Succession – Plan to Return

Apr 19, 2022 | Succession Planning

Refining processes and developing the next generation of leaders are fundamental to succession planning. I’ve worked with my clients on these key succession planning and talent development steps for years. However, during a coaching call with an executive this past week, I learned a valuable insight into HOW I need to guide my succession planning clients going forward. The leaders need to plan for succession as if THEY were going to return to the company. The leaders need to plan...

Buying a Business? Don’t Overlook the Soft-Skills

May 18, 2021 | Strategic Planning

Because of the ‘shake-out’ that’s occurred with our economy over the past year, there are more companies than ever looking to sell, and therefore, more opportunities to buy. If you’re like a few of my clients, smart acquisitions are part of your strategic plan. However, as you identify criteria your ideal targeted acquisition candidates need to have (i.e., revenues, margins, location, equipment, staff, etc.), consider two 'soft-skills' items that can make or break a successful post-acquisition...

How To Lead Up Without Embarrassing the Leader

Feb 19, 2019 | Leadership Development

I had the opportunity to watch a leader ‘lead up’ last week. A new client had asked me to attend their board meeting so I could gain a better understanding of their organization, history, culture, and their future. It was an incredibly informative experience. However, it was informative in a way I don’t believe they anticipated. Due to the Chair’s lack of leadership over the past 15 years, he’s unwittingly created a highly-dysfunctional board, comprised of otherwise highly-talented directors....

Grow Your Business: Market Someone Else’s

Dec 10, 2017 | Sales, Marketing & Customer Service

I just completed helping one of my small business clients (let’s call him Ted) with his sales and marketing quandary. He really doesn't like making phone calls or talking with clients to identify additional ways he can help them; it’s just not something he’s ever been comfortable doing. He has said to me, “I can sell for someone else, just not myself.” Obviously, that mindset is not a good one to have when you own your own business, but how can you work around it if you don't have a sales team...

Attract, Train, & Retain Employees

Dec 3, 2013 | Leadership Development

With so many companies struggling to attract and retain staff who can perform well, why do so many companies do such a lousy job in training their new staff? Why do they think training is an expense and not an investment? Why do they skimp on something so critical? From my experience, the most common reason is that most companies still default to on-boarding and training new staff the way they were trained when they first started their careers: The new employees are trained on the job by the...