Improving Community Quotient in Your Company
As we work with companies to help stabilize their internal atmosphere and employee morale, we find many of the internal conflicts, issues, and problems can be easily corrected by ceasing thinking of employees as “resources” and start thinking of them as human beings. One of the core qualities of the human experience is feeling like you belong, are wanted, and are appreciated. Too often,... [Read more]
21 More Ways to Reward Employees
In a previous post on rewarding employees, we presented 21 ideas to reward your employees. The post was so well received, we decided to come up with 21 more ways you can reward your employees. These ideas are for you to show appreciation for your employees even in times when you cannot show financial appreciation. Most of these ideas are free or low-cost: Make a thank-you card by hand. Swap a task... [Read more]
Questions You Should Ask Before Working for a Startup
I’ve been recruited to work with (or for) a number of startups over the years. Most offers I’ve declined, but I’ve also take a few and unfortunately none have hit it big! I have tried to learn to not get caught up in the excitement of the founder’s dream too quickly: most of the companies started won’t be around in five years and most of the ones I have been recruited... [Read more]
Create a Group Mission Statement
In my first role as a manager, I worked with a high performance team with more work on our hands than time. We worked hard, we enjoyed working together, but it was a tough assignment to get everything done – and still love each other at the end of the day! One day, I decided to try something which had never been done with this team: create a mission statement and values statement. Honestly, I... [Read more]
Online Entrepreneurship Degrees
As more individuals start businesses, entrepreneurship college degrees are becoming much more popular. You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to get a degree in entrepreneurship: many managers pursue entrepreneurship degrees to learn how to manage in the startup environment or for family businesses. Online learning is now an acceptable method of pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree... [Read more]
Building Quality Links for Your Small Business Web Site
There are thousands of resources on the Web to help you with search engine optimization, finding backlinks, creating a link strategy, and all facets of search engine marketing and yet I frequently get asked by business people I work with “how do I get highly ranked in Google?” There are so many facets to search engine ranking, but one of the most consistently known and focused on strategies... [Read more]
Why You Should Care About Financial Statements
Jim couldn’t understand it. His successful window installation company had ten years worth of financials. His business had been profitable since day one. He was never late paying a bill and had impeccable credit, but when he applied for a commercial mortgage to purchase a building for the company, two banks declined his application after seeing the financial reports his accountant prepared. He... [Read more]
How to Hold a Difficult Conversation
Inevitably, as a manager, you will need to have a difficult conversation at some point in your career. This difficult conversation can come from something embarrassing, an exchange between employees, bad habits, or an number of issues. These might include: Uncleanliness Fights, arguments, or disagreements Flirtatious behavior with other employees Attitude problems Dress code violations Here are some... [Read more]
5 Major Customer Service Mistakes
It’s an unfortunate part of life that poor customer service can cost an organization so much – lost customers, lost revenue, lost new business, and a lost opportunity to connect with someone for a lifetime relationship. Many organizations do not know how much poor customer service has cost them and do not have a plan to find out. We’ve experienced great customer service and terrible... [Read more]
Finding a Life Coach
A Life Coach is someone who will help you set goals for your life. A life coach helps you create a successful life – not as your therapist, friend, or a consultant – but as someone who can help you develop the goals you have and show you a plan to achieve them. A life coach is an expert and you should not just select a coach because they are a friend, family member, or someone you connected... [Read more]
