In two short years, Culligan Water Conditioning of Lubbock became one of the top franchises in the country by focusing on and nailing their Core Purpose and Values. Please note that they had been written down for years but they “came to life” after being asked a few simple questions. Dale and Nancy Tardy startedContinue reading ““Culture eats strategy for breakfast” – Here’s proof”
Category Archives: People/Teams
How to recognize an “A” player
3 Sets of criteria to help you recognize an “A” player (Link – Talent Assessment Form below) A. Productivity Are they dramatically more productive than everyone else? B. Professional Do they reliably set, commit to and meet stretch goals? Do they consistently demonstrate the ability to solve problems? Do they demonstrate technical and professional expertise? Do theyContinue reading “How to recognize an “A” player”
How engaged are your employees? – Ask one question.
If your company is like most, 10-15% of your employees are inspired. Another 10-15% are engaged. The other 60-80% fall somewhere between disengaged and dissatisfied.* If you are wondering how your company is doing, I recommend that you ask your organization this one simple question: “How confident are you that you won’t receive retaliation or criticism if you admitContinue reading “How engaged are your employees? – Ask one question.”
Create excellent teams in 3 easy steps
“People don’t change that much. Don’t waste time trying to put in what was left out. Try to draw out what was left in. That is hard enough.” ― Marcus Buckingham From the many folks who have researched the topic of productivity, I have learned that you need to discover and design for strengths and work around weaknesses.Continue reading “Create excellent teams in 3 easy steps”
What If Companies Managed People as Carefully as They Manage Money?
Eric Garton, the author of this HBR article makes some great practical suggestions on how to manage talent. I am sure you will find at least one useful suggestion to apply to your business. I highly recommend it. However, it is not the full story. I strongly believe that many companies already have great talent that is being wasted. There areContinue reading “What If Companies Managed People as Carefully as They Manage Money?”
6 lies that stand between you and success
In his 2013 book, The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results , Gary Keller reminds us of how often we get in our own way to reaching our potential. Beliefs we have either adopted or that society foists upon us or conventional wisdom dictates or that no longer work for us act likeContinue reading “6 lies that stand between you and success”
How to never run out of cash (#11 – final post in series – 4 min read)
Before jumping in, I think that Cash as a topic is inextricably linked to People – people pay you cash, you pay people cash and people spend your cash. People also are the ones that can find new ways to make and spend your cash. Providing some focus in these two areas can really payContinue reading “How to never run out of cash (#11 – final post in series – 4 min read)”
Would you enthusiastically rehire all stakeholders in your business? (#8 in a series – 5 min read)
There are four questions each leader should ask first when thinking about people and the business. Are all of your stakeholders happy and engaged? Would you enthusiastically “re-hire” all of them (this includes customer, partners, employees, etc.) Is your executive team healthy and aligned? Do you have the right people in the right seats doingContinue reading “Would you enthusiastically rehire all stakeholders in your business? (#8 in a series – 5 min read)”
4 Decisions to get right for scale-ups (#7 in a series – 3 mins)
We have now covered all the main areas in previous posts to tackle in order to successfully navigate through the startup phase. We will now move to the next stage of your business growth – scaling up! (This assumes that you have customers, employees and are at least near or at break even if not making someContinue reading “4 Decisions to get right for scale-ups (#7 in a series – 3 mins)”
Giver, Taker or Matcher – which one are you? Which one has the best payoff in the short and long term? (4 min read)
Taker example I had a manager once that told me that my next year’s sales quota would be almost 15X the previous year (from ~$4MM to over $50MM). We had just grown ~4X from the previous year. My first reaction was that this was a hugely aggressive target and asked him to show me howContinue reading “Giver, Taker or Matcher – which one are you? Which one has the best payoff in the short and long term? (4 min read)”