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 […]
I’ve spent a lot of time in offices where the mantra seems to be, “Wait, why didn’t I hear about that?” For example, I spent decades in the newspaper industry, and the running joke was that we were in the communications business, but we didn’t know how to tell anyone in our building what was […]
I’ve been helping businesses fix their numbers for a long time, and most operations fall into one of two categories: You either have metrics that you watch carefully, or you don’t. If you’re not tracking some key items, it’s time to start. If you’re already tracking them, I’d be willing to bet that you’re watching […]
Assigning Work Is a Major Timesaver Whether you’re running an international business or working on a solo project in your home office, I’m positive that you can get more done while growing your team with better delegating. That said, delegating will always be easier for mid-to-large-sized companies. And there isn’t much of a trick to […]
How Great Leaders Motivate We all like to think of ourselves as great managers, but there are many disgruntled employees who might not agree. Even if you give a sincere, concentrated effort toward being a great manager, you still might fall short. If you feel like your efforts aren’t matching your managerial output, this is […]
