Obviously, business owners and executives are supposed to make the rules. One of the hallmarks of a bad manager is a lack of knowledge of how to effectively make and apply rules. Here are some rules for making effective rules! Continue Reading
Last night’s Redskins game demonstrates that wins aren’t always pretty. But, “a win is a win is a win”, right? However, there are more felicitous ways than others to achieve the desired outcome. Winning a football game 13-7 with no offensive touchdowns—and snatched from the jaws of defeat by a holding penalty as time expires—may be more stressful than it needs to be for all involved. Continue Reading
Many small business owners, or organizational leaders working on a tight budget, wonder how they can economically get the "outsider's viewpoint" of their company without spending any money. Continue Reading
Here’s what executive coaching provides: principled guidance that helps you to identify personal and career goals/priorities/values while at the same time assessing benefit and costs associated with those items. Ultimately, the goal is to discover the right path for your executive career within the context of your personal development, and then to help you follow the path successfully while maintaining a good work/life balance. Continue Reading
One of the proven tenets of life: establish goals for yourself and you are more likely to be successful. However, many people set goals and then come up way short (including myself, from time to time). Continue Reading
The goal of my recent Strategic and Business Planning workshop was to draw out the difference in roles between strategic and business plans. A good deal of interest is always placed on the difference in mindset in the two processes. Continue Reading
Probably the most fun part of Strategic Planning for any organization—and one of the most healthy parts—is taking the time to envision the future success of the business. Continue Reading
A reader requested that I provide some thoughts directed at sole proprietors who are just getting started in business. This got me wondering: what sort of advice would I give to someone who was in the process of setting up their first business? Here are some tips. Continue Reading
In my business we talk a lot about “value propositions”. Essentially, a value proposition is a quantifiable truth that helps to build the business case for a particular course of action. For example, if I was asserting that a client should launch a magazine advertising campaign, I would bring market information to bear that presented the measurable benefits of pursuing this course of action as opposed to the measurable cost. Continue Reading
In previous articles I wrote about IT efficiency and mentioned that having good tools impacts employee job satisfaction. Continue Reading