Business Management
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 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 MoreWHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING?
I had lunch with a friend the other day, a local business owner. She was frustrated with her employees, who never seemed to know what she really wanted. They required constant direction and even micro-managing. I asked, “What is the first thing you look for when hiring?” She was a bit surprised by the question,…
Read MoreBUILDING A SERVICE CULTURE
Building a service culture is something I get asked about often. Those words may not be the exact ones used, but it is what they mean. It more often is asked as: How can we improve our teamwork? How do we instill a mindset of customer service? What is needed to tear down “silos” in…
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 MorePurpose: The Big Why
As a CEO coach, I’m often called on to help address a specific problem. But as the solution is identified and put in place we then turn to how the problem occurred, or more often, why. The answer to why is someone made a decision (or didn’t make a decision) in line with the company’s…
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 MoreThese Three Questions Will Raise Your Income By 10% (And Customer Satisfaction Too)
Here are three fundamental questions you should ask your customers every time you speak with them. Why do you buy from me? Why did you choose me over my competitors? How can I earn more business from you? I remember working with one company about to launch a new marketing campaign. We had called several…
Read MoreHow To Implement The Three Questions
The Three Questions work because you are creating and reinforcing a relationship with your customer. And you are paying them the compliment of asking their input. Everyone likes positive attention – so be positive! Don’t act like you are a burden to them. You are asking their opinion on a few things. It makes them…
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