For a few, delegating comes easily, maybe too easy. For others who are perfectionists, letting go of even the most trivial task is almost impossible. If you are in this second category, you probably don’t like the references behind your back that you are a “control freak” or a “micro-manager.” London business school professor John […]
5 Tips to Gain From People Who Don’t Think Like You
One thing we all have to learn in business is how to work with and lead people that are not like you, and don’t think like you. In my experience as a business advisor, that’s probably the biggest hurdle to success encountered by every new business owner. Your biggest challenge may be members of your own […]
8 Keys to Delivering Exceptional Customer Experiences
Most businesses spend big money testing their brand logo, catchy marketing phrases, and demographics, but spend little time training and validating that their employees can and do deliver exceptional experiences to their customers. The result, according to an often-quoted Gallup survey, is 70 percent of workers not fully engaged, and poor customer experiences. The customer experience […]
8 Keys To Enjoying Work and Enhancing Your Career
Only 32 percent of workers are engaged, and the rest spend much of their time wishing they were somewhere else.
10 Business Areas Where Data Is The Key To The Future
Even though ‘big data’ has now been around for several years, the opportunities for startups seem to keep growing, just as the amount of data keeps growing.
10 Startup Quandaries That May Redefine Your Business
In a famous Harvard study of 212 new ventures a few years ago, USC professor Noam Wasserman found that half the founders were no longer at the helm after three years, and over time 80% were forced out. That’s not an attractive statistic if you crave control and power.
Driving Your Team With Fear Has Negative Consequences
Trying to be a business leader by instilling fear in your employees and partners is never a good approach, but it is particularly devastating in a startup. Yet I see this approach used all too often by new entrepreneurs, most of whom are not natural tyrants, but who are fighting to mask their own internal fears and insecurities about starting a business.
6 Keys to Convince Investors of Your Competitive Edge
Most entrepreneurs are quick to assert to potential investors that their product or solution will kill the competition, but unfortunately, your opinion alone is not enough to convince most experienced investors. They want quantifiable facts and figures on how your offering compares to recognized key players in your domain, and quotes from recognized third-party experts […]
7 Common Causes Of Failure To Communicate in Business
Some entrepreneurs forget that talking is not communicating. Fortunately, these skills can be learned, and the barriers to communication can be overcome one by one.
Don’t Wait To Catch Up Until Your Customers Hate You
I’m still surprised to see so many situations where things that should be easy are painful to customers and lead to customers hating your business. How could any rational employee or executive fail to do his or her job, not realize there is a problem, or not care enough to even try to do the right thing?