The leader of any business has the ability to ‘set the rhythm’ for the rest of the team - which is the overall speed at which things get done. You could call it a ‘cadence’ or ‘momentum’. This is what Rudy Giuliani was doing when he held a daily meeting New York City. He was setting the rhythm of action to be completed daily. Goo... Continue reading
The Business Therapist® team is deep into the marketing and production of a new product. It will be by far the best program of digital business advice yet, thanks to our openness to embrace failure! If we were stuck trying be perfect the first time around, i.e. no failures, it would not be possible. Key point: Embracing failures and learning... Continue reading
The first time I heard the ‘nap room’ idea was a couple years ago. I was running a program where I facilitate feedback from a team of employees without the owner present. The idea of a ‘nap room’ came up twice. The second time I had to ask if they were really serious. They were! The main argument for the nap room was this: If I am really... Continue reading
How do you determine whether it makes financial sense to hire a new employee? Let’s look at an example: Cost of investment: The main cost of the new hire will be the monthly wage costs times the number of months it will take the new hire productive. If you pay someone $4,000 a month and it take them 6 months to become productive, the base inv... Continue reading
Want more time in your business day? Have you spread yourself too thin? Is it because you agreed to a task that you should have said “NO” to? You're being too nice Time pressure increases for those who are too nice to say “no”. The problem with this symptom is that everyone around you tends to learn this information. They will ask you ... Continue reading
Why do some business owners hold up a meeting waiting for the latecomers? When you think about it, you are punishing those who arrived on time and rewarding the ones who come late. My suggestion is: Don’t wait for those who are late. Implementation of this philosophy makes for more efficient meetings, increases the respect of those that arri... Continue reading
There is a spectrum of management styles. Carrots or sticks? I happen to believe more in the ‘carrots’ or positive reinforcement style. I have witnessed tyrant bosses wielding a large ‘stick’ too. There is some good research reported in the best selling book, The Carrot Principle, by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. They report that the... Continue reading
Some business tips need a lot of explanation, support stories and other jeba – jeba. This particular piece of business advice stands on its own: Hire slow Fire fast Thanks to my good friend and client Martin Bates at Advanced Basement Systems for sharing it! Further discussion is available by appointment.... Continue reading
What’s better? One dictator boss or a leadership team? Dictatorship Advantages: Speed - A dictator can make a decision on the spot and start implementing it right away. Businesses with one boss therefore can make decisions quickly. Clear responsibility and accountability - It is crystal clear who is responsible for the decisions. Less... Continue reading
During a meeting this week with a business owner client and their key manager employees, I had a bit of an epiphany. This is how it came about: I had just completed the process of clarifying the personal goals of the business owners. Too often, I observe business goals conflicting and overriding the personal goals of the owners, therefore, we... Continue reading
