6 Most Common Small Business HR Issues to Avoid
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6 Most Common Small Business HR Issues to Avoid

When starting your small business, you should be aware of the impact Human Resources can have on everything your company does. HR is responsible for supporting the business by handling hiring, firing, and classifying employees, as well as investigations. Some of the most common HR problems for all businesses but especially new businesses, include: Recruitment…

The business owner’s role in creating an engaged team
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The business owner’s role in creating an engaged team

You’ve probably heard a lot lately about this idea of employee engagement. There are some scary statistics being thrown around; two-thirds of workers are less than fully engaged in their jobs (Aon Hewitt, 2013) with 18% “actively disengaged” (Gallup, 2013). I know when I read those stats I think, “Well, big businesses are like that….

Maybe they’re just “born this way” — how personality influences team performance
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Maybe they’re just “born this way” — how personality influences team performance

When I first became a manager I was lucky. A lot of new managers are handed a team hired or chosen by someone else. I had the opportunity to choose my own team. I picked 2 of the smartest engineers in the company, then I went out and hired 3 more really brilliant team members…

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4 ways to improve your executive presence

All of us have had these things happen at one time or another: A zipper that is down. Mustard on your cheek. A label sticking out of your shirt. While minor, these little things are distracting and take away from your image and message. And fortunately, even perfect strangers, let alone friends and colleagues, will…

A conversation between an employer and employee
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A conversation between an employer and employee

I’ve been chatting with friends about my recent employee dress code post. They were all pretty surprised when I casually mentioned talking with my boss, Brad, about it. Apparently my friends don’t — and wouldn’t dare to — have an open discussion with their own bosses about what they should or shouldn’t wear to the office, how they feel…

How One-Sentence Job Descriptions can help you get back to basics
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How One-Sentence Job Descriptions can help you get back to basics

Business can become very complicated, especially as your business grows. But there’s a need to maintain simplicity amid all of the chaos. At this year’s Chick-fil-A Leadercast, author Andy Stanley talked about simplifying one of the most important tools we have in business — the job description. Usually job descriptions are a page or several pages…