Some time ago, I was helping a small business onboard a new chief executive. While we were negotiating the CEO’s employment agreement, the CEO’s attorney asked if we could prepare a detailed job description outlining the duties and responsibilities of the CEO. You could have made a great meme with the look on my face […]
Rise to Your Level of Incompetence? Why Not?
A while back, I was on the periphery of a conversation about people “rising to their level of incompetence.” Although this is usually thought of in a negative context, I believe that this can be a great thing — if done the right way…
Creating Extraordinary Transferable Value in Your Closely Held Business
I recently attended a business panel presentation, and the topic was “navigating business lifecycles – from early stage, to maturity and beyond.” During the Q&A session, one of the attendees asked about attributes that can create significant business value in the eyes of an acquirer. This made me think back to some mental notes that I have made over the years. Some […]
From Pride to Arrogance – The Fine Line
I’ve worked with a number of small businesses that have a strong culture founded on excellence. In these companies, a key piece of this culture is company pride. In one company I worked with, employees even joked about getting tattooed with the Company’s Pantone color code!
Stop Selling After You’ve Closed the Deal
First, I’m not a salesman, a sales coach or a sales consultant. There are many people who are far more qualified than me to explain the sales process and closing techniques. That acknowledged, I have had two sales experiences over the last few weeks that compel me to write this. In both cases, the salesperson […]
Cavalier about lawsuits? Think again – a defendant’s perspective
Often times during business disagreements, I hear owners and executives say “let them sue us — bring it on!” While that might be our initial response in the middle of a rip-roaring business dispute, trust me — don’t let feelings and emotions drive your actions when lawsuits are involved. Why am I writing this? I have been a […]
Productivity & Execution: Speed Up By Slowing Down
It happens all the time, especially in start-ups and high growth companies. We’re juggling multiple priorities, we’re understaffed, and we’re bombarded by emails and other media. Everyone wants a chunk of our time. In the quest to generate new business, there’s also the temptation to chase all the shiny new objects and say “no” to nothing. […]
Career Growth – Your Three Circles
A while back, I saw a tweet by Michael Hyatt that reminded me of three questions I like to ask employees and colleagues that come to me to discuss their careers. During these conversations, I frequently hear some combination of the following: What is my place in the company? What does my future here look […]
Recruiting Key Employees – The Cost of “Saving Money”
Over the years, I have talked with many CEOs and executives about their business and financial forecasts and how well their teams have accomplished their goals. When the discussion comes around to the organizational chart and employee performance, it is not unusual to hear comments like: “Fred does OK, but we just don’t have the budget […]