Whenever I work with a team on strategic planning eventually someone says, “Yeah, well, this is all well and good, but halfway through the year we’ll have forgotten all of this and be working on like a million OTHER things…” The sad part is, they aren’t wrong. They’ve likely seen that pattern played out a…
You know what I mean when I ask, “How many adults are there on your team?” Right? How many people on your team …without being told to do it? Stop for a minute and go through your team: Is he an “adult”? Is she? When I ask business owners this question in a team of…
As the boss, you get to see daily progress. When a deal closes, or a project finishes up, you know it. When a client is excited about the changes you made for them, you hear their praise. You have access to a lot of positive feedback that the rest of your team doesn’t see or…
I frequently tell business owners, “A CEO’s job is to break things. Just don’t break them faster than your team can fix!” I do believe that — someone in every organization has to push the limits to achieve the “next thing.” Someone has to call out the stuff that’s not done well and advocate for…
What does it look like when we’re afraid to make changes, take risks, or push our comfort zone? How do we recognize that The Resistance has a hold on our perspective, and is holding us back? Let me tell you a story. I knew I had to fire him. He’s a great guy; he’s got…
Driving to work, you reflect on your business – and it makes you smile. “I’m working with a terrific team that delivers excellent work and the clients are asking for more. It feels so good to have a strong team behind me,” you’re thinking. “When I don’t have to fight fires all the time, I…
I recently read a story about an editor who worked on a book manuscript. She finished editing it and turned it in to the publisher, who paid her the agreed-upon fee. Later she found out that the publisher chose not to publish the book and she was crestfallen. “All that work for nothing,” she said….
I was chatting with a referral partner this week (The incomparable Adam Radulovic) and as we were discussing a company that I thought needed his services he asked me, “How many grownups are there in that organization?” “What do you mean, ‘grownups’?” I asked. “You know. Who’s telling the kids to do their homework, and…
Let’s just say you are the world’s best baker — you are at the top of your class technically. Sure there are more things to learn, but what’s your next challenge? What’s the hill you want to climb? There was one other thing that struck me as I listened to the fantastic podcast I wrote on…
One business owner replied to last week’s email about courage with this question: My fear is I just don’t want to confront people and tell them they are fired which I’ve never done in my business. I remember watching The Apprentice and admiring the way Trump fired people. Back then, I was not even in…