For individuals running a franchise, it’s pretty easy to see if you’re maximizing your profits. Usually you can get information from your parent company and see how you stack up. Many times people working in a diversified industry can find a trade association to provide similar guidance. But if you’re operating something a little more […]
Inconsistency is among the most rampant problems in business today. And while I think a lot of us pay lip service to process, we’re not as good at applying it to our business practices. This is how so many otherwise good plans go by the wayside. Countless organizations establish annual or quarterly goals, and many […]
As we all learn to adjust to living through a public health crisis, I see the question of remote work popping up more and more. How do you make sure people are still doing their jobs? How much monitoring is too much? And how do I keep morale up when we’re all distracted by the […]
As a leader, you probably feel a strong urge to take control of this situation. After all, that kind of "take charge" attitude is what got you into a leadership position. But how do you control something that changes by the hour? How do plan and execute a policy when the ground won't stop shifting? […]
In modern business, it’s easy to get pulled away from where you really excel. Leaders advance because they’re good at their work, but managers have to become generalists. And that creates a problem. You see, generalists have a nasty tendency to gravitate toward areas where they don’t belong. They want to try every niche, and […]
As much as Nordstrom can attribute its success to quality products and good marketing, there is another unique feature that sets the brand apart: their customer service. Historically, Nordstrom was known to have some of the best employees with the friendliest attitudes. Now, this is a major, international company. How does something that big create […]
Slackers: They’re dreaded by HR personnel and management everywhere. And despite everyone’s best efforts, you’ve probably seen one or two sneak their way into your office. They’re constantly grousing, they don’t do their work, and they’re just overall a drag on the team. That’s the narrative we all know, but what if it’s more complicated […]
Looking out at a fresh, new year, it is easy to get overwhelmed by everything you want to get done this year—and that you don’t really have time to do everything on your list. And while that’s understandable, it isn’t necessarily true. When I feel overwhelmed and out of time, I try to remember a […]
It’s that time—scrambling to wrap all your 2019 projects in anticipation of a few days' break with your family. Are you like me at all when you are doing this? Honestly, it seems I have more big ideas about what I’m going to do next year while I’m pushing hard to complete those I conceived […]
Business processes are usually born of necessity, and we value them highly. We pay top dollar for consultants to help optimize these processes, we integrate them into our structure, make them routine, and then we just...stop doing them. Take, for example, a conversation I had with a colleague. His organization had taken the time to […]
