Good managers don’t over-react to breakdowns and they don’t ignore real issues. Learn how to tell the difference and how to deal with both.
Read MoreYou started a business. Survived. Succeeded. But now the business you have doesn’t match the one you wanted to build. People, quality, profit…if a lot of things aren’t quite as awesome as you wanted them to be, you’re in good company with a lot of successful entrepreneurs. Learn how the game changes once you get past the Survival phase.
And what to do about it.
Read MoreMost of us relate to our brain, like it is not just a voice in our head, or how we think, but who we ARE. If you want to perform at a high level, there are two really important things to know:
You are NOT your brain.
Your brain is NOT your friend.
Most teams have smart ideas about how to make their business work better. Very few teams are great at efficiently and continuously putting their good ideas into action.
If your team is one of them, you probably feel pretty frustrated; caught, like most leaders, between the need to focus on the big picture and the relentless demands of the day-to-day.
Below are 7 common mistakes that make it hard to execute. I’ve also included a strategy from the Critical Factors method I use with clients to help you do it better.
Read MoreThe truth about a lot of the complaints we have about people is that they’re not bad people problems. They’re management problems.
Good solid management training is rare. Learn how people default to Micro or Good Luck Management and end up creating the people problems they complain about. More important, learn how to Actively Manage people for fewer headaches and better results.
Read MoreGrowth is a unique kind of problem that creates a very common set of problems. If you’re feeling confused and frustrated by problems that shouldn’t be problems and profit that isn’t there, you’re not crazy—you’re dealing with very normal growth problems.
You are missing key management structures.
Read MoreNOBODY wants to be micromanaged. And most of us don’t want to be a micromanager.
Most micromanagers end up that way because they don’t really know how to delegate and/or they don’t have good people to give the work to. Other managers, trying desperately to avoid being a micromanager/jerk, swing too far in the other direction.
Good Luck Management isn’t actually better than micromanagement. It’s just bad in a different way.
Learn the difference, and 7 smart ways to manage without micromanaging in this article.
Read MoreUnfortunately there is no perfect formula for tough conversations. But while having them can be hard, NOT having them tends to be far more painful in the long run.
If you need to have a hard conversation, here are 11 tips for how to have a better one.
Read MoreA lot of great entrepreneurs are essentially unicorns. Smart, creative, high energy, enormous drive, and the ability to move people—they are not your average anything. They can withstand the pressure and risks associated with starting a business and they have the smarts and willpower to run one.
These “Personality Leaders” win because THEY can do things that other people can’t. And that’s what gets them into trouble.
Read MoreOur job as leaders is to run profitable enterprises that can continue to serve customers well and be a good opportunity for our other employees. Keeping bad, unskilled, or ineffective people is a luxury most companies cannot afford to indulge in for long. If you can’t afford to keep someone, if they aren’t needed, aren’t a fit, or they ARE an active problem it’s better for BOTH of you and for the organization to professionally transition them out.
These are three smart questions to ask yourself when you're no longer sure someone is a good fit.
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