Ever had a manager who hung those motivational posters around the office, spoke of “pushing together,” or “you’re empowered to give great service”—and then acted at least once in complete disregard of those statements? You don’t want to be caught even once It takes only one time caught by subordinates to lose the faith of […]
Dave Berkus
How Do You Handle Your Cash Reserves?
Here comes some advice for all of us to use in business or in our personal lives. But to understand it, we need to delve into the short-and long-term sources and uses of cash. Good cash strategies to remember It is tempting to use available cash in good times to build the business and in […]
Why Recurring Revenues Increase Your Company’s Value
The massive shift in revenue models in recent years Have you noticed how many web apps and content have turned into subscription services during the last several years? Call it the Netflix effect. Application developers once considered their products as licensed in what would closely be allied to a single sale. Until someone realized that recurring […]
What is the Real Goal for Our Management and Company?
Often, we joke together as managers of companies or of people that our goal is “world domination” or “to crush the competition.” But no matter how stated, the primary goal of an enterprise is to make money. The three measures of progress How do you measure progress toward such an undefined goal? We measure it by […]
Over-Promoting Employees: Recalling the Peter Principle
Remember the Peter Principle? Funny how good messages come back in new forms after years of languishing out in the ether. Dr. Laurence J. Peter in The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong wrote in the early 1960’s of the “lateral arabesque,” describing how companies promote incompetent employees sometimes by sending them to another department or […]
Gamify Those Otherwise Dull Work Assignments
Most of us are driven by the competitive spirit, the desire or need to win. It reinforces self-worth, provides closure at the end of a good effort, and energizes us during the effort to achieve. Being driven to achieve results Many of us as managers—and our employees as workers—are driven by process, actions required to […]
“What’s in it for me?” A Motivational Lesson
Ever wonder why one of your employees, shareholders, managers, suppliers, or board members sometimes behaves in a way you might consider irrational? Putting yourself in their shoes If you want to best describe the motivation behind the action, think “What’s in it for me”? Your employees, your shareholders, your customers, and your suppliers are all driven […]
Do People Follow When You (Think You) Lead?
Let’s get personal. Do you think you’re much better than a marginal leader? Well, here are a few tests for you to help come to an answer. And a few tips for you if you fall a bit short. Why do people follow their leader? Dictators are not great leaders in the long run. People […]
Do You Act Like an Eagle Scout?
You may have been a Girl Scout or a Boy Scout in your youth. Certainly, you are aware of the top rank in each—the Gold Award for girls and the Eagle badge for boys. Scouting teaches leadership and even if we were not members in our youth, there are lessons for us all. Be prepared! […]
Annual Reviews or Constant Feedback?
Here comes a controversial subject. How often do you take the time to rate your direct reports? Is it worth the time and effort when measured from the perspective of the company and of the employee? In terms of time, this can be expensive and disruptive to you and your direct reports. In terms of […]
