Each business is a mirror for its leader
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Each business is a mirror for its leader

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” ~Jim Rohn Over and over again, business owners come to me with the same problem (though they may describe it differently). Some say, “I don’t have the right people,” or “I can’t hire good people”. Others tell me, “These people just…

When—and how—to let your team make their own mistakes
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When—and how—to let your team make their own mistakes

I have two daughters in college. For each of them, their first choice college was different from the school I thought would be best for them. They were both able to articulate to me why they were in favor of their first choice, but I still disagreed. This is a big decision; there’s a lot…

How to talk so your boss will listen (and listen so your boss will talk)
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How to talk so your boss will listen (and listen so your boss will talk)

The meeting’s over and you are gathering up your stuff. As you review the meeting there’s a pit in your stomach: did we accomplish anything here? You came in to get clarity on your project’s priorities and you left more confused than ever. On top of everything, you sensed from his body language that your…

5 Employee appreciation ideas you wish you thought of before
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5 Employee appreciation ideas you wish you thought of before

Buying gifts for employees is often more difficult that figuring out what to buy your in-laws for birthdays or the holidays. So how do you figure out how to show employees your appreciation for their hard work? I’ve got a few employee appreciation ideas that’ll knock ’em out of the park. Let’s start counting down…

How to respond to random LinkedIn requests
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How to respond to random LinkedIn requests

If you are active on LinkedIn, your chances of “getting found” increase. You will get more inbound contacts from prospects, job seekers, potential partners and (unfortunately) random connection requests from people you don’t know. While some of these requests can be kind of puzzling, (“Why would the CTO of the country of Bangladesh want to…

10 Out of the box interview questions to ask
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10 Out of the box interview questions to ask

When it comes to interviewing, most potential candidates prepare their canned responses for those oh-so-predictable interview questions. But how well can you really test interviewees when they don’t have to think on their feet? How can you judge their creativity, worldview, critical thinking, and troubleshooting abilities when they know what to expect? The answer: You…