I Pledge Allegiance…

Linda LaitalaEmployees, LeadershipLeave a Comment

I Pledge Allegiance...

At a meeting last week, a director shared the exciting news that his son-in-law is becoming an American citizen in a couple weeks.  The family is flying in to participate in the ceremony being held in Chicago.

Moments that take your breath away

Linda LaitalaEmployees, LeadershipLeave a Comment

Moments that take your breath away

National Geographic just announced their 2019 Travel Photo Contest winners.  The pictures are stunning; each one tells a story about a moment in time. We just celebrated my godparents’ 70th wedding anniversary on their family farm.  Numerous cameras and phones preserved the event forever in our family history. 

Can I Get Away With That?

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Employees, Leadership, Management, Marketing, SalesLeave a Comment

Serving on our local electric cooperative board (East Central Energy) is an honor and a responsibility.  I take it very seriously.  We are the stewards of our members’ investment in their electric utility.  Controversy over decisions made by the CEO and directors of Crow Wing Power recently received front page coverage in the Brainerd Dispatch.  It begs the question: How could good

5 Things to Avoid Saying During Employee Feedback

Linda LaitalaEmployees, Leadership, ManagementLeave a Comment

Your team is important to you. They’re your backbone and the last thing you want is a team of dissatisfied employees. Your business success is largely in the hands of your team and that can be a tightrope to navigate. Providing feedback to those employees is a crucial to running an efficient and successful business. Frankly, it’s impossible to avoid,

Eight Simple Words

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Employees, Leadership, Management, SalesLeave a Comment

The dairy farm where I grew up was in west central Wisconsin; the neighborhood was filled with family-owned farms.  Some farms were larger than ours; most were smaller.  We were a tight knit group who helped each other out in bad times and celebrated together in good.  I believed that way of life would last forever, but it was not