Leader's Beacon

So the Fall routine has set in, leaves are turning yellow and drifting off the trees in my backyard, and I feel like I haven’t quite settled into an optimum routine….  somehow, I should have accomplished more, I should feel more “energy” in my day-to-day doings.  How do I get myself re-energized and refocused? 1) [...]

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Some days I feel like I’m on walking upward on a down escalator — my 25 years of supervising and managing experience isn’t getting me the results I want.   This past few weeks, the managers in my own department have been teaching me a few things: 1)  Know the “style” of the decision-makers in [...]

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Details are the finishing touch that bring back your customers for future business.  A colleague of mine manages nearly forty commission sales people.  The “best of the best” make huge income and are revered in the top 100 of a large, multinational company. What is their secret? Make the customer feel special – like they [...]

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Leadership in business often uses the same principles we apply in everyday life.   Consider the following life situations: Puppy training: Our family has just acquired a puppy, and our training program has interesting parallels to my past days of supervising in the office. Maintain Consistent Rules – Remain firm and apply the same rules [...]

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There have been several times when I was swamped with hundreds of resumes for a single job posting – how does one screen down to the best applicants without taking days and days of effort? 1)  Define your most unique, critical requirements in the job Do you require certain unique characteristics that are essential for [...]

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Do you have a marginally performing employee?  Not sure exactly what to do?  Should you keep supporting them? When (in what circumstances) should you terminate their employment? A friend of mine, a certified executive coach, gave a great example of how to simplify decisions when dealing with low-performing staff:  Determine if your employee has the [...]

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Do you have a complex, large project that simply must not fail?  How do you set up the right team to ensure success? 1)  Choose your BEST people to participate on the team. A recent system implementation in my company proved to be one of the more complex projects I have worked on — the key [...]

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Have you ever watched a highly functioning department accomplish a goal or objective?   The secret ingredient I have noticed is that “natural leadership” is encouraged from every team member or participant. Within groups, each participant brings a unique combination of skills, talent or style to the discussion.  Great groups take advantage of this uniqueness. [...]

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What strategies will make YOU successful in business? A group of C-suite executives agreed that the key to a rising business career includes four main characteristics. They are described below in our series, “The 4-eyed employee” : So what are we talking about? The first “eye” or “I” attribute is the underlying foundation for business [...]

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What strategies will make YOU successful in business? A group of C-suite executives agreed that the key to a rising business career includes four main characteristics. They are described below in our series, “The 4-eyed employee” : So what are we talking about? The first “eye” or “I” attribute is the underlying foundation for business [...]

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What strategies will make YOU successful in business? A group of C-suite executives agreed that the key to a rising business career includes four main characteristics. They are described below in our series, “The 4-eyed employee” : So what are we talking about? The first “eye” or “I” attribute is the underlying foundation for business [...]

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What strategies will make YOU successful in business?   A group of C-suite executives agreed that the key to a rising business career includes four main characteristics.  They are described below in our series, “The 4-eyed employee” : So what are we talking about?  The first “eye” or “I” attribute is the underlying foundation for business success: We also [...]

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If you are one of those type “A” personalities that always has a dozen projects on the go, your spouse is on your case to reprioritize in favor of your family, here are some ways to “ease the load” and regain control: We also recommend . . .Great Interactions Rest for the WearyThe Boring Part [...]

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Have you ever had confidential information leak that reflected on you or your department? One of the worst surprises for a supervisor is having confidential information repeated back from an inappropriate source. How could this have leaked? Who leaked it? We also recommend . . .Labelling and Second ChancesDecision making waste?Use Storytelling Technique to Communicate [...]

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We have all been there – sent an email you regret. How do you handle the aftermath? This happened about a year ago….. I call it “Sorry, dialed the wrong number! ” We also recommend . . .How to Resolve ComplaintsWant to Collaborate? Choose Your LevelAre You Playing to Your Strengths?How Well Do You Get [...]

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Over the years, many employees have expressed unhappiness when they receive an “average” pay increase. My first question to them is, “Why should you receive a higher increase than the rest of the group?” The answer? … “Because I have worked harder than anybody else”. We also recommend . . .Are You Building a Leadership [...]

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