It Doesn’t Take Much to Say Thanks

Jun 18, 2013 | Leadership Development

I again heard a group of managers raise a common problem during a training program this past week, "How are we supposed to keep our employees motivated? We don't have any money for bonuses, raises, or gifts, and we can't afford to buy them stuff out of our own pockets. Why should we have to do that anyway? How can we blame them for not wanting to work any harder than necessary when they're not going to get paid for it?" Yikes! In addition to showing very little imagination, there are so many...

Don’t Be a Wimpy Manager

Apr 23, 2013 | Leadership Development

What's a wimpy manager? It's a manager who isn't honest, fair, and clear with her employees on her expectations. It's a manager who believes she's being nice by not telling her employees when they're under-performing, veering off-track, or flat-out behaving in unacceptable ways. It's a manager who mistakenly believes she's being nice by not telling her employees what they're doing wrong so they have a choice and a chance to change their behaviors. A wimpy manager is someone who equates...

No Appraisals? OK. But How Will You Keep It Fair?

Feb 19, 2013 | Leadership Development

I've recently had interesting conversations with a few organizations that want my company to work with them in developing their leaders. That's great but we're running into an initial roadblock as each company's leadership team has basically said, "We're hearing more and more that performance appraisals are a thing of the past. They're demoralizing, time-consuming, and ineffective. No one here likes to do them, so as a leadership team, we've decided we're not going to do them anymore."...

Why I Won’t Hire You – or Even Interview You

Aug 14, 2012 | Leadership Development

That title may sound a bit rough for some of you, but if you're looking for a job - or you know someone who is - pay attention. Let me share some insights from an employer's perspective as to why you may not be able to land that job - or even the interview - for which you think you're well qualified. As a bit of background, I've been looking to hire a part-time, marketing assistant to support me and my team with brand management, social media, and general in-office admin tasks. I've also made...

Who Do I Want As My Customers?

Apr 10, 2012 | Sales, Marketing & Customer Service

We've been doing a lot of work with clients lately on fine-tuning their marketing efforts. A crucial step in this process is getting crystal-clear on just who they want to have as a customer. Now I know this sounds like a somewhat strange activity. But you'd be amazed at the number of businesses who believe they can and should service everyone. Selling to anyone and everyone sounds great in theory, but in reality, it can cost you money, waste your time and resources, and drive your...