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Small Business Planning: What to Consider before You Invest
15 Business Plan Components
Whether you are ready to step out on your own and start a business for the first time, or you want to reorganize your small business for growth - a sound business plan is the foundation for making your dream a successful reality.
That’s a big deal right? So why is it that so many business owners function without this foundation? And if they do have a plan, often it’s just seen as a simple tool used to seek investment or communicate the company’s direction to others. Of course...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Small Business on March 14, 2017
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Six Communication Tactics For Human Resource Professionals
What Should You Expect From Human Resources?
Human Resources is a tough job, and often unappreciated. Employees complain that HR does not do enough to help their job growth. Managers complain that they have to do everything themselves. Human Resource professionals complain that they get pulled into everything too late to have any impact.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Here are Six Communication tactics Human Resource professionals should utilize to ensure success in their job.
ONE: Know the...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Human Resources on July 26, 2012
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Eight Communication Tips To Gain Respect at Work
Do people listen to you AND act on what you say?
Do your coworkers, employees and your boss all listen to your input? Do they ask for your advice, seek out your opinion, and implement your ideas? If you answered yes to all of these questions, then I would love for you to share your tips with our readers. However, if you answered no to any of these questions, I can start you off with eight communication tips that will get you on the road to respect at work.
Tip #1 - Less is More When it Comes To Speaking
Can you picture a room...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Communication Skills on May 18, 2012
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Managing Customer Expectations
What does your company do to ensure happy customers?
Do you know what the difference is between a happy customer and a complacent one? The happy customer is loyal and the complacent customer is not. How do your customers feel about doing business with you? What does your company do to ensure happy customers?
Managing Customer Expectations is not only about satisfying the customer. It is also about providing clarity within your own organization, and between your organization and the customer. Clarity sets...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Customer Service on July 29, 2012
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Leadership Dashboards: How managing the past can hurt your future.
3 Areas Leaders Should Be Focusing Their Time On
What metrics do you use to manage your business? It’s a common question and for many business leaders, generates common answers. Revenue, Unit Costs, Overhead, Operating Profit, Customer Complaints, On-Time Delivery, etc… But when asked, “Are those metrics helping you to grow your business?” the answer is often “No”. That’s because most leadership dashboards focus on lagging indicators instead of those that lead the business to a future...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on August 13, 2014
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Overcoming Disconnect Between Middle & Upper Management
Is your management team preventing growth or are they a competitive advantage?
Two common themes exist in most organizations. “Upper Management is too distant.” “Middle Management is too independent.” Essentially they are saying the same thing right? There is disconnect between management levels that causes animosity, poor moral, and an inability to get things done efficiently & effectively. Now, I could write this article about how to overcome disconnect by dealing with the problems, but I’m sure you can read about that...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on March 4, 2013
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What does “New Normal” mean?
Your Business, Team, Career… “Reimagined”
First of all, let’s agree to some fundamentals. “New Normal” DOES NOT mean everything looks the same from one business to another. It also DOES NOT mean that the changes you make are limited to adding in safety measures per state and local requirements.
What New Normal DOES MEAN is that you have some work to do…
How to Define Your New Normal (Phase One)
1) Define what your “New Normal” looks like (including safety...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on May 15, 2020
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Stop Doing It All & Start Leading Your Business
4 Actions to Transition From “Doer” to “Leader”
I don’t have time to do the things I know I should be doing. I can’t expect others to do what I do..the way it needs to be done. My clients like to work with me directly and if I rely on my team, my business is going to suffer.
Do any of these statements sound familiar? What about this one…When I do delegate, my employees either screw up, or come to me for every little thing, in the end, it’s just easier and faster if I do it myself.
Or this...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on March 31, 2014
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Work Efficiency Equation For Managers And High Performers
How do you measure your own work efficiency?
When referring to a person’s efficiency, measuring work output/work input is not enough. Instead, there are six variables that determine a person’s work efficiency:
Speed + Accuracy + Foresight + Repeatability + Agility + Respect = An Efficient Employee or Manager
If you focus on these six variables, continuously strive as an individual to improve them and teach your employees to develop their own efficiency skills, you will create a high performance environment...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Professional Development on August 16, 2012
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Leader Engagement – 4 Steps to Ensure Your Commitment to Lead Change
Crafting a Successful Business Strategy vs. Committing to One
Whether you are leading a corporation or building your small business, crafting a successful business strategy is bound to be one of your key objectives. But when executives are asked if their strategies will be successful, the results are impressive...in an unimpressive way. According to a 2011 Booz & Company Executive Survey, 53% of executives do not believe their company’s strategy will lead to success, 63% say they have too many conflicting priorities and 54% say their company’s way of...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on March 21, 2014
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