Based on my years of experience in both startups and large companies, trusted relationships are more the key to success than a great business model, how smart you are, or how much money you have. Aspiring entrepreneurs who struggle in a corporate environment often can’t wait to start their own company, only to find that […]
People Skills
5 Leadership Secrets for Diffusing Tension and Managing Conflict
As a startup founder or employee, how do you mitigate tension and manage conflict when it arises? Conflict will certainly arise. The difficult person in your group can spark a roaring fight among the group members. The matrix structure or the culture of your organization may not be in line with your interests and values. […]
How to Harness the Simple—and Free—Secret to Increased Productivity: Gratitude
Could your business benefit from: Increased loyalty? Higher productivity? Fewer sick days? A positive attitude? An important key to gaining these advantages is simple…and in many ways free: Gratitude. A Harvard Mental Health Letter summarizes the findings of several academic studies on the impact of gratitude in our personal lives and in the workplace, and overall, the […]
Show a Little Gratitude
I believe that gratitude is a brilliant marketing strategy. I’m astonished at how many businesses give their customers the distinct impression that they’re a little put out by having to sell them something. You’ve felt it – the grocery clerk who is too busy chatting to actually make eye contact. The phone rep that can’t […]
Improve Your EQ to Improve Your Business
“The customer is always right” doesn’t seem to apply to many situations anymore. It’s an artifact of a bygone era when daily life was slower and maintaining relationships with your regular customers at all costs was the most important part of your job. It’s still important to maintain relationships with your customers these days, but […]
Get the Most from People: Don’t Make Them Major in the Minors
“I like to bang my head against the wall because it feels so good when I stop!” A friend’s mom used to say that (along with a lot of other colorful adages) and I used to think that it was just a warning against doing things that frustrate you, but now I think the way […]
Business-Focused, People-Centric
Often in understanding business leadership, people tend to focus on two extreme models of leaders. The first is the “It’s all about the numbers” leader. Typically, these are portrayed as hard charging, data driven, task and goal focused, and sometimes ruthless executives. The other model is the human/people focused leaders. These are portrayed as caring […]
Treat Your Customers with Respect
“Customers may forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.” ~Unknown So many businesses just do not seem to respect their customers. Some of the common issues I see that tell me this are when businesses leave an open sign in the window when they are closed and do not […]
Build, Encourage, and Recognize Your People
When John David Mann and I talk about “Building Your People” (Key #2 from The Go-Giver Leader) we mean that in a couple of ways: one is to teach, mentor, and coach them to becoming more effective, both in their defined role within the organization as well as in their own ability to lead others. Second is to make […]
Are You the Manager You Think You Are?
“When you’re in the muck you can only see muck. If you somehow manage to float above it, you still see the muck but you see it from a different perspective. And you see other things too. That’s the consolation of philosophy.” ~David Cronenberg The ability to manage employees well is critical in every type […]
