My boyfriend Nelson and I lost a dog on Sunday. And when I say “lost” I don’t mean the dog died. I mean the dog ran away. And ran away in a huge forest. Huge like 50,369 acres (78.70 sq mi or 203.84 km² if you’re not from the US). And to make matters much, […]
Delegation Tips & Tools
Ending the Crazies
When the crazies go away, people want to do a little dance! It happened for my newest client recently and I noticed it immediately when I walked into her office. The piles that had nearly covered her floor were almost gone. Her desk was darn clean. AND she was using the two bin system I […]
What Message are Your Employees Sending to Your Customers?
There’s a local bank here in town that touts itself as a champion and friend of small business. They go out of their way to serve the small business community. In fact, they even let small businesses use their conference rooms for free (as long as no one at the bank needs them). Who decided […]
Don’t Take It Back (Part 3 of 4)
“My boss gave me work to do, with pretty specific instructions. When I went back to him to clarify something that I wasn’t sure about, he got very huffy and took the work back. He’s going to do it himself! I’m perfectly capable – I just had a question!” Aaaargh! How would you feel if […]
Delegation Matters (Part 2 of 4)
The Situation “Carol, come in here for a second. I’ve got about two dozen things I need you to take care of,” says Ms. Boss. Carol dutifully comes in, notepad in hand, and writes down the details of the tasks her boss is asking her to do. Back at her desk, Carol she works through […]
The Wisdom of Teams (Part 1 of 4)
Your business constantly ebbs and flows; it’s a living breathing system (similar to a garden) that needs to be tended, managed, and carefully grown. Interestingly, it takes everyone in your business to help this happen: you, your employees, even your customers. In this four-part series, I want to focus on your employees (or your subcontractors, […]