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“There is no ‘there’: Employee Engagement is a journey, not a destination.”

Can you imagine your employees looking forward to coming to work?  Can you imagine them working for a higher purpose than just collecting a paycheck?  Can you imagine them committed not only to discharging their own duties and responsibilities, but also to helping the company achieve its long-term goals?  […] Continue Reading…

 
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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

In their book, “The CEO Next Door,” consultants Elena Botelho and Kim Powell talk about “The 4 behaviors that transform ordinary people into world-class leaders.”  They base their findings on studies of over 2600 leaders.  While any individual leader may display a wide range of behaviors, Botelho and Powell […] Continue Reading…

 
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“Ideas are cheap. Ideas are easy. Ideas are common. Everybody has ideas. Ideas are highly, highly overvalued. Execution is all that matters.”

We were recently at a meeting where several of the people there started talking about a book they had read, “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” written by three top executives of the FranklinCovey Company . . . Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey (son of Stephen Covey, who […] Continue Reading…

 
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Don’t produce a budget. Map out a Profit Plan. (Part Two)

The blog below is a repeat, as were the previous two postings (October 17, 2018 and November 7, 2018). Combined, the three postings offer a template for developing a 2019 Plan. We are re-publishing these now because developing an Annual Plan is a critically important activity for any small […] Continue Reading…

 
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Don’t produce a budget.  Map out a Profit Plan. (Part 1)

The blog below is a repeat, as was the previous posting (October 17, 2018), and as will be the next posting (November 21, 2018).  Combined, the three postings offer a template for developing a 2019  Plan.  We are re-publishing these now because developing an Annual Plan is a critically […] Continue Reading…

 
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“The nicest thing about not planning is that failure always comes as a complete surprise and is not preceded by a period of worry and desperation.”

The blog below is a repeat.  It was first published a year ago, along with two companion pieces that will also be re-published in the two postings following this one.  Combined, the three postings offer a template for developing a 2019  Plan.  We are re-publishing these now because developing […] Continue Reading…

 
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“Give up trying to grow the bottom line. Grow your people and your people will grow the bottom line.”

Simon Sinek is an author and lecturer . . . he’s a favorite of ours and we refer to him often.  He is a self-described idealist who “imagines a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired to go to work and return […] Continue Reading…

 
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“Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.”

Our previous post talked about Continuous Improvement, but it’s an important topic that deserves to be thoroughly explored, so please consider this a continuation of the discussion we began with our last post.

No matter how good we are, we can always be better.  No matter how proficient we are, […] Continue Reading…

 
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“When was the last time you did something for the first time?”

George Romney once said, “There is nothing more vulnerable than entrenched success.”  In other words, we get a little success under our belt and there’s a risk that we become fat, dumb, and happy . . . in short, complacent.  Hubris sets in and some rigor leaves.  We take […] Continue Reading…

 
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“Success seems largely to be a matter of hanging on after the others let go.”

Let’s talk about Bill Gross, the serial entrepreneur.  As it turns out, there’s also Bill Gross the billionaire investor, but that’s not who we want to talk about.  We want to talk about the other guy.  The entrepreneur.  This Bill Gross has personally started over 100 companies, and more […] Continue Reading…

 
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