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…
You’ve probably heard a lot lately about this idea of employee engagement. There are some scary statistics being thrown around; two-thirds of workers are less than fully engaged in their jobs (Aon Hewitt, 2013) with 18% “actively disengaged” (Gallup, 2013). I know when I read those stats I think, “Well, big businesses are like that….
When I first became a manager I was lucky. A lot of new managers are handed a team hired or chosen by someone else. I had the opportunity to choose my own team. I picked 2 of the smartest engineers in the company, then I went out and hired 3 more really brilliant team members…
I’ve been chatting with friends about my recent employee dress code post. They were all pretty surprised when I casually mentioned talking with my boss, Brad, about it. Apparently my friends don’t — and wouldn’t dare to — have an open discussion with their own bosses about what they should or shouldn’t wear to the office, how they feel…
Terence has been a solid team member the last 4 years, and in the last 18 months has really become an essential part of the team. When you hired him right out of school you got a real steal — the economy was down, you could tell he was smart — so you hired him…
Yesterday I was chatting with a business owner who told me this: ”I just don’t know if my team is as engaged as they need to be. I mean, they are here and they do their work, but none of them are putting in that little bit extra. I feel like it’s all up to…
The beginning of the year is always a busy time for hiring. As I work with a number of clients to fill openings, I’m continually amazed by the things I see job candidates say and do during their interviews. Here are a few things that I see regularly that are real deal killers. Electronic buzzes, beeps…
You’re excited about the promise of a new year and what it will hold for you and your business. But then you get back to reality and realize … “It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by a bunch of turkeys!” Well, it’s not really the whole crew, it’s just that one. It’s…