When I was getting started with my own business I maxim that I heard often was, “Hire slow, fire fast.” At first I heard it as, “Be slow to add costs to your business, but if things turn south, be quick to cut costs.” But as I’ve spent more time hiring and leading teams I’ve…
One of the things that I told my children when I was teaching them to drive is it better to make small adjustments to the steering wheel than big ones, particularly when you’re driving fast! Big adjustments to the steering wheel can make the car feel and act unstable. The same is true in your…
In the US, we have this concept of earning vacation time. Your HR system accrues so much vacation time for every pay period. It does that for accounting reasons. I’m not saying that’s “wrong” – it’s just a misunderstanding of time-off. When we work hard, we deplete ourselves. That’s why, no matter how engaged you…
Sorry I missed talking with you all last week. It’s not that I didn’t have things to share with you; I’ve got some good stuff brewing. Neither is it that I don’t care about you or prioritize this conversation. I was simply taking some time off to have fun! I could have scrambled around the…
I’ve made a solid plan, considered every angle, and committed myself to the actions I need to take to execute the plan. I’m seeing progress, and there are signs of hope, but I haven’t seen things “turn the corner.” It will get really stressful around here if things don’t improve soon. I need to see…
Would you rather have a thousand leads or ten good leads? How about a hundred candidates for your open position, or two perfect candidates? Do you want to create fifty logos for your customer’s rebrand or one great one? In each of these cases, the answer is easy – no one wants quantity; we want quality….
You’ve got an underperforming team member, and it’s been bugging you for a while. Maybe you’ve addressed it with her, and perhaps you’ve just been hinting around, but it’s gotten to the point where you need to do something about it. If you don’t, it’s hard to see how they are a part of your…
I got an email from a CEO recently that said: I have been dealing with issues in the team this week, and it dawned on me that there doesn’t seem to be a single person on our team who meets expectations. I’m not sure if anyone in our organization has ever met expectations! I can’t…
Well, now is the time to give your team some feedback! Why now? Let’s see… If your team is like the ones I’m working with, they’ve been working hard lately, pumping out lots of work that’s making 2021 a pretty good year for your company! What you might not know (but that your team members…
How to Get Feedback from Your Team Feedback is an essential part of leadership. Giving feedback is essential to develop individuals and teams, and to boost their performance. However, many leaders (especially those with little leadership experience) tend to forget the importance of receiving feedback. I’ve seen this a lot with my clients. As you…