Linda here. A topic that crops up frequently in our CEO Roundtables is how to attract great employees. The labor pool has plenty of average candidates, but businesses who want the best may have to brush up on the latest hiring strategies.
How Will You Dent the Universe?
In high school I participated in speech competitions called forensics, as did many of my friends. One friend had a speech impediment which made it difficult to understand what she was saying. I often wondered what made Carol brave enough at 16, to speak in front of an audience and panel of judges.
Is The Juice Worth the Squeeze?
Linda here. I heard an interesting phrase last week: “The juice isn’t worth the squeeze”. It caught my attention because it could mean so many things. The context in which it was used was attempting to determine if trying to achieve a goal would be worth the effort. Said another way, would the reward outweigh the risk?
Your Competition Isn’t Who You Think It Is
Linda here. When anyone starts a business, one of the first things their banker wants to see is their business plan. Every good business plan has a section called Competition.
Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburger
Linda here. I’m a farm girl; on the Best Valley Dairy Farm, we milked Holsteins. We often had our “favorite” cows, but when the industry developed the capacity to measure how much milk each cow was contributing, we were shocked to realize our favorites were not the producers who kept our farm in business. Sadly, one of the few options
Are You Lucky or Are You Good?
Dean Johnson, owner of Arcon Construction Company was my first boss when I moved to Mora. The year I joined Arcon, he treated all the employees and spouses to a week on South Padre Island, to celebrate their best year ever. I listened as Dean described growing his highway-heavy construction business from nothing to sales of over $30 million
5 Things You Should Know About Your Customers
Everyone likes to think they know their best customers very well, but do you? A study done by Help Scout pointed out some interesting facts.
“You Should File Bankruptcy And Get It Over With”
Those words were spoken years ago by a member of the advisory board I had recruited. What? File bankruptcy and see the manufacturing company we’d worked so hard to build torn apart? The thought made my stomach churn.
Plan B – Snow Maker & Manure Spreaders
Linda here. Last weekend was big in our community. It was the Mora Vasaloppet Cross Country ski race. People from all over the world come to Mora (Population 3571) to ski the race; the size of the town literally doubles on race weekend.
Do You Have The Guts To Be Candid?
Linda here. I am often struck by comments people make when they miss an opportunity to speak up. “That man pushed right in front of me without even an ‘Excuse me’. I wish I’d have told him how long I’ve been waiting.” “She knows I don’t like to reprimand people, so she pushes the rules a hair past the limit