Honeybee, Scorpion, and Nuclear Employees [Podcast]

The best way to avoid problems and overcome barriers in a company is simple: Listen to the experiences and opinions of your employees. Although listening to negative feedback can feel challenging to leaders, it is one of the most valuable sources of risk intelligence.

In this episode, Grace explains the three ways for frustrated employees offer their opinions and which 5 steps will help you create Healthy Feedback Loops in your organization.

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Company Culture FAQs Part 5 of 5

This is the final episode in a 5-part series about Company Culture Frequently Asked Questions.

I wrap up the series with some advice about employee engagement, the elements of a successful company, and books I recommend.

Watch the recorded video here, or read below for bonus-filled content.

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Company Culture FAQs Part 4 of 5

In part 4 of our series on Frequently Asked Questions about Company Culture, we discuss leadership transitions, decision-making, and why it’s important to make room for your staff to grieve.

Watch the recorded video here, or read below for bonus-filled content.

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How to Complete a PESTEL Analysis

The PESTEL tool is used to evaluate various threats and opportunities in 6 key areas: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal.

It is typically used as during long-term planning to get a macro (big picture) perspective on issues that could impact the organization. Combined with the SWOT Analysis, this tool can provide incredible insights for risk intelligent decision-making.

PESTEL, PESTEL analysis, PESTEL assessment, Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal
The PESTEL Assessment

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Is Your Strategic Plan in SHAPE?

As much as we try, there are some things that come naturally and some things that don’t.

One of those “love-it-or-hate-it” activities is business planning, also known as strategic planning. The whole point of doing this is to define your organization’s:

  • overall direction (Strategy),
  • which goals you want to achieve (Objectives),
  • using which actions and resources (Tactics), and
  • how you’ll know it was successful (Measures).

I abbreviate Vision, Mission, Values, Objectives, and Measures with the acronym VMVOM.

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The Ultimate Strategic Planning Framework Tool: A Detailed Review

Your strategic plan doesn’t belong in a cabinet like a set of fine china. In my last post, I talked about the many benefits of using a Strategic Planning Framework:

  • a clear vision for the future
  • foresee vulnerabilities and dangers
  • identify areas of healthy growth
  • effectively get control of your company

This simple tool answers 3 important questions:

  1. Why are we doing this?
  2. What is required?
  3. How will we do it?

Within these questions are a variety of areas that should be included in your strategic planning process. Let’s look at each of them in more detail.

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The Ultimate Strategic Planning Framework Tool: Introduction

My great-grandmother, like most women in the early 1900s, had two sets of dishes. One was a plain set for everyday family meals, and the other was a very fancy set that she only brought out on special occasions. Each plate, cup, and saucer was decorated with a design of delicate pink roses, curled ivy, and a beautiful gold inlay that encircled the scalloped edges.

She left the set to my grandmother, who then passed it on to my mother, who quickly discovered that fine china with gold detail is no match for the power of a modern dishwasher. The inconvenience of hand-washing every single item (and the risk of chipping or breaking the dishes) was too great. So those heirloom dinner dishes were hidden away in a china cabinet and only emerged on rare occasions.

As a strategic risk expert, I believe many leaders treat their strategic plan like a set of fine china. They know their plan is important; they invest time and money to create it. The final plan is detailed, logical, and beautiful.

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Dante’s Inferno From a Strategic Perspective

When you hear the words “Dante” and “Inferno,” your initial thought is probably something like this:

  • Some guy named Dante wrote it a long time ago
  • It’s a book about the levels of hell
  • The Catholic faith has something to do with it
  • There’s something about “comedy,” but not in the traditional sense
  • I might have read the book in high school

Up until recently, that’s pretty much all I knew about this classic work. But what gems of wisdom are hidden in those lyrical texts? I decided to find out.

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Why #MeToo Inspired Me to Be Transparent and Share My Failures

The following is my perspective on owning a business, experiencing trauma, and bringing my failures to light.

I used to hate the idea of sharing details about my personal life or business publicly, mostly because it’s not fun to get rejected by strangers. As an entrepreneur, my business and personal decisions are intertwined; so negative feedback about my company can feel like a personal attack.

Sometimes, it seems like everyone else is succeeding while you’re the only one struggling. But the truth is, we all face challenges of some sort. Most of us just don’t like to talk about it. Because being transparent is scary.

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Yin and Yang and the 5 Risk Roles of Executive Leaders

Diversity, transparency, empathy.

When organizations welcome these qualities while maintaining structure and stability, they’re ahead of the game.

It is often difficult to find the right balance between an aggressive approach and a passive one when managing a business. In this article, I will describe the 5 types of risk, the 5 risk roles of executive leaders, and how these apply to balancing the Yin and Yang of Management.

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