Are You a Business Owner? Here Are 2 Key Issues to Consider
If you are the owner of a business, there are two issues to consider about your role. 1. The time frame or time span within which you think and plan for the
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Structure
How One High Performing Team Fell from Grace
“Why can't we get on the same page?” Jim asked himself. He ran a tight ship and was proud of his fast-paced culture of getting things done—on time, on task,
How to Build a Successful and Sustainable Business
In building a business, there are Four Cornerstones that represent the foundation of a successful and sustainable business. To build the business that is right for you, the following elements must
How Testing Assumptions Can Improve Performance?
The lowest load-bearing part of a building is usually referred to as the foundation. The foundation of a building determines the kinds of adversities a building can withstand. A business
Create an Effective Job Description
Many entrepreneurs find it difficult to prepare and present an effective job description. However, if you are clear about the purpose of a role and what you expect of the
What high performing teams do right
When Google’s People Operations team set out to understand how they could build the perfect team. They identified psychological safety as the single most important pattern of high-performing teams. But, what
Engage Employees in the Planning Process to Drive Results
At this point in the year, we should be slowing down and carving out time to engage in a strategic planning process for the year ahead. This process should involve reflection on
What happens when you unexpectedly lose a key staff member?
Preparing for potentially disruptive business events is key for any entrepreneur. But while plenty of business owners have emergency plans in place for when marketing tactics go awry or an
Lessons in Leadership – Applying Foley’s Law
A great friend and long time client, Pat Foley is a very effective leader and manger. He has developed a Theory of Management that has become known as Foley’s Law.
The Entrepreneur as Leader and Manager
Entrepreneurs are doers. One of the strengths of successful entrepreneurs is that they get things done. However, relying solely on our own capabilities is limiting. We only have so much
To Whom are you Accountable?
Large, publicly traded corporations have regulators, as well as their shareholders, to hold them accountable to their performance and compliance. What about smaller firms? Who is ensuring that they engage
Recruit the Right People
“In learning you will teach and in teaching you will learn” Phil Collins, Genesis A number of years ago Sun Life Financial entrusted me with the responsibility of growing the vast
Leadership vs. Management
Is a good manager automatically a good leader or vice versa? Definitely not. Yet so many people continue to question the difference between leadership and management. And, many people view
Help Employees be more Effective Sales Managers
Most entrepreneurs want to grow their businesses from within, particularly if they have strong employees who have been with them from the very beginning. Promoting existing employees who understand the
How Can Leaders Foster a Culture of Innovation?
You can't simply hire people and wait around expecting them to come up with creative business strategies. Sure, finding the right talent is part of the equation, but the next
How Telecommuting Impacts Business
Today's workforce is demanding more flexibility from their workplace and many companies are opening up to telecommuting as an option to employees. Recently, Wired cited Forrester research from last year
3 Steps In Building a Performance Culture
When it comes to hiring the right people, many companies falter. In fact, a recent study conducted by the international consulting firm Deloitte found that 34 percent of business executives indicated their
3 Steps to Embrace Sales Growth
Complacency will be the downfall of any sales team. Unfortunately, countless organizations fall into the trappings of habit and comfort that eventually result in stagnation. Client demands and preferences generally aren't written in
4 Proven Steps for Creating Powerful Questions
Fostering clear and open communications with your employees needs to be a core business value. A constructive exchange is just that: a dialogue. But how do you know which questions
Empowering Employees to Deliver Service Excellence
Are your clients satisfied with the products and services you provide? Ideally, you should get a consistent "Yes" from all members of your workforce, but all too commonly that simply
More Effective Reviews Help Foster Employee Growth
As the end of the year draws near, it is very important to reflect on the successes and challenges in your business and how you and your team can learn
Find Problems, Don’t Just Solve Them
Entrepreneurs are problem solvers. They spend their days resolving situations for the public, clients and colleagues. While they may be good at quickly identifying fixes for frequent issues people and other
How to Increase Sales Team Performance
Making sure all aspects of a company run effectively is a huge part of an business owner's job. However, it's often easy for entrepreneurs to overlook sales team performance, especially
After Delegating to Technology, Seek Harmony
It can be difficult for some entrepreneurs to delegate functions to others - who but themselves knows how to fulfill these responsibilities correctly. However, as I have outlined in my