Are you the sharpest tack in the pack?

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Career, Leadership, Management, WorkLeave a Comment

We’ve all had bosses we remember: sometimes they’re good memories and sometimes they’re not so good. One of my least pleasant bosses was John Sherman. Mr. Sherman (as he insisted he be called,) was intelligent and hardworking, but he had an Achillies heel; he always had to be right, and every idea had to be his. He owned a placement

On the edge of tomorrow

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Career, Employees, Leadership, Management, Sales, WorkLeave a Comment

Here we stand, on the brink of another new year, peering over the edge trying to figure out what 2024 holds in store for us.   If you read industry leaders like Seth Godin and Clay Hebert it becomes clear connections are important and why. Uber is the largest “taxi” company – yet they own no vehicles and excel at

December is lost only if you want it to be

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Career, Career, Employees, Leadership, Management, Sales, WorkLeave a Comment

Over the years, I’ve heard owners complain; “We might as well close down in December.  No one’s mind is on their business; it’s all about the holidays”. Following that thinking means you can’t do business in January because no one has any money, summer’s bad because everyone is on vacation, spring and fall are bad because of school breaks and

Be Kind, Candid and Clear

Linda LaitalaAround The Table, Employees, Leadership, ManagementLeave a Comment

Be Kind, candid and clear

Have you ever thought; “being in business would be so much more fun if I didn’t have to deal with people issues.” Suzanne has. She was referring to a long-term, valuable employee who took frequent smoke breaks, gossiped with other employees, and took two to four days off every month with little or no notice.  Time off is covered by the company’s

Should you dust off your cape?

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Leadership, ManagementLeave a Comment

Should you dust off your cape?

Halloween superhero costumes outsold princess costumes in 2022, the first time in 11 years! It was about time. Dressing up as a princess means little girls can wear a crown and a pretty dress. But princesses mostly wait around looking for someone else to solve their problems, like a knight on a white horse. They have no real power to change

Strategy versus Tactics

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Leadership, Management, WorkLeave a Comment

Strategy vs Tactics

In the world of competitive advantage, strategic thinkers win the war, tactics win battles. Joe runs a profitable company, providing value to his customers. He did not achieve this on-going success with only luck and hard work. He focused strategically on his goals. He purposely set out to be the best. He was early in utilizing computers to control and measure processes.

Limiting Beliefs

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Management, Quotes, WorkLeave a Comment

Limiting Beliefs

Mark Twain was fond of saying, “When a cat jumps on a hot stove, he’ll never jump on a hot stove again. He’ll also never jump on a cold stove.” Twain was pointing out something we humans do regularly. To save time and effort, we use one or a few “facts” to make a quick judgement. The tendency to overgeneralize is

Does integrity matter?

Linda LaitalaAround The Table, Business, Employees, Leadership, ManagementLeave a Comment

Integrity

A Roundtable member, Sarah, is growing her successful real estate business. She recently hired a new member for her team. John was intelligent, energetic, and hungry to be successful, all traits she was seeking. But to Sarah’s dismay, she just learned that John signed up with someone else, and to make matters worse, went behind her back attempting to recruit

What bugs you?

Linda LaitalaAround The Table, Business, Employees, Leadership, ManagementLeave a Comment

A Roundtable member recently shared the “What Bugs You?” campaign she started in her company. The focus was to encourage employees to be honest regarding what bugged them about their workspace: were there changes that would enable them to work more efficiently? She was amazed at how engaged her employees were in the process. They peppered her with ideas on

My seven expectations of you

Linda LaitalaBusiness, Career, Employees, Leadership, ManagementLeave a Comment

Who comes to mind when you think of famous business leaders? Warren Buffett?  Indra Nooyi? Bill Gates?  Sheryl Sandberg? Each leads a great organization and has changed lives. My vote goes to an individual closer to home. He helped shape the culture at East Central Energy, and his legacy of leadership continues. Steve Shurts was the CEO of East Central Energy for 10 years. When