We have all had them – a day that starts bad and gets worse: The dog wouldn’t come in which made you late for work. In a hurry and fumbling for keys, you drop your phone on the driveway and crack the screen. Your boss/foreman/assistant looks like she’s in a sour mood as you walk by. Then lunch rolls around,
Six ways to attract “Cream of the Crop” Employees
A recurring topic in our CEO Roundtables is how to attract great employees. The labor pool has plenty of average candidates, but businesses who want the best must keep abreast of the latest hiring strategies. Brand your company as a great place to work. Your story is shared best by you and the people who work for you. Put video testimonials
How Will You Dent the Universe?
In high school I participated in speech competitions. One friend had a speech impediment which made it difficult to understand some of her words. I often wondered what made Carol brave enough at 16, to speak in front of an audience and panel of judges. At our class reunion last year, Carol shared that our English teacher, Mr. Meredith, tutored
Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburger
On the Best Valley Dairy Farm, we milked Holsteins. We often had our “favorite” cows, but when the industry developed the capacity to measure the quantity and quality of each cow’s milk, we were shocked to realize our favorites were not necessarily the producers who kept our farm in business. Sadly, one of the few options was hamburger. According to
Is the Juice worth the Squeeze
I heard an interesting phrase last week: “The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.” It was in reference to deciding if making the effort to start a new project was wise. It caught my attention because it could be applied to many situations. We may have unlimited ideas, but not every great idea is worth our time and attention. Your work – Whether you own
Are you good or are you lucky?
Early in my career I worked for Arcon Construction. The owner, Dean Johnson, told me how he’d built the highway/heavy construction company from nothing to a multi-million-dollar business. Knowing little about entrepreneurship, I commented, “You sure were lucky.” Dean was offended and responded, “You know what luck is? Luck is sweat applied to an opportunity.” I have never forgotten that lesson. Lucky people
Are you good at ignoring elephants?
I am often struck by comments people make when they miss an opportunity to speak up. “She knows I don’t like to reprimand people, so she pushes the rules a hair past the limit, knowing I won’t call her on it.” “Why does Harriet keep telling stories about people who’ve died from cancer. It upsets me. Doesn’t she remember my
Are you the sharpest tack in the pack?
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
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
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