Our Cleaning Ladies: How to Delegate for Endless Amusement
At home, we delegate some of our housekeeping tasks. Our cleaning ladies do a great job! Dishes washed, counters cleared, sink disinfected; oven, refrigerator, and bathrooms disinfected; floors vacuumed or mopped and sparkling, random housewares put away. However, there’s one little problem: When they put things away, we can never find them. Like any other […]
Why it Took Me Twenty-One Years to Find My Purpose in Life
Does this sound like anyone you know? Over 20 years ago, I bought a book called “Build Your Own Life Brand”. I didn’t finish reading it. About a decade later, I started a blog. Didn’t write a word for another decade. 11 years after I created that blog, I finally published my first public blog […]
How I went above and beyond for customer service
There I was in an interview with a hiring manager from Amazon.com. I realized later maybe I should have prepared with one of those books about questions Google managers ask. My answer could have been better-rehearsed and highly polished. My answer could have been better-rehearsed and highly polished. I hadn’t much considered whether my performance […]
He Wanted to Build a Business: Entrepreneurship Meant New Actions To Take
We were flying down the highway on a three-hour trip, hurtling through space and time, ensconced in the drone of the engine, the whistle of the wind outside the windows, and the hum of tires on the road. We had time on our hands. He knew I have business training and experience. He asked me […]
We Needed A Miracle: We Created a Plan
The lead software developer on my team came by my desk to tell me she needed to tell me something. She wanted to talk in private, in a conference room, apparently due to the sensitive nature of the message. Once in the small room, she broke the news. “We’re screwed. The team and I have […]
He Increased Leads And Sales 25%
There I am at my doctor’s office, and I ask, “How’s business?”* He says he’d like to improve customer visits and sales per visit. He gets a lot of calls, but not all are great prospects. There’s a lot of upside potential. I tell him, “That’s interesting, and maybe not surprising. I noticed your Yelp […]
Before We Began, He Lived In Fear Of Financial Results
There I am at work. My boss tells me he wants me to look into something for him. “I live in fear of the monthly accounting reconciliation. The results are inconsistent and unpredictable. Too often, they’re worse than expected. I need you to look into it and figure out what’s going on. Partner with our […]
We Needed To Achieve The Impossible And Perform A Miracle
There I was at work, with a client who wanted to add three of their own company’s staff members to my company’s consulting project team. Groupthink in my organization created a situation where that wasn’t going to happen, and somehow that was acceptable. My option was to tell my client it was impossible: their people […]
Are You Happy With Your Results (Who’s Responsible For Your Performance)?
My friend, a therapeutic professional and part of my athletic training recovery program, was accused by his boss of delivering below his sales quota. He said it didn’t seem right: a simple calculation of his number of appointments times bill rates added up to much more than the business performance reports credited him. The result […]
How to Avoid Common Problems in Software Contracting
Contracting for new product development is risky business. There I was at my customer’s desk while he ran late from a meeting. It was my first time there. Tacked to his cubicle wall was a letter from his company’s legal department to mine. It declared a breach of contract. It demanded remedies, including assignment of […]