E-Mail and Return Buttons
I used to make this mistake all the time — copy a “sensitive” e-mail to the wrong person. And then try to explain that I didn’t really mean what I had said in black and white. It’s so embarrassing! And so unnecessary. The last time it happened, I belittled a…
READ MOREWhat Are You Doing to Develop Your Up-and-Comers?
Let’s begin with an axiom: Business growth depends on new ideas that are well executed. If you are running (or involved in) what I call a Stage Two business (with more than $1 million in revenues and 40 employees), you deal with new ideas almost every day. In fact, assuming…
READ MOREDon’t Just Be Good, Be Known
Back in the day when I was just starting to work my way up the business ladder, it was my policy to give my boss more than he had a right to expect. Maybe more important, I made it a point to let him know whenever I did something good.…
READ MOREThe World’s Quickest, Easiest Performance Review
I don’t like formal performance reviews. I find them awkward and unproductive. But I do think it’s important to get and give feedback. I do that with the people who report to me by discussing their progress with them on a regular basis. I call these interactions three-question reviews. I…
READ MOREGet Out There and Make Contacts
You will accomplish your career goals much faster if you put yourself “out there.” That’s where you’ll meet prospective partners/employers/proteges/vendors. One of the best ways is to attend industry trade shows. Yes, the formal aspects of these programs — the speeches and the product presentations — are often superfluous. But…
READ MOREHow to Get Your Employees to Act More Like Owners
If you want your employees to think more like you do about your business, you should give them the same opportunities you’ve had. These include: The chance to profit when the business profits The experience of suffering when the business loses money The chance to see how the bottom line…
READ MOREHow Often Should a Profit Center Manager Contact You?
Your business is going pretty well. You have 18 employees and three product lines. Each of those three profit centers is headed by a manager — Dick, Jane, and Spike. Dick is in your office five times a day and copies you on every e-mail he sends or receives. When…
READ MOREWhat To Do When Your Boss Is Looking Over Your Shoulder
Second-guessers — bosses who delegate authority and then take some of it back — are a very odious sort. Most management books advise you to confront them. In some cases, that may be necessary. But in most cases I’ve witnessed, second-guessing is a response to a real problem. So before…
READ MOREDo Unto Others…
Sales and marketing strategies, product development, and the like are essential parts of any business, of course. But, as many of the speakers at ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp have stressed this week, much of your success as an entrepreneur depends on the relationships you form with fellow business builders. In fact,…
READ MOREIf You Want To Become the Boss One Day…
If you want to become the boss one day, think like a customer and act like an owner. How do you think like a customer? Let’s start with the obvious. Your customers are interested in what’s good for them, not you. They don’t really care how hard you work or…
READ MOREMastering Human Relationships
You get more out of your relationships with others — more easily — by not approaching them directly. It’s because of something called the Law of Indirect Effort. For example, if you want to impress someone, the direct way to do it is to point out your admirable qualities and…
READ MOREHard Work or Talent?
I believe there is a direct relationship between hard work and success. Those who work harder achieve more. And that applies equally to individuals, families, ethnic groups, and nations. Yes, talent helps. But talent is not something we can choose. It is given to us, as are so many other…
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