People don’t like change. As a result, they resist it. When management implements new systems – whether they are for tracking time or sales activity, or for managing projects or other systems – the biggest challenge often is getting people to embrace the change and accept the new system. While most systems are designed to provide management with information and…
As a small-business owner, you probably are bombarded with hundreds of direct-mail pieces and e-mails that promote upcoming training seminars and conferences. You might glance at the titles and think, “So-and-so could use some training in that,” but the thought goes no further. But, training your employees is an important issue that deserves your time…
While many business owners consider well-defined job descriptions crucial to their business, how many have actually taken the time to create a job description for themselves? Not many. But, a business owner needs a job description just as much as the rest of the team. In fact, a business owner may need a job description…
Many of the small businesses that we encounter are family-owned and operated. And on the surface, this seems like a good idea. After all, you love your family, so why wouldn’t you want to work with them? You know them well and trust them, so it seems like a lower risk venture than relying on strangers. While working with…
I often hear business leaders tell me that they don’t get enough done in a day. They have a to-do list a mile long, but they spend their whole day answering employees’ questions and solving employees’ problems. But, if we let day-to-day issues like these fill our day, it’s impossible to make progress on the leadership tasks that only…
It’s August now in the Northern Hemisphere – time for vacations, traveling, family reunions and other fun summer stuff. It’s the one time when everyone seems to take a break. Unfortunately, there were times in my career when I didn’t consider August as being much fun. In fact, it was a hassle. Nothing got accomplished; no one was around…
Small-business owners often are self-conscious about being small. We are often very conscious of the ways that we compete at a disadvantage to bigger businesses. They have the big budgets, the high-powered executives, attorneys and banks at their beck and call, they have all the advantages… Well, maybe not ALL the advantages. There are some great things about being small….
There’s nothing better than being a business owner and your own boss, right? That’s what I thought when I started my business – but then I learned. As a business owner, I work for a demanding, unsympathetic and controlling person – myself. It’s understandable. Business owners, bear a lot of burden. We have to fulfill both the role of…
Is Your Business in Good Health? Check Your Business Vital Signs to Find Out A desperate business owner trudges into a doctor’s office and says, “My business is not feeling well.” “What seems to be the problem?” the doctor asks. “I don’t know…my company is not making much of a profit, the employees aren’t happy, we’ve…
Every meeting has a purpose. That goes without saying, right? No, actually not. Oftentimes, meetings have agendas, but no goals for what should be accomplished. People talk, people listen, but no one makes any progress. That’s why the purpose of your meeting — that is, what you want to accomplish — must be clearly communicated at every meeting….