14 Feb 2022

With end-of-the-year reviews all wrapped up and plans for 2022 well underway, mid-winter seems to be the time for big promotions. Depending on the size of your company, there are a few kinds of promotions but, for the purpose of this blog, we’re going to tackle the transition that presents the most problems – supporting a staff member who is moving from being an employee to being a manag...

09 Feb 2022

​​After two solid years of strain, stress, and pain associated with the cataclysmic changes in business, teams within businesses are feeling the strain.  They are tired.  They are exhausted.  And in a lot of cases, team members are quitting.  Not to go somewhere else but just quitting.  Going to go take care of their kids.  Or start a business.  Or move closer to their extended families....

09 Feb 2022

Boards are messy.  Profit or Non-Profit.  Advisory Boards.  Board of Directors.  Sometimes they are just a disaster.  Why?  Well, compared to a fully defined team or organization, boards are made up of people with different agendas, drive, and meaning for being on the board.  Some are there for the mission and vision.   Some are there to check a box that says, “they are on a board.” Some...

08 Feb 2022

Partnerships are tough.  They sound great when you start out and maybe are even necessary to make a viable business.  But they come with tons of baggage.  Because both parties are human.  And they have their own needs, desires and goals.  And at times, these conflict with each other.  Sometimes over the most minor things.  I’ve worked with partners who have NO agreement defining their re...

08 Feb 2022

Oh, the head games.  I work with many clients one-on-one that have what I call head-trash.  A term that I learned long ago from my friend and business owner Anson Ross Thompson of The Thompson Group.  It’s all that stuff in your head you’re listening to that is total garbage.  You’re not good enough.  You can’t do that.  That’s a really stupid idea.  You’ll never be able to do that.  I’l...

08 Feb 2022

Tension in your head.  Tension in the boardroom.  Tension in your leadership team.  All draining the life out of you as an owner or leader.  Make no mistake, it is a battle, a tug-of-war.  And you must win it. But many are not. Over the last several years, I’ve worked with several leaders within organizations big and small. They struggle with dealing with the said, and unsaid, tension...

26 Jan 2022

We talk about resolutions every year around this time. Sometimes it’s about making and keeping those resolutions, but often it’s a joke about how long we can go before we admit defeat. That’s the problem with resolutions: without SMART Goals, we aren’t able to make the kind of progress we’re hoping to see in ourselves. What does it really mean to eat healthier? And how do you just find m...

12 Jan 2022

January is always a big time for hiring and onboarding new employees, even in a world where everyone is looking for help. But finding and hiring the right people is only a part of the battle. If you don’t set them up for success, foster them as members of your team and help them grow, you’ll be posting that job again in just a few months. At the Growth Coach, we have programs designed...

11 Jan 2022

An excerpt from a previous article penned by Bob Paden reads: “Why would anyone want to work for you and your business? I ask this of clients from time to time when the subject of hiring and retention comes up.  Usually in the context of ‘I just can’t find good employees.’  While there is nothing wrong with that statement on its face, it ignores an underlying cause - not being able to fi...

21 Dec 2021

The idea of “The Great Resignation” continues to exist across the United States as we head into 2022. We touched on this previously, but throughout discussions with business owners, I have found a few things for business owners to consider: First, only resilient businesses will survive and thrive in this environment. What is a resilient business? For starters, one that has prepared ...