Posts Tagged ‘entrepreneurship’
THE ELEPHANT AND THE DEER (an Elephant Tales story)
As the Elephant’s company continued to grow, he noticed his team of ants struggle to keep up with the volume of work. The ants worked hard, and he hired new ones as fast as possible, but the higher volumes and faster turnarounds seemed beyond the ants’ skill and experience. The Elephant decided to hire a…
Read MoreIS YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE “NICE” OR “KIND”?
The commercial message for the KIND® protein bar was a smart play on words, “Nice tells you what you want to hear, but kind is honest.” It brought me back to a time long ago that taught me to be kind, instead of nice. I was at a software company, and we were having difficulties finding new…
Read MoreHOW DID YOU DO THIS YEAR?
It’s that time of year when we get a clear view of how the year will turn out. There is still much business to do, but the planning is complete, and the decisions made. You can begin assessing how your organization performed. One more question, how did YOU do this year? As the organization’s leader,…
Read MoreTHE ONE THING YOU CAN’T DO FOR YOURSELF
The one thing you can’t do for yourself… is to coach yourself. Here’s why. You can’t see what you can’t see. Everyone has blind spots. A coach can be an extra set of eyes to assist you in “seeing” and understanding things going on in your organization, marketplace, or even within your leadership team, that…
Read MoreThe First Three Answers You Need Each Week To Run A Business
At times in my career I was asked to take the helm of organizations that were struggling. Sometimes it required a turn around. Other times a jumpstart out of malaise. Either required a closer than usual monitoring of financial performance. Here are the first three questions I asked each week. Do We Have Enough Cash?…
Read MoreHerding Cats
Ever and feel like you spend a lot of time “herding cats.” Do you spend time wondering: Why don’t they just do what they are supposed to? Why do I have to do all the thinking around here? Why can’t they just do what they are told? Before you start banging your head against the…
Read MoreAre You Leading Or Complaining?
My son played basketball in his teens, and one day I was searching the Internet for a summer skills camp. I came across a video of a coach teaching his players. The coach on the video said leadership is the entire team’s job, not just one person’s. You need to know the play. You need…
Read MoreThe Important Question Most CEOs Can’t Answer
“What is the name of your banker?” “Chase,” she responded. “Not your bank. Your banker.” Most CEOs I work with have no idea who is responsible for their banking relationship. And that’s a problem. Your banker is often the best source of short-term capital, critical to bridge the costs of your company’s growth. To buy…
Read MoreManaging The Two “Black Holes” of Business
Marketing and Customer Service are the two “black holes” of business. Both are critical, but neither is ever complete. Unlike more tangible areas of work there is no “quota” to exceed, there is no “inventory” to manage, there is no “work order” to complete. But no matter how much is invested in Marketing and Customer…
Read MoreThe Only Thing Worse Than Getting It Wrong
I hate my smartphone. It lets me make and receive phone calls… sometimes. It tells me when I receive a voice mail… sometimes. It receives and sends texts… sometimes even on the same day that I or the other person intends. It helps me keep my calendar… sometimes, but never works when I need to…
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