When I was a banker I worked with hundreds of small businesses, most of whom never had a budget for their business. They sometimes pulled together projections to obtain a loan, but they rarely used them for comparison purposes later. Although a budget is simply a tool to help you compare your original expectations to your actual results, it ...
Years ago, a banking customer of mine owned a chain of three retail stores. The owner assigned each of his two sons one store to manage while his third store was assigned to Ron, a close friend of his sons. By far, the best managed store was the one led by Ron. I recommended that the owner leverage Ron’s ...
Scooters Coffee franchisee, Tracy Bouwens, shared with our network about her transition from being a stay-at-home mom to owning her first Scooters store. She hired a new employee, gave her a Scooters uniform, and instructed her to start work on Monday. On Monday, the employee arrived but wasn’t wearing her uniform. Tracy considered possible reasons for her disobedience and ...
If you ever doubt the power of words, watch a few of President Ronald Reagan’s speeches. Reagan’s charm in front of a camera, in part, made him a great President. He had a way of telling stories with the right amount of truth and humor to rally people to follow him. Columnist, Peggy Noonan, who worked for President Reagan, ...
If you’ve ever led a team of people, you’ve likely experienced times when one person dominates the conversation. Because they’re talking instead of listening, these workers usually don’t fully understand the breadth or depth of the issues being discussed. The wisdom that the others in the group can bring to the issue is often drowned out by incessant talk ...
In 1 Kings 3, King Solomon was forced to make a tough decision. In this story, two women had babies, one of which died. Both women claimed the living baby was theirs. God gave Solomon the wisdom to offer a brilliant, but unsettling, answer. Solomon asked for a sword and declared that the baby be cut in half. The ...
One challenge small businesses face, who are forced to compete against larger businesses, is a lack of resources. Large companies can hire more people and invest in technology that may be hard for smaller businesses to come by. This disadvantage requires that a small business needs to be even more selective in hiring the right people who fit the ...
Recently, I was invited to attend a Legacy Letter Workshop that helps people like me leave a hope-filled letter for our children. There may also be a business application possible. Baby Boomers are now transitioning businesses and leadership roles to the next generation. We have insight, wisdom, and experiences to pass on to our successors that may be welcomed ...
In the book of Revelation, Jesus gave performance reviews to seven churches. As I studied the seven letters, I believe I’ve discovered a roadmap for performance reviews. After listing the churches’ Strengths, Jesus next addressed their Areas for Improvement. He directly addressed their flaws beginning with the phrase, “But I have this against you.” This section was very direct, ...
In the book of Revelation, Jesus gave performance reviews to seven churches. As I studied the seven letters, I believe I’ve discovered a roadmap for performance reviews. In this series, we’ll cover four sections Jesus used; Strengths, Areas for Improvement, Corrections Needed, and finally words of Hope and Encouragement. Let’s begin with Strengths. Five of the seven letters begin ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
