Employees are an essential part of every company. Therefore, organizations must ensure they stay motivated and energized. How can companies achieve this? A team-building retreat does more than give employees a day off work. They provide an avenue for strengthening relationships between the employees and the management. However, for a corporate retreat to achieve the […]
Strategic Planning
Most of Your Big Problems Start as Small Problems
Let’s talk about surprises. And whether to warn your superiors or your boards about these unraveling events early. You have a dashboard or KPI’s, don’t you? Every good executive has a set of critical data points that best alert him or her to the changes in the flow of business most important to note and in […]
How to Organize, Design, and Present Your Work Portfolio
Landing your dream job can be a long and tiring process, filled with interview prep, dressing smartly and updating your CV more times than you can count. Along with that first-class CV though, one of the best weapons you can have in your interview arsenal is a great looking portfolio, showcasing the best work you’ve […]
Are Your Chairman and CEO the Same Person?
Here’s one that targets most any company that has taken investments at any stage, as well as more mature companies. Why would you split the positions? More and more today, shareholder organizations recommend that the positions of chairman and president (or CEO) be split, so there are checks and balances at the board level in the […]
What Mistakes You Should Avoid When Selling a Business
Most entrepreneurs won’t ever get too many opportunities to sell a business. So you’ll surely agree it’s something you would want to do well. And to help you achieve just that aim, here’s a list of some common mistakes you should try to avoid when selling a small business. Lack of preparation All the evidence […]
The Best Things About Your Company Board
For weeks, we’ve highlighted both good and bad things about boards of directors for your company (or non-profit.) This week, let’s focus upon number one—aside from the requirements of boards to protect the company itself (not the shareholders.) Normal functions of boards Boards of directors fulfill numerous important functions, both legal and structural. Boards provide […]
Caution: 3 Main Reasons for Business Failures
Running out of money Lack of planning Growing too fast There are countless scare stories out there and it’s true, many businesses don’t make it in the long run, but according to the SBA, only 30% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 50% during the first five years and […]
7 Keys to Balancing Profits Versus a Higher Purpose
It’s always been tough to start a new business, even when the bottom line was just making a profit to stay alive. A few years ago, a second focus of sustainability (“green”) was added as a requirement for respectability. Now I almost always hear a third mandate – social responsibility. Entrepreneurs are now measured against […]
Let Your Board Help with “What” and “Why” but Rarely “How”
I am sure you can argue with this one. Sometimes a board member is valuable in teaching the “how” to get things done inside the company. But experience reinforces the usual fact that a board member telling the CEO or founder “how” to perform a function crosses a line and can diminish the CEO’s confidence […]
Does Your Board Give You Good Advice?
This may be news, but boards of directors can offer bad advice. Having served on more than forty boards, I’ve seen such a variety of good and bad advice that my stories could fill a book. (oh, wait. They have…) So, lets delve into board composition, risk of an unbalanced board, and one of those […]
