What should you do when policies aren’t being followed, customers are upset, and everything starts to fall apart?
These are all symptoms of Frankenstein Management Syndrome: A condition where harmful outcomes occur because leaders are disconnected from the needs of their employees, customers, and community.
Let’s explore what causes this scary condition and how to avoid it.
Continue reading “Frankenstein Management: Why Bias Can Destroy a Great Business”
The StrengthsFinder assessment is one of the most useful tools I have ever found.
If you’re not familiar with it, you can read all about it in my previous article, How to Apply the StrengthsFinder Assessment.
Today, I want to explain how this tool is especially useful for business owners.
Continue reading “8 Reasons to Take the StrengthsFinder Assessment if You’re a Business Owner”
As one of the most prolific personality assessments in the world, StrengthFinder® is a tool that can help identify your decision-making process and unique perspective.
In this post, I will explain how to use this assessment for self-awareness, why the “Balcony and Basement” concept is important, and how often each talent occurs.
Continue reading “How to Apply the StrengthsFinder Assessment”
One of my favorite TV shows is “The Profit,” a CNBC production starring multi-millionaire entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis.
In each episode, Marcus evaluates a small business and decides whether to invest in its growth. The main tool he uses to make business decisions is called the “3 P’s of Business Success”: People, Process, and Product.
I was curious about who first developed this concept. Was it Mr. Lemonis?
It turns out this concept has its origins in Lean (a systematic processing method used to eliminate waste). After doing some research, I discovered 5 additional versions that can add depth to your understanding of how to run a successful business.
In this post, you will see each of the six examples and illustrations, along with ideas on how to increase your level of business risk intelligence.
Continue reading “6 Versions of the 3 P’s as seen on CNBC’s “The Profit” with Marcus Lemonis”
What are you scared of?
As humans, we are biologically hard-wired to treat every perceived threat in an extreme way, with one of four reactions:
Some aspects of a company are easy to see from the outside. These “surface” elements include things like the logo, building, language, and communication style.
But there is also a foundational layer that are an extension of the owner’s beliefs and values.
Let’s explore the mysteries that lie under the surface of a company… the Deeper Culture.
A company’s culture goes far beyond what we see on the outside. In this article, I’ll be examining what culture is, how it matters in achieving goals, and which aspects we can see on the “surface.”
Continue reading “Understanding the Culture of a Company, Part 1: Surface Culture”
This is the final in a 3-part series about Pain and Decision-Making.
In previous posts, I described ways to see pain objectively, and how to identify pain points, and ways to fix them. In this article, we’ll be examining some difficult topics that most leaders tend to avoid.
Continue reading “5 Painful Discussions That No Organization Should Ignore”
Are your staff afraid to share what is going wrong in your company? Do problems keep happening, and you don’t know why?
A great solution is to step into the roles of your staff and see the situation first-hand.
One fantastic technique is what I call “Employee For a Day.” It is a simple, hands-on activity where an executive leader leaves their role, and she or he sits in the seat of employees to see the organization from their point of view.
In my previous post, I describe what happened when I entered the day-to-day world of my staff. It humbled me, challenged me, and ultimately led to several changes in the organization.
There were a few drawbacks as well. Here are all the dirty details of how to get started.
Pain isn’t something most of us want to experience. We are hard-wired to avoid unpleasant conversations, experiences, and memories. And most of the time, this instinct serves us well.
But when it comes to recognizing risks — vulnerabilities and threats that could cause harm — avoiding pain is dangerous.
This is the first in a 3-part series about Pain and Decision-Making.
In this post, I will review the basics of pain, our unique thresholds, corresponding fears, and how to evaluate and properly both pain and managing risk. Continue reading “What Happens When We Avoid Pain in Decision-Making?”
