Results, results, results: When you’re in a position of leadership, this is probably the thing that occupies your mind and dictates your actions the most. However, as managers and leaders, we are responsible for so much more than just results. We’re responsible for the people we lean on to get them. There’s no such thing […]
Managing Employees
6 Management Mistakes That Will Kill Employee Motivation
I was talking to an elementary school teacher the other day who works for a major school district. While there are many things she likes about her job, her list of complaints was pretty long. It made me wonder how many small business owners are making these same type of management mistakes. She told me […]
Why Employees Need Guidelines Not Just Rules
Rules are an essential part of any business. Rules are necessary to ensure we make intentional decisions. Rules are written to make sure people are treated equally and consistently. While there’s nothing wrong with this in principle, there are always going to be situations where a certain degree of flexibility is essential because people are […]
15 Tips That Excelerate Performance
Developing loyal customers begins with developing a team who understand the importance of customer-focused service and care about the total customer experience. A key building block of developing high performance employees is recognizing the behaviors that you want repeated—those that ultimately create loyalty with your customer. Employees who receive regular recognition are happier in their […]
Is Leadership Really About This?
I was stunned reading an article in Fast Company: Five CEOs On The Skills It Takes To Land The Corner Office. The skills they identified were: How to say “No.” How to pitch. How to read financials. How to take criticism. Knowing how the work gets done. It’s amazing there was virtually no mention about effective leadership–that […]
Tell-Tale Signs You Aren’t Ready to Manage Yet
Small businesses don’t grow by themselves. Of course, that’s why you’re expanding. But stepping up to a management role requires a new and unique set of abilities. Sheer determination will only take you so far. For this next phase of growth, exceptional communication and an intuitive ability to respond to difficult situations are needed. A […]
A Simple Test: Are We Managing Like Jerks?
Are we who issue orders to associates or employees ever acting as jerks? We’d never like to think so, or we wouldn’t do it in the first place. If someone is saying “This is confusing to me,” when you’ve given an instruction or order, there are a number of ways to respond. Of course it […]
Is Management by Walking Around an Outmoded Fad?
One of the CEOs I coach starts his day by walking the floor of his extended facility and checking in with managers and employees of the various departments, especially the call center. He tries to feel the pulse of the company by the intensity of motion, the metrics of backlog, and the stated problems brought […]
3 Ways to Become Better at Managing People
Managing people is no easy task. But no matter what business you’re in, you’re going to be working with people, and effectively managing them is critical to the success of your business. In over 10 years of being in business, I have had to do my own hiring, coaching and firing. In the process, I […]
The Lion and the Ant: A Managerial Lesson
This story has been making the rounds lately, and I confess that our research cannot find the source. So, with thanks to whomever created this great little parable, here it is: “Every day, a small Ant arrived at work early and started work immediately, she produced a lot and she was happy. The boss, a […]
