It’s common for people to contemplate what their dream job would be, but how about the workplace of their dreams? Most likely benefits such as great health care; tuition reimbursement; the option to work a flexible schedule, and perks like gourmet coffee would top their lists. Every year, Fortune evaluates more than 1,000 companies based…
Four Business Lessons to Score from March Madness
As March Madness tips off, many fans will be glued to their TV screens or nose-down on their smart phones watching the nation’s top NCAA basketball players engage in fierce competition. Players will push themselves more than ever, and coaches will inspire like never before. Just as in the business world when stakes soar high,…
Three Tips to Prevent Employees from Jumping Ship
According to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report, the U.S. currently has a high number of job openings. Record numbers of employees are contemplating jumping ship to embark on those opportunities. Consider these facts: Just over half of employees (51%) say they are actively looking for a new job or watching for openings. In…
Time Out!
We need to hit the pause button. I recently heard a statistic that senior level executives who use smartphones work an average of 70 hours per week. Their productivity, however, has not increased in proportion to the additional time spent working. Fred Vornbrock, our GM, challenged our senior team to track our time for two…
Four Business Lessons to Garner from the 2017 Oscars
Some are calling Sunday night’s 2017 Academy Award for Best Picture mistake a mix-up of epic proportions. Here are four lessons that extend beyond show business worth incorporating into your daily routine. Smile– Whether the nominees were ultimately winners or losers, every single one smiled during practically the entire Academy Awards show. It’s certainly an…
Negotiations—Four Steps for Smooth Selling
Whenever stakes are high—as with negotiating, fear and anxiety tend to dominant our minds. Instead of fearing negotiations, approach them with the same process and perspectives as those who have mastered the art of the deal. Here is how. Define a win-win strategy. Sales professionals sometimes refer to an upcoming pitch as, ‘Going in for…
Four Favorable Ways to Frame Peer Feedback
Providing employee feedback effectively can be challenging, especially when conducting 360, or peer, reviews—a growing workplace trend. Here are four ways to frame feedback they won’t forget. Add equal parts of positivity. Before sharing constructive criticism, prime with positive statements. Since positive feedback stimulates the brain’s reward centers, the recipient will be more open to…
Mid Week Mentor
Time Out! The art of becoming a servant leader. Just back from a great vacation in St. Croix with my wife, Colleen, where I successfully hit the pause button on work, but not life. One morning, we drove across the island and toured the Cruzan Rum Distillery. Here was my servant leadership takeaway —…
Five Ways to Show Your Customers Some Love
Customer appreciation strategies need not be extremely costly or complicated. Here are five simple ways to show your customers some love. Surprise and delight. One of the easiest ways to love your customers is to reward them with complimentary perks. Expedited or free shipping, and sample products, are affordable ways to drive revenue and loyalty. …
Mid Week Mentor
How do you define “leadership?” I find it rather curious that so many people in leadership roles seem almost puzzled at first when asked to define leadership. Given a moment or two, most come up with something that might sound good in a textbook, yet it doesn’t illustrate what a leader truly does and certainly…