Posted: March 7, 2017 | Categories: Management

I am hired by companies to help build top-performing teams.  One of the biggest challenges a manager faces is keeping team members accountable for results.  If ownership is established and roles and expectations are clear, we must insist on each team member delivering desired results.  I find that managers often fall short in this area. Read More…

Posted: February 7, 2017 | Categories: Leadership, Management, Team Building

“If I asked people what they wanted, they would say they wanted a better horse” -Henry Ford

Last month I was meeting with a client who had a big problem:  His business was growing too fast.  He had built his success by giving excellent service and managing relationships well.  Now all that was at risk.  Things were slipping through the cracks, important details were getting overlooked, and his team was “dropping the ball” far too often.

When a situation like this occurs, it is important to define the problem so that we come up with the right solution.Read More…

Posted: October 25, 2016 | Categories: Leadership, Management, Team Building

In this virtual world of high tech and social media, it is easy to be seduced into the mindset that an “in-person” conversation is getting a little old fashioned.  It isn’t!  Whether selling, leading, or parenting, there is no substitute for a quality face-to-face conversation.  I am vividly reminded of this almost every day.Read More…

Posted: June 17, 2016 | Categories: Leadership, Management

Good communication is important.  One of the biggest frustrations I hear when coaching teams pertains to interruptions.  We all know the feeling.  We are trying to express something, we have a train of thought going, and zap!  We get interrupted.  When this happens, we begin to wonder if the other person is truly trying to listen and understand what we are saying.  Is there an antidote to this situation?  There might be.  Consider framing your discussion.  Here is how it works:Read More…

Posted: March 30, 2016 | Categories: Management, Team Building

If you own a small to medium-size business and are looking to retire in a few years, you could soon be facing a big problem:  When you leave, the value of your company will be greatly diminished because you have not trained your people to do what you do.  You say you already have?  Good for you.  You can read this sitting in the bleachers.  For the rest of you, it is time to get on the field of play and do some problem solving. Read More…