Last week I was talking to two different business owners, both were in similar circumstances, but they told me very different stories. Business Owner 1 This business owner runs a marketing firm that focuses on urban real estate companies. They had some terrible years in 2008 – 2012 — but the owner told a very…
I walked into my client’s office, and you could feel the excitement and tension in the air. The business owner had been out at speaking gigs the last three days and came back with a fistful of business cards to follow up on, and she’s been tearing into those. In the meantime, her operations manager…
When I hear the word “courage” I think first about physical danger; fighting fires, going to war, battles against Mother Nature. But there are other sides of courage that we talk less about. The courage to tell the truth. The courage to reveal your vulnerability. As anyone who’s been on stage can tell you, it…
You took the time to clearly lay out the assignment. You confirmed with your team member the process they would use to accomplish it. They agreed that the time frame was good and that they had the skills and tools they needed to get it done. But when they deliver it to you, you are…
In her wildly popular TED talk Brene Brown tells us that one of our deepest fears is vulnerability. We are afraid of the act of letting ourselves be seen. Yet, in order to start a company, we have to do just that. Not only do we have to let ourselves be seen, but, once we…
When was the last time you said, “Wow, I’m so glad I got that voicemail!”…? Tell me. Do you get a thrill when you see that the VM icon on your phone is lit up? Didn’t think so. Maybe it’s time we faced the fact that voicemail is a technology whose time has come —…
I’ve always respected those folks we describe as “the strong, silent type”. You know, the “wise and mature leader” who commands a room with a glance, or communicates it all with a subtle facial expression. These folks have an economy with words that suggests deep thinking. The fact that they use words so sparingly makes…
One of my team members has been facing significant health challenges. She spent most of this past month in a doctor’s office, and wasn’t working very effectively. I didn’t count her PTO days, or dock her pay. I sent her some flowers and prayed for her to get better. Another one of my team members…
‘Tis the season for gluttony! Business owners are some of the biggest culprits of gluttonous behavior during the holiday season. Constant ads fill inboxes, TV shows, websites, and mailboxes as businesses try to end their year on a high note. But it is precisely this time of year that business owners can really benefit from…
All of us have had these things happen at one time or another: A zipper that is down. Mustard on your cheek. A label sticking out of your shirt. While minor, these little things are distracting and take away from your image and message. And fortunately, even perfect strangers, let alone friends and colleagues, will…