Tag Archives: employee performance

The First Entrepreneurial Sin – Lust

Last week we described the Seven Deadly Sins of an Entrepreneur. This week, we’ll delve into the first Operational Sin; Lust. The Operational Sins reduce your personal effectiveness as a business owner. They prevent you from being as operationally effective, … Continue Reading

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What’s in Your Leadership Golf Bag?

This is one of those posts that more or less insists on being written. Last week I started talking about the pronouns that help to define leadership styles. I felt that clearly I needed to bring in Daniel Goleman’s work … Continue Reading

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Employees and Bosses: What’s in a Pronoun?

Credit for this post goes to Van Palmer, the owner of Palmer Technology Solutions. I’ll paraphrase and elaborate, of course. but that’s the power of the pen. In a recent peer board meeting we were discussing our relationships with employees. … Continue Reading

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“Congratulations — You are the Low Bidder!”

The sentence that titles this post could be defined as the epitome of mixed emotions for a business owner. You won the business, but only because you are willing to work for less than everyone else. Perhaps you deliberately cut … Continue Reading

Posted in Customer Relations, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Marketing, Marketing and Sales, Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Not Just Workers…Qualified Workers

A few weeks ago I attended one of Trinity University’s Policy Maker breakfasts. Although living in a large city has its drawbacks, it is great for access to events such as these. It takes substantial ticket sales to justify top-rank speakers, … Continue Reading

Posted in Building Value, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Incentives, Leadership, Managing Employees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Quest for Recurring Revenue

Recurring revenue is the current Holy Grail of business. Barriers to Entry, a traditional way of assessing your differentiation against competition, have been replaced by Barriers to Exit, how to make it at least inconvenient or at most excruciatingly painful for … Continue Reading

Posted in Customer Relations, Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Marketing and Sales, Sales, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Police Deadly Force and Management

The outcry over the use of deadly force by police officers has dominated headlines. Ferguson Missouri, New York City, Virginia, Texas, Florida. Although incidents involving unarmed black men have dominated the headlines, the total number of deaths by law enforcement … Continue Reading

Posted in Leadership, Managing Employees, Politics and Regulation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Don’t Train with Customer Pain

I have lot of favorite books. In business, they range from cutting edge theory to some of the little “quick reads” that build a single management or behavioral point around an allegory. One of the best in the latter category … Continue Reading

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Do You Have a Director of GSD?

One of the biggest challenges for a small company in dealing with a giant customer is navigating bureaucracy. When two smaller businesses are working together, there is discussion, negotiation and decision. In a big organization, that is just the beginning … Continue Reading

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Boomers and the Lost Generation

Those who read this column regularly are well aware of the huge shifts underway as a result of the Baby Boomers’ coming exodus from the workplace. Those who aren’t familiar with the issue are invited to download my free, 45-page … Continue Reading

Posted in Business Perspectives, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Measurement is Not Management

“The employees respect what the boss inspects.” Since Frederick Winslow Taylor published The Principles of Scientific Management in 1911, breaking down tasks into measurable pieces had been the cornerstone for employee training and tracking performance. Why then, do many large organizations with … Continue Reading

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Companies Sell for a Multiple of…What?

Last week we discussed the difference between Main Street and Mid-market companies regarding their prospects for finding a buyer. You can read it here, but the short analysis is that the market is tightening for Main Street businesses, while the … Continue Reading

Posted in Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments