Larry never saw it coming. He ran a nice business and made a good living. His employees appreciated their jobs and enjoyed working with him.
Planned Or Prepared?
I’m pretty lucky. I also make lots of plans: daily plans, work plans, meal plans and business plans. I’ve learned over the years though, that life doesn’t always go as planned and being lucky only gets you so far.
Lousy Questions Give You Lousy Answers
One of the best bosses I ever worked for didn’t know a thing about technology, yet she supervised a department steeped in it. She was a professionally trained writer who loved words. What she didn’t love or know much about was computer hardware, software, connectivity, compatibility and gadgets. Suddenly she was thrust into a world inhabited by geeks all speaking
Ask Your Customers These Questions
Every year about this time, company leaders start planning for the upcoming year. They look at equipment and technology needs. They make educated guesses about sales. If they’re lucky, they have a backlog of orders to carry into the next year. They add that backlog to historical sales data to produce a revenue target.
12 Questions To Help You Develop A “Kick-Ass” Strategic Plan
“As far as I’m concerned, strategic planning is a colossal waste of time and energy. I’m not doing one anymore”. Douglas made no bones about it, he was frustrated by the hours he and his staff poured into strategic planning only to have the document sit on the shelf unused and unviewed until the next year when it was time
What’s On Your “STOP DOING” List?
We all want to be more effective and efficient but we’re often so mired down in the details and routine of our days that we don’t catch the things we’re doing that gobble valuable time and don’t add value.
It’s Bosses Day, Pay It forward
One of the biggest challenges of owning a business is managing people. Some business owners seem to be natural relators; they were born with the gift of hiring good people and achieving great results through them. For others, it is not so easy.
6 Ways To Have More Fun Running Your Business
I was having coffee with a business owner last week. He was describing some of the challenges he was facing. He wrapped up his litany with the words, “Running my business just isn’t fun anymore.”
Do You Give Your Customers Moments Of Magic Or Moments Of Misery?
In 1986 Jan Carlzon, former president of Scandinavian Airlines wrote a book called “Moments of Truth”. As Carlzon says, “Anytime a customer comes into contact with any aspect of a business, however remote, it’s an opportunity to form an impression.”
Light Bulb Moments – Bring ‘Em On!
I love going to conferences and being exposed to new ideas. That’s why I attended the MREA Energy Issues Summit last week and that’s where I had my most recent “light bulb” moment.