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September 5, 2012
Workplace Bureaucracy – Learn to Break Through the Red Tape!
What does your company value most, your employees or your processes?
Workplace Bureaucracy can leave your company stagnant & demotivated. As a leader, a manager and an individual contributor, you should be looking to create a balance between creativity and consistency. Each one of us has the responsibility to improve our work environment.
Procedures, systems, controls, processes….we all complain about them or hear complaining from others, but they serve a purpose. Structure is good; it keeps our business consistent, helps us track our...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Operations on September 5, 2012
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July 22, 2012
A Guide to Business Development: Balancing Skill, Boldness & Luck
What is Business Development and how can you do it well?
It is the most ambiguous of business disciplines…something many want to do, but few are able to define or do well. This is due to the nature of business development being something beyond the scope of a company’s every day business activity, as well as the inconsistent placement of the activity in different organizations. Sometimes it is part of sales, sometimes marketing, an outside consultant can lead the effort or a department of it’s own is often created. We define...Continue reading
By Dan WoodsPosted in Sales & Business Development on July 22, 2012
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July 8, 2012
Develop Nine Essential Skills To Lead Without Authority
Do you seek out opportunities to practice your leadership skills?
No matter what position you hold in your company, you have the opportunity to be a leader, influence others, solve problems for those around you and become an expert resource for your organization or team. If you can cultivate these leadership opportunities in your organization and in your life, your career will increase its potential to grow. When you don’t take advantage of these opportunities, your career has a much greater likelihood of staying stagnant. The ability to lead...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on July 8, 2012
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June 28, 2012
Seven Steps to Improving Your Department’s Culture
Do you want to change the way your team does business?
There are many philosophies out there on corporate culture. Some say that it needs to be cultivated over time, but there are ways you can influence your corporate culture by leading change. Culture is perceived. That means that if you change perception, you can change culture. Here are seven steps to improving your department’s culture.
Step One: Define how your department is currently perceived internally (by each member of your department), by other...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on June 28, 2012
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June 21, 2012
Understand The Role You Play In Leadership
Do you always know which decision is the right decision?
A True Leader Knows There Is No Right Answer….and finds strength in that.
There are many traits that define leadership, but one that stands out is the ability to know there is no right way of doing something. When at a crossroads with a choice of going straight, left, right, staying put or turning around…how do you make that decision? Do you see all of your options? Do you get overwhelmed? Is one choice better than the other? Is one right and are the others...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on June 21, 2012
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June 15, 2012
Six Practices to Incorporate Into Your Management Routine
How do you build a strong team?
As a Manager, you are only as good as those you manage. So what if the people you manage don’t feel respected or included in your team? By taking the time to know your employees, listen to them and help them to feel included, you will not only build a stronger team, but you will drive better results. It all sounds logical, but how do you do this? Try to incorporate these practices into your management routine:
1) When you get into the office each day, go around and...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on June 15, 2012
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May 29, 2012
Two Ways of Ensuring Top Quality High Potential Employees
How do you develop a High Potential employee?
High Potential employees are typically groomed for promotions. Their direct boss, the head of human resources, as well as executive leadership, follows their performance. Most progressive companies spend time and resources developing processes to review the pool of high potential candidates in an effort to ensure qualified promotions from within the company. These processes are a good step and may include customized management seminars, as well as yearly profile reviews, but does...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Management on May 29, 2012
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May 24, 2012
Five Steps Great Managers Take Before Letting Someone Go
Can you fix a broken employee?
OK…you have a great organization, but there is that one employee that just can’t seem to fit in with the team, they are always bucking the system, resisting your leadership, going rogue, missing deadlines, causing you more work. The list of reasons to get rid of them goes on and on, so you ask yourself, at what point do I have enough to let them go? But should you really be asking yourself, at what point have I done enough to help this person succeed? Great Managers see...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Management on May 24, 2012
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May 22, 2012
Eight Actions Anyone Can Take to Influence a Team’s Success
Are your team meetings a waste of everyone’s time? Do your employees think they are?
We've all had the unfortunate experience of spending our day tied up in unproductive meetings. So what are you doing to ensure you don’t waste your time or the time of others? It does not matter whether you are a VP, Team Leader, have an MBA, or none of the above, because the power of influence transcends titles and educational backgrounds. It is a reflection of ones ability to communicate, be understood and inspire actions in others. So let’s focus on improving your...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on May 22, 2012
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