Archive for June 2012
How to Annoy the Crap Out of Your Administrative Assistant
As if you don’t have enough to worry about, now you’ve got the HR department breathing down your neck because your administrative assistant said bad things about you in his 360 degree review. Think you have to take that? I think not. Let’s show that ingrate who’s boss. Here’s how. Condescend: If you weren’t a…
Read MoreHow to Rule Your To-Do List
When you work with busy business owners, you hear a lot of the same things over and over. One of the most typical refrains is “I never seem to get anything done”. There’s a way to fix that. And it’s easy. Follow this recipe. Start: You’ve heard it a zillion times, but it’s true…every journey…
Read MoreHow to get aggressive and run killer meetings
Yes, meetings can be awful. They can drag on pointlessly, and adjourn without progress or closure. If you’re leading a meeting, it’s your job to make it crisp, focused and efficient. Try some of these tips. Start early and don’t apologize: Let everyone know that you want them to arrive at least five minutes before…
Read MoreMusings from a Twitter Newbie
At the urging of people who are paid great amounts for their marketing savvy I jumped into the world of Twitter a few months ago. The goal, ultimately, was to use social media as a vehicle to help grow my business. So far, here’s what I’ve learned (most of it the hard way). At first,…
Read MoreEmployee Reviews Don’t Have to be as Miserable as a Fishing Trip.
I hate fishing. Many employees hate their annual reviews. There’s a thread here. Go with me on this one. When I was young, my father would occasionally take my brother and me fishing with him. I recall the following high points of the experience: We would spend the night – often several – in a…
Read MoreDon’t Invite IT to Your Personal Picnic
I’ve worked with Tony Cantrell of Release 2 Systems Group, whom I confidently hold out as the most talented technology professional I’ve ever encountered. Tony has bailed me out of more than one computer-related SNAFU. After averting one self-inflicted crisis I asked him what the problem had been. “No problem,” Tony replied, “it was a…
Read MoreReason #1 Why Running a Business is Like Training for a Marathon
I’ve completed a couple of marathons. I’d like to say that I’ve run a couple of marathons, but that would be an insult to runners. The verb “run” is reserved for people who are already finished with the race when I’m about halfway through. But I’ve trudged through the entire 26.2 miles a couple of…
Read MoreHow to Annoy the Crap Out of Your Vendors
Have you ever wondered how vendors stay in business? They screw up, kick you while you’re down, over-promise and under-deliver…it’s a long list. Then they want your money. If you’re like me, you’ve just about had it with these guys. Let’s teach them a lesson. Here’s how to make sure that your vendors and suppliers…
Read MoreQuick…Describe Your Business in One Sentence
Yesterday I asked a business owner to tell me in one sentence how his business makes money. I was very clear. You have one sentence. The answer took about an hour. It’s easy to dismiss the Sales 101 advice that you develop an elevator pitch, a sixty-second commercial, and a three-minute commercial. But that discipline…
Read More18 Months of Guilt to Go Before the NYC Marathon
The problem with knowing that I’m guaranteed admission into next year’s New York Marathon is that I now have 18 months to feel guilty about how little I’m going to train for it. And now that we’re moving into Dallas summers, I’ll be even less inclined to run. Distance guru Jeff Galloway says the secret…
Read More