An Online Publication by Generational Equity
You might be looking at this headline and say, “Duh, the marketing team.”
Well, yes and no.
Yes, your marketing team has the specific responsibility of managing your company’s brand and marketing messages.
No, your marketing division is not the only group of people that represent your brand to the outside world.
Let me explain.
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.
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.
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.
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 while back we shared a TED Talk named “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” given by Simon Sinek. Sinek’s 18-minute message can be boiled down to one sentence: People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. In essence, your purpose is more important than the products or services you offer when selling to a client.
Sinek is not alone in his thinking, as other leaders have echoed this sentiment. Most recently was Bill Taylor in an article, “It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Believe,” for the Harvard Business Review Blog.
Last week we discussed the foundation of employee motivation, which is trust. In order for an employee to be motivated at all, they must first have faith in their manager and the company they work for, believing that upper management and the owners will follow through on their promises. Once you’ve established trust with your staff, you can then do other things to improve your staff’s motivation. We’ll focus on how to motivate employees today.
If you research the cost of training a new employee, you’ll discover a variety of answers. But there’s one similarity throughout them all – it’s not cheap. Whether it’s hiring an employee for a brand new position or replacing a departed staff member, every business owner and manager wants his or her new employee training to be effective.
Here are two things that an effective employee training program can’t be without.
A colleague recently sent me a link to a TED talk by Simon Sinek named “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” In less than 20 minutes, Simon succinctly conveys how great leaders inspire those around them and how companies’ marketing departments can do the same.
In a nutshell, inspirational leaders all start with why.
I’ve crafted a summary of his presentation below, but if you have 18 minutes, I encourage you to listen, as Simon is a great storyteller and teacher.
“I’ll do that later.”
Those words might be harmless. Or they might indicate a huge problem—procrastination.
Last week Derick offered a framework for you, the private business owner, about how to get things done. Today we’re going to discuss one reason why your employees don’t get things done.
I’ll walk you through why people procrastinate, signs of procrastination in the workplace, its impact, and what to do about it.
