Some time ago, I visited an underperforming company. Their Chairman of the Board asked me to spend time on a tour of the facility and to provide feedback. Once that was finished, I was asked what I thought. “You failed the mop test”, was my response. The plant...
One of the most enduring challenges facing businesses is the development of the next level of supervisors and managers. I often hear from executives who are frustrated by the need to step in and handle management challenges, particularly those involving the performance and behavior of their people.
One of the constant challenges I see for entrepreneurial CEO’s is the sheer number of distractions they face every day. An effective barometer of this is the amount of “stuff” on their desk at any given time. Among the questions I like to ask are the following…
Two essential elements of a sound plan are assumptions (predictions about issues that are likely to impact our business) and contingencies (what we plan to do if unforeseen disruptions require a change of direction). The benefit of creating and documenting planning...
Printing company leaders often face a dilemma: Should they invest in new customer accounts and/or employees who show potential, even if the immediate returns are modest? The answer is nuanced, requiring a balance between optimism and pragmatism.When a business...
Few items raise more concerns (complaints?) than the subject of meetings. Small or large, routine, or ad hoc, brief, or multi-day, meetings in organizations are known to be an unavoidable evil. We can do better. While there are helpful books on the subject (including...