There is no single, “right” way to be a leader. Finding the style and routine that’s suited to you, and to the particulars of your environment, is not easy. Even when you find one that works in one phase of your business, it may be less effective as your company grows. What follows is one […]
I first met Geri Larkin in the early ’80s, not long after we opened the Deli. She was a consultant with Deloite & Touche, and has since left the world of high-powered consulting to become a Buddhist monk. Fortunately, she contributed a number of exceptional books on business and, speaking personally, left me with a […]
Editor’s Note: The previous article in this series, The Entrepreneurial Approach to Management, presented why an Entrepreneurial Approach to employee management will benefit your business. In the second of this two-part series, you will learn how to put this approach into practice. The Entrepreneurial Approach to Management is the opposite of the bureaucratic methods of […]
Not many in leadership roles are looking to add extra responsibilities. It’s a challenge just to keep up. Nevertheless, it is vital to find a way to actively and regularly teach classes for staff. Teaching classes within (and outside of) our organization is one of the most valuable uses of my time. In fact, we’ve […]
One of the many concepts I gleaned from Peter Drucker’s writings was his belief that, when making a decision, we should look at whether the issue at hand is what he calls a repetitive problem (i.e., one that will recur) or, rather, one that’s truly a unique situation (i.e., one that occurs rarely). Unique situations, […]
Nearly everyone reading this article finds themselves in some sort of a management or leadership role. Ever wonder what we’re doing there? I think most everyone has at some point. Like so many folks in management roles, I knew a lot about what I thought poor management was. So when I got into management, much […]
It’s no secret that I was a history major, which obviously makes me slightly more inclined than the average American to advocate sharing stories of where we’ve come from. But I’m here to tell you that organizations that regularly and actively share stories of their past get better staff buy-in, make better decisions and probably […]
Regardless of your actual title in an organization, your job involves making decisions. New staff members start making decisions the day they are hired, and beginning with their decision to accept the job, we hope their decisions will be good ones. One of the basic tenets of Bottom-Line Training — clear, documented expectations — is […]
Congratulations! You made it through the holidays. And if you’re taking the time to read this column, you must have made it through more or less intact. In the best case, it was your biggest holiday season to date and you’re feeling wonderful about how smoothly everything went — despite all the things that went […]
Breaking the Cycle of Time Management Urgency and Overwork Had you asked me ten years ago to describe my relationship with time, I probably would not have responded positively. Time was a four-letter word; one with which I had a very contentious relationship. I was working 60-70 hours a week (on a light week), and […]
A company that is optimistic, collaborative and up for any challenge doesn’t just happen. It takes leadership, vision, hard work and positive energy. The good news? Personal and organizational energy is a truly renewable resource—if you know how to foster it. Here are eight tips for successful energy management.
Change is hard.
