Nothing ruins a business owner’s day more than having one of their key employees quit. Even if they are quitting for a good reason, it feels like a failure. Putting a team together is hard work, and this is a tear in the fabric of that team. As soon as we get over the loss…
I had a client say something to me last week that stopped me in my tracks. She said: “The best time to fire someone is the first time you think of it. Once you’ve said to yourself, ‘I’m going to have to fire that person,’ it’s time to do it. That day!” When I heard…
Sometimes, the standard interview questions don’t cut it when hiring. Even after asking out-of-the-box interview questions, you may need some more exercises that help you pinpoint the most ideal people for your business’s open roles. You’ve come to the right place if you’re in that spot. We’ve gathered seven out-of-the-box interview activities to help you test…
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…
You and your brother get along great. Plus, he’s so smart. You share the same values. (I mean, you grew up together, right?) Plus, he needs a job — what could go wrong if you hired him? Your kid comes home from her freshman year in college; she needs a job, and you need some…
Social media has made some work boundaries a little blurry. We’ve talked about whether or not it’s okay to friend your employees on Facebook in the past, and this time we’re talking about social media policies. When it comes to social media, employees want to know how do you keep your personal life personal, and professional life…
One of the most agonizing decisions that a business owner has to make is deciding when to hire a new employee. It’s a huge risk! You’re bringing on additional salary, you have the cost and distraction of the search, there’s training the new person… And what if they don’t work out? It’s a difficult process…
When you are in the client services business, whether it’s a professional service firm (lawyer, accountant, consultant) or a creative services firm (marketing, advertising, PR, web design. etc.), you make your money by serving clients. You need to diagnose a client’s needs, educate and advise them so that they agree with your diagnosis, then engineer a…
Personality profiles, personality types, and personality tests are all instruments that can be used to predict how a person might act or what type of environment a person might be most suited to. This information can be very helpful in quickly getting to know someone so that you can facilitate team building and communication with…
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…