so your vision is never lost.
LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS
Brent, the CEO of a rapidly growing networking firm, knew it was time for a major organizational shift. The flat structure of the company’s earlier years wasn’t suited to their new, bigger footprint. If the company was going to continue to grow and serve its customers, they needed to make some big changes. Brent was worried about moving forward with these changes because many of his best, most experienced employees had been with the firm since the very beginning. These […]
Sarah was enthusiastic as she started her first management role. When first offered the job, Sarah was warned regarding her new reports. They’d had a rough time with the previous manager and many were now despondent, disengaged, and actively looking towards the exits. Being young and inexperienced, Sarah brushed off these concerns. Surely the departmental culture couldn’t be that bad! Sarah was sure that once the staff met her, they’d understand that it was a new beginning in the […]
When Maria had knee surgery, she realized she needed to improve as a leader. The key? Delegation. She had built up her business up from a one-woman firm into a company with five locations and nearly 100 employees. However, as she explained, “I still made most decisions myself. I was intimately involved in every business decision and I made sure that I dealt personally with every client concern. I thought my high-touch management style was what made my business great, […]
As a Gen X-er, I’m not always great at dealing with Millennials. I came of age in a buttoned-down, tight-lipped work environment where, unless you made a huge mistake, most of your feedback came in the form of an annual review. My generation grew up assuming that silence was golden and that the absence of feedback was the same as positive feedback. However, after a brief stint as a teacher, I now have some experience dealing with the younger generation […]
On November 8, a number of Winston-Salem business owners were forced to reevaluate the safety of their stores when two armed robbers entered the local Family Dollar Store, demanding money. While the employees on duty complied with the robbers’ demands, one of the robbers fired his gun anyway. He injured two employees and left an entire local business community shaken. The attack didn’t just affect the Family Dollar Store and its employees. Neighboring business owners also reeled from the shock. […]
Have you ever been a part of a TEAM, a true team? Whether it is in your profession, an athletic team, or in your community, chances are that if you have, you remember the experience fondly and it is or was one of the most rewarding in your life. What is the definition of a team? In the book, “The Wisdom of Teams”, it was defined as “a small number of people with complimentary skills who are committed to a […]
The most famous motivational poster of all time is arguably the one picturing a kitten hanging from a branch, emblazoned with the chirpy slogan, “Hang in there!” There’s a chance that when it first came out in the 1970s, some people found it motivating and charming. “If that cat can hang in there, then I can, too, even with all the gas shortages and Watergates,” is what some people surely thought. Of course, much like era-coincident fashion, that poster has […]
We believe that hiring “A” players is the most important job within an organization and it can be one of the biggest challenges. To get and keep your top performers, you have to engage both their current skill sets and their future aspirations while demonstrating a culture of trust and respect. Rather than trying to identify what the exact answer is for you in your industry, we like to use ‘The Rule of 44.’ In four areas, have four different […]
In the day to day operation of a business, at times you may find that there are tasks that need to be done that aren’t complicated but they are necessary. You may be inclined to push through them quickly without much thought, planning or care. We encourage you to be sure that you aren’t carrying a lazy man’s load, meaning you pile these tasks on and hurriedly go about accomplishing them haphazardly in a rush to get them done. […]