It has been said, “We’d better pay attention to the future because that’s where we’re going to spend the rest of our lives.” Success in any business is a clear picture of where the business is going and even though there is technically no “end,” what will the end result look like? The propensity of most management teams right now is to focus on the present, to put out fires, and manage by crisis. With all of the changes in the business environment over the last 24 months, that propensity is understandable; however, crisis management doesn’t prepare your organization for future growth and opportunity.

Analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of a business is a well-established tool that is widely used by academics, consultants, and advisors. Although it is a simple concept, business owners often struggle when trying to use it because it is so broad. It is difficult to determine where to start, what questions to ask, and where to focus. The obvious problems get attention while many other important issues get overlooked. 

Team building remains one of the most vital functions for long-term success in business. The reasons are many, but as more and more employees leave the workforce for more personally fulfilling options such as home-based businesses, the decline in both morale and available talent is diminished. One of the top reasons people leave their jobs is that they feel unappreciated or undervalued.

You might be able to attract people with high value skills through a well-presented ad. However, to keep them with you, your organization must have put in place workforce management policies that make these people want to continue with the organization. The policies must fit in with the organization and the place where it is located. If the policies are incompatible with the existing organization and place, they are likely to remain just book policies that will not be implemented in their true spirit. We look at some standard workforce management policies that can create an environment that make people want to remain with you.

If you search for “why businesses fail” you will get millions of results talking about the pitfalls and untold reasons why businesses go out of business. Instead of the focusing on what went wrong, focus on planning and building for success. Outcomes that are focused on are typically the outcomes that are generated. If you want to build a successful business you need to focus on success.  We can learn a great deal from businesses that fail and apply that knowledge to actions step that propel a business toward success and away from failure. Here are some important elements of a successful business to consider.

... Not too long ago, a colleague had a problem with her knee and after seeing her family doctor she was referred to a knee specialist - a specialist considered one of the best in Indianapolis. When she called for an appointment, she feared the worst. Instead, she had an appointment within 24 hours.

My guess is that as you read each of these short stories, you were surprised at the level of service. The fact is, this level of service should be the norm, but sadly isn't. Our experience has lowered the expectations of most of us. But there is good news...

People choose to buy from you, offer help, and grant rewards based on trust. In many ways, trust is your most valuable resource. Stephen Covey in his book The Speed of Trust tells us that, "when trust goes up, speed goes up and cost goes down."  Here are a few of the ways to increase your success by building trust. While you may already do most of these things, missing even one of them can ruin it all.

For years, I have tried to answer this one question: What do businesses that achieve sustained growth do differently from those that stagnate or fail?

As an executive coach, I speak to a variety of different types of business owners each year. I’ve learned that there are no silver bullets or 17-point checklists that will lead to guaranteed growth. There are, however, seven specific areas in which growth companies concentrate their efforts.

What is it that separates a boss from a great leader? How do you better lead even when you aren't in charge? It is important that we not only be able to lead others, but be willing to lead ourselves. No one achieves success alone and no one becomes successful by just following the crowd. Sometimes we simply must strike a bold new path for ourselves.

If you are like most people, you want to be great in your role. Everyone wants to progress forward in their career and get better along the way. The hard reality is, that the norm in business and in life is that if we aren’t intentional about trying to improve, we can stagnate and develop habits that make us ineffective. We want to lead, but we just end up managing. So what is the difference between a manager and a leader?