“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” — Bruce Lee We all want to be exceptional. If to achieve my goals, I have to be exceptional every day, that’s going to be exhausting! I’m not sure I have it in me to keep that up day after day after day. But the…
When I talk to growing agencies and creative services firms, their top concern is lead generation. They are confident that they can deliver value, but everyone struggles to get in front of the right potential buyers. Because their pipeline is skinny, and they’re anxious about that, I see folks relaxing their qualification. Instead of focusing…
2021, I want to have a serious conversation about your performance. As you know, we brought you in to replace someone who had severe performance issues. 2020 started off on the wrong foot, then just a few weeks later, their decisions had a major impact on the whole organization. I’m a believer in second chances,…
Welcome back! I’m hopeful that you’ve gotten a good break at the end of a long year and are back at it, ready to take on 2021 with new vigor and enthusiasm. I had some great downtime this holiday season. My business partner gave us a back yard fire pit! We were grateful for the…
It’s nearly the shortest day of the year, and after a long year filled with new opportunities, unexpected changes, loss, serendipity, and work – lots of work, it’s time to hibernate for a couple of weeks. If you’ve been reading along all year, you’ve seen 142 emails come your way from me, almost 30,000 words….
This week I’m reprising some emails I sent out early in the pandemic to help remind folks of the basics and make sure we’re still focused on keeping everyone connected. Earlier the subject was the team and clients; today I want to talk about taking care of your company’s #1 asset, you! Tame the anxiety When…
Back in March, just as the pandemic was shutting us all down, I wrote about using your telephone to reach out to people, to make connections, and to listen to what’s going on. Unfortunately, we’re still in that crisis. Social Distancing measures are coming back, and it seems like every day there’s a new challenge…
A few weeks ago I wrote about how nothing changes on January 1, 2020, unless you make changes. If 2021 has been a terrific year for you, what do you need to do in order to build on that success? Do you need new systems, or new people (cloning isn’t a viable strategy)? If 2020…
At the end of each year, I spend some time reflecting on what I want to be different in the year ahead. One of the things I want to see more of in 2021 is that I want to have more fun at work. Rather than “grinding it out,” I want to infuse the work…
I’m reviewing budgets with clients right now, and I see one mistake over and over again. It’s a basic math error, but it’s hitting owners right in the wallet! Most of us were taught that Profit = Sales – Expenses. That’s wrong. Or at least it leads to wrong thinking! Let me explain. When new…