Some people believe a barrier separates their personal and professional lives. An honest and discerning look at your experiences and those of others you’ve worked with reveals this isn’t the case. It’s quite common, in fact, for people to carry their personal baggage through the front door of a business, unpack and spread the contents […]
With every interaction and transaction, a business gives customers a good, neutral or bad feeling. The last two have no place in a thriving company. The first is a prerequisite to happiness and success. You’ve likely engaged businesses that left you wishing you’d never walked through their doors. Perhaps you encountered poor customer service, inferior […]
Ineffective communication, whether in business or life, presents the biggest obstacle to any successful relationship. And it all begins with listening. Not truly listening to others lies at the heart of everything from disgruntled team members and unsatisfied customers to failed marriages and disassociation with family. Consider your professional and personal relationships to understand the […]
There’s a vast difference between leaders and bosses. Leaders collaborate, guide, influence, inspire, mentor and support others to foster movement in a desired direction. Conversely, bosses master over others and are often controlling, domineering and use fear and intimidation to get more out of the individuals they oversee. If you’re like most people, you’ve worked […]
Most businesses employ skilled team members, many with decent and even great attitudes. They come to work, perform their jobs to a satisfactory or higher level and contribute to the work environment in mostly positive ways. But what about those team members who — even though they have the skills to do their jobs —damage […]
The efficient, effective and smooth flow of information is critical to consistently meet and exceed the wants and needs of customers, foresee challenges and opportunities and overcome obstacles. It’s also essential to the production and delivery of high-quality goods and services in a timely manner. When communication is limited or even impossible because of personality […]
If you desire to be truly successful, you must grow your company through the attraction and retention of customers. If you intend to take your company to new heights — to rank among the exceptional — you must turn your attention to the level of care you and your team provide and the genuine relationships […]
When customers like — or better yet — love your business, they give you their patronage and share their glowing recommendations. Business owners who want to create enterprises that survive challenging times and thrive in easy times should endeavor to create raving fans of their customers. Over the past two plus years, I’ve encountered business […]
Business leaders intent on moving their companies to ever higher levels of efficiency, effectiveness, profitability and success constantly look for ways to improve operations. This requires a discerning awareness of what is — and isn’t — working. There’s a potential pitfall, though, if leaders focus only on what they perceive as wrong. While this approach […]
Change is a reality in business whether we want it or not. Business environments and economies change. Team dynamics changes. Technology changes rapidly. Life in general is about change. If we resist change, we limit the potential of all that’s available to us professionally and personally. Many people resist change because they must change as […]