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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Tag Archives: employee performance
Millennials: The New Normal
Do you employ Millennials? If you have twenty-somethings in your workplace, you do. Most scientists who study generations put the start of the Millennials between 1982 and 1985. Using the earliest dates, the oldest are just turning thirty this year. Sociologists … Continue Reading
Correct Decisions, Good Decisions and “Best” Decisions
The young protégé asked his mentor, “How do you know what is the right decision?” The mentor answered “From experience.” “But how can I get experience?” The protégé asked. “Make some bad decisions.” was the mentor’s answer. Experience is what you get … Continue Reading
Getting the Message to Employees
Last month, one of my business owner groups (The Alternative Board®) examined the issue of communicating company news to employees. Among those participating they had collectively tried personal emails, an e-newsletter, a paper newsletter, a company Facebook page, discussion groups on the company intranet, … Continue Reading
“I’ve got it!” : The Curse of Competence
In any business, a competent employee is a treasure. Smaller enterprises may not have the layers of responsibility and management to offer a well-defined career path, but they often make up for it with the opportunity for an ambitious person … Continue Reading
Over Pay or Over Hire?
Many employers chase the Holy Grail of pay-for-performance. Whether it’s commission, piece work or production bonuses, we all want a system that compensates employees appropriately for the value they add to our business. Most of us also believe that better employees … Continue Reading
Three Rules for Small Business
A few days ago a discussion on LinkedIn’s “Small Business Accelerator” group asked “What are the three things a small business owner should focus on?” As challenging as any business is, the basics remain the same for everyone. We provide goods or services, … Continue Reading
1,2,3 Red Light!
Last week I was a guest on Jim Blasingame’s Small Business Advocate show. The topic was a riff on my article of a couple of weeks ago about excising infectious employees. One of the issues that we discussed was identifying a … Continue Reading
Why Great Salespeople Make Lousy Sales Managers
It’s been said so many times that (at least I hope) it is a business axiom on the same level as “cash is king.” Promoting your best salesman to sales manager is guaranteed to cost you a great salesman and … Continue Reading
Cutting Out Employee Infection
A client found himself in an unenviable position. The cancer of negativity had spread through his management team. He knew the sources, and was prepared to clean house. Where should he start? First, some background. The company was a bootstrap … Continue Reading
Employee Investment Takes Time
Despite millions of dollars in revenue and expenses, an NBA team is a small business. A coach gets 15 positions (12 active and three reserve) with which to field a winning organization. As in any small business, every player has an important role. While some … Continue Reading
Productivity Declines: Does it matter?
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, as reported by Bloomberg, employee productivity dropped last quarter at a 2% annual rate. The common wisdom is that we have pushed an overstretched workforce as far as we can, but there could … Continue Reading
Leaner and Meaner (Part 4): Beating the Big Guys
If your small business depends on excellent employees, how can you attract and retain them against the resources of larger corporations? In our previous installments of this Leaner and Meaner series, we’ve talked about how the pressures of running a business today … Continue Reading