iron Man
"Mark Zuckerberg. Steve Jobs. Elon Musk. Tony Stark. Only one of those four is fictional, but all share in a popular mythology that the most successful CEOs are independent visionaries who create value through sheer inspiration and force of will. But it obscures a...
Integration
Successful Integration of Merged Organizations
In today's fast-paced business environment, there have been a large number of mergers, acquisitions and other forms of major organizational change. Lately, hardly a day goes by that yet another merger or acquisition has been announced in the news. These happen to...
Compensation
Deciding How Much to Pay Employees
Given the tight labor market of today, many companies struggle with the issue of how much to pay employees. You certainly want to pay someone based on the value they provide the company, but how do you decide exactly what that amount should be? You would probably...