Make 2017 Your Best Year Yet with an Annual Plan – FINAL

Picking up where we left off from the two most recent articles …….

Marketing –

  • On a scale of 1 (least positive) to 10 (most positive), how would your company’s current marketing activities and your ability to generate the right number of quality leads?
  • Make a list of what you think is needed to make this a 10.
  • Do you have an effective lead generation process that provides a steady stream of high-quality leads?
  • Is your company taking advantage of a variety of different channels for generating leads?
  • Are you sure that your current marketing messages are having the desired impact on prospective customers
  • Do you have an effective social media strategy and presence?

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Make 2017 Your Best Year Yet with an Annual Plan

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Many businesses have been in business 3, 8, 12, or more years, yet each year is a repeat of any other prior year. Why? Because everyone is so caught up in the day to day work of the business (working IN the business) that they don’t take the time to step back and take an assessment of where the business is (working ON the business) and intentionally do things differently to move forward toward the vision for their business. Continue reading

Servant Leadership

leadership

“Good leaders must first become good servants.” Robert K. Greenleaf

45 years ago, the phrase “Servant Leadership” was used by Robert Greenleaf. Since then there have been a number of business books written about this style of leadership and what it means.  The topic of leadership is always a hot one. We’re all looking for better answers.  Although servant leadership isn’t always specifically referenced in business writing, most successful leaders practice it to some degree. Continue reading

Quotes for Business from Fictional Characters

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Leadership

“Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don’t follow titles, they follow courage.”  – William Wallace, Braveheart

Why?  Leadership is much more than a title.  Many business owners are finding that out as they seek to develop their next generation of leadership for their companies.  True leadership is earned and it is much more than just knowledge of the business and a title.

Entrepreneurship

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20th Century Leadership & Motivation

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If you have employees, at the heart of your business is knowing what motivates people to do great work. It turns out that over the last 50 years a group of Social Scientists all over the world have taken a very systematic look at this question. Continue reading

Leadership – Starbucks Style

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I’m enjoying learning from The Starbucks Experience by Joseph A Michelli.

Starbucks has found a way to move from one small store in Seattle Washington to over 11,000 stores worldwide with 5 new stores opening every day and annual sales topping $600 million. Can we learn a thing or two about management and leadership from them? I think so! Starbucks has 5 principles that set it apart. The first one is:

Principle 1: Make It Your Own Continue reading

Hate Employee Performance Reviews? You’re in luck…!

employee preformance

There are few things that business owners and managers hate more than employee performance reviews. With the exception of a very few companies that do it right, the process is generally considered to be a huge waste of time by employees and managers alike while generating a lot of ill will. Continue reading