Owning a business, running a department, doing the best we can is a constant challenge. Not that our pants are on fire all the time, but that there is always something that diverts our attention, demands our time, and competes with the activities that are the main and best use of our time. Every business […]
Have you ever thought about your EQ … your “Emotional Intelligence” … and how this relates to your career or business? If not, you should! Emotional Intelligence is how we show up for us. Empathy is how we show up with others. It’s our capacity to care without interference. While they are not interchangeable terms, […]
For the last several years, businesses have spent tremendous energy and resources on efficiency. Tightening up processes, removing actions lacking returns, and even combining responsibilities into fewer roles. The big question is what to do in an always-changing market where we are overloaded, and often have more than our job – specifically, the people looking […]
The Sweet Spot of Tradition, EQ and Empathy. How many things do you do each day, month, and year that are always the same? A tradition is something we repeat that has meaning to us. Holidays are a given. What about monthly activities – maybe dinner with friends and family, a networking event, something we volunteer […]
Elephants have strength and gentleness. They act with power and grace. They have pride and love. Just like elephants, humans also possess contrasting attributes – which can sometimes happen concurrently in an individual or a team. When opposing, interdependent emotions occur simultaneously, the path becomes clouded; momentum slows (even stops), missed deadlines crop up and […]
(Spoiler Alert: There is NO Magic Box) In maintaining a healthy and adaptable business, one helpful tip is to examine situations through different lenses. For example, let’s take the meaning of a single word. Here’s what happens when we look at our business through three definitions of the word “present”: A present?! A gift for […]
The more we choose the easier the action becomes. There are three main components to making choices: Know there is a choice to be made. Understand what’s in our control (or not). Consider the options. Let’s take moment to clarify: there are decisions we make for ourselves, our families, and for our work. The aforementioned […]
A previous blog commented on the importance of listening skills in choosing a consultant. Not surprisingly, listening is also important to successful business as a whole. As a business owner or executive, how and how well you listen has a direct impact on how the execution of those decisions and plans will actually benefit […]
So, an opportunity presents itself with regard to your business – expected or not. Either way, your business plan might not account for it. Or perhaps you’ve got a nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right with what’s happening and you don’t (easily) know how to figure it out. That’s when it’s time to seek […]
One can’t overestimate the importance of learning to listen well (a skill which represents a deliverable in and of itself). Workers are dependent upon you, as both business owner and de facto team leader, to perceive the nuances of their comments and actions. Individuals who love supporting one another in the workaday environment represent […]
Room & Board is an American modern furniture and home furnishings retailer whose inventory is 90 percent American-made. Nice, right? Well, the company goes one better: they actually come out and FIX furniture in the customer’s own home. Skeptical? Don’t be – I’ve personally made use of this in-home furniture repair service.
If your small business – and by extension, YOU – are potentially available 24/7, how do you determine what is an equitable, livable fee to charge for your product and/or service? Determining what to charge is a challenge for any business, at the beginning or in product evaluation. There are real-world consequences in charging too much […]
What’s that? You’re not prescient, you say. A person can’t know what’s going to happen with business next week, month or year.
Be aware and internalize your brand so as to become a whole, meaningful representative of the business (and, by extension, product or service) to all audiences.