Category Archives: Management

Productivity Declines: Does it matter?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, as reported by Bloomberg, employee productivity dropped last quarter at a 2% annual rate. The common wisdom is that we have pushed an overstretched workforce as far as we can, but there could … Continue reading

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Leaner and Meaner (Part 4): Beating the Big Guys

If your small business depends on excellent employees, how can you attract and retain them against the resources of larger corporations? In our previous installments of this Leaner and Meaner series, we’ve talked about how the pressures of running a business today … Continue reading

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Leaner and Meaner (Part 3): Investing in Employees

Employees are free agents. As a business owner you wouldn’t sell your customers at a loss because in past years you made a profit. Neither should we expect employees to get better at their jobs without expecting compensation commensurate with their current … Continue reading

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Leaner and Meaner (Part 2): Retaining Good Employees

Last week we discussed the post-recession challenges that face business owners, and the economic and demographic shifts that mean we need to run our companies better than we ever have before. Between 2008 and 2010 many business owners faced a task they had … Continue reading

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2013 Planning:
Try Starting with “Who”

For many years, I’ve begun each annum with my clients by helping them answer the Seven Questions,  some simple keys to basic planning for the year. This year the questions have been picked up by my friend Jim Blasingame at the … Continue reading

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