If you weren’t already convinced that having a positive corporate culture is essential to your company’s success, especially if you’re planning to sell your business at some point, here is one more reason to develop a culture that makes other CEOs jealous: fewer leaks.
The Only 3 Holiday Gifts That Your Employees Are Guaranteed To Love
November 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
When you’re brainstorming about ways to show your appreciation this holiday season, there are really only three gifts that are guaranteed to put a smile on your employees’ faces.
5 Tips To Better Communication Within Your Family Business
October 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Without excellent communication, relationships can turn nasty quickly. A simple misunderstanding can lead to anger, hurt, and disappointment. Repairing broken trust can be an uphill battle, sometimes one that seems impossible to climb.
This situation is amplified in a family business; Owners can’t afford to have huge communication breakdowns or misunderstandings with other family members or their staff, because everyone has to get along, given their smaller size. Here are five things you can do to better communicate internally.
How To Spot Promising Employees When Interviewing
September 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Hiring the wrong person is costly. Not only does it cost you time and money but it also is mentally draining for you and your staff.
To make sure that you hire the right person the first time around, you should create a list of non-negotiable traits that all potential employees must exhibit. But that’s only part of the process when hiring a good fit for your company.
Another area that will help you when hiring a new employee is focusing on the types of questions the job candidate asks of you. This gives you insight into how the person thinks, what they’re looking for in an employer, and what kind of experiences they’ve had in the past.
Getting To The Wow Factor: How To Exceed Your Customers’ Expectations
August 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
It’s no secret that it’s harder to focus in today’s world with its smartphones, our constant use of the Internet, and social media platforms that update every second – it’s a wonder that we’re actually able to focus and get work done.
What are the implications of this new reality for owners of small and mid-sized businesses?
More things than ever before are fighting for our attention, which means that if a company wants to survive – and even thrive – it has to find something that makes it stand apart, something that makes its customers say, “Wow.” Because “wow” clients are loyal clients and will tell others about their “wow” experience with you.
Last week I attended a lecture given by Michael Hyatt, author of Platform: Get Noticed in A Noisy World, on intentional leadership. He made some great points, but one that really struck me was his discussion about exceeding customer expectations.
A Must Have That’s Missing From Most Offices
August 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” –Maya Angelou
Angelou eloquently conveys through this message that humans may forget details of certain events, but they rarely, if ever, forget how they felt at a certain period. Whether they were over the moon with happiness or completely crushed and feeling worthless, we remember feelings above all else, and we remember them for a long, long time.
I immediately thought of this quote while reading a recent piece on respect in the work place. The Inc. article, One Thing Employees Need (But Rarely Get) by Jeff Haden, discusses how respect is more important than other benefits you could offer your employees.
How To Turn The Worst Day Into A Great Day (Or At Least A Better One)
July 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
We all have those days where it feels like nothing’s going right. “The world is against us!” we declare internally. Everything out of our control is not going how we’d like it to go and even the things we “think” we control are slipping through our fingertips.
So what do we do?
Sometimes we throw in the towel and sulk. Sometimes we decide to take action. And sometimes, even though we hate to admit it, we take out our bad days on our employees.
But everything we do is a choice. That’s what we have to remember.
The Next Scariest Type of Business Owner
June 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Last week, we painted the picture of the scariest type of business owner. To recap, this business owner is one who doesn’t manage his or her energy well. Without first taking care of themselves, these execs can’t take care of their companies.
These frightening CEOs admit to not getting enough sleep, having trouble focusing during the workday, and not taking enough time to strategically plan the company’s next moves.
That last action is key: the scariest business owner doesn’t take enough time to strategically plan. Without strategic planning, a business is as good as gone.
The Scariest Type of Business Owner
June 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Any guesses on what makes a business owner frightening? Do you picture a drill sergeant that’s constantly berating the staff? Or possibly someone who doesn’t communicate at all. Maybe the worst type of business owner is one that micromanages every single little thing.
While all of these are undesirable traits in a boss, they do not make up the scariest type of business owner.
What Are Your Non-Negotiables For Preventing A Bad Hire?
June 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Recently CEO David K. Williams and President Mary Michelle Scott of Fishbowl Inventory Software penned an article for the Harvard Business Review Blog about their seven “non-negotiables” for preventing bad hires.
The two claim that using the non-negotiable system has resulted in “near-zero turnover — and many employees express the desire and willingness to stay with us for life.”
Those are goals that every business owner should aim for when hiring. Not only do happy employees go above and beyond what’s expected of them, but the company is spending less time and money recruiting, hiring, and training new employees. The non-negotiable hiring system benefits more than just the human resources department.
Here are steps you can take to identify your company’s non-negotiables and work them into your hiring process.
