As business owners we often set policies and procedures from a reactive point of view. Something happened that brought the situation to our attention and then we put things in place to ensure they don’t happen again. But is this the best way to create policies? Can your staff weigh in on their effectiveness and when they do, do their opinions matter? If you have a sense that … [Read more...]
The USPS Lesson
The post office is nearly bankrupt, the cost cutting is not working. We are in danger of losing a service that is vital to many small businesses. So while other business blogs are looking at this situation and wondering what went wrong, I’m asking “what can we learn?” The postal situation is not unique and what it highlights is how the wrong type of organizational culture can … [Read more...]
The Cost of Business
In our current situation many companies are cackling about how much money they have saving on services and are doing their fair share to keep pushing prices down. On the surface this savings looks good to many companies, but as soon as the economy turns around these services are going to go back to the increased costs they deserve and then what? Well in my years I have observed … [Read more...]
You Are What You Say You Are….
Leadership is an elusive quality and few people ever really get it, but as the figurehead of a company you are supposed to know what it means to be a leader and a motivator even if it wasn’t taught to you. In my industry I see a lot of individuals who were really good at their chosen profession and that skill got them thrust into the management arena. Leadership is an elusive … [Read more...]
The Leper in the Room: Workplace Violence
As a business owner I have noticed that entrepreneurs talk about a range of topics and we share some pretty personal details; what doesn’t happen is the talk about violence. We speak about managing teams and dealing with problem performers, but we very rarely speak about what happens when those situations go horribly wrong. To get to the bottom of this I got some advice from … [Read more...]
Women Leaders: Taking a Second Chance
I had the pleasure of attending an Ewomen’s Network event in New Jersey aptly put together by Marilyn Kleinberg and the featured speaker was the women who founded this fabulous organization, Sandra Yancey. Over 100 bright, creative women, mostly solopreneurs, mompreneurs, with a smattering of corporate women listened to Sandra talk about CASH. Yup, cash, the kind you want in … [Read more...]
Why is Communication So Darn Difficult?
Post by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women on Business writer It never fails to frustrate me when I believe I have been clear and precise in my communication - and it becomes evident to me that the other party hasn't gotten my message at all! Whether it's a business or personal exchange, communication is my business - so it is particularly painful to acknowledge that … [Read more...]
Increasing Market Profile With Women’s Initiatives
Women's Initiatives Focused on Business Growth Due to the challenging economy and increased focus on revenue generation and business growth the timing is right for women’s leadership initiatives to be a catalyst for increasing organizational market visibility. All corporate initiatives are called to directly support business strategy in the best of times and these are not … [Read more...]
Why Nobody Reads Your Brochure (or any other marketing materials)
I’ve been trying for years to determine why some marketing, in general, is simply not effective. In fact, sometimes marketing has the exact opposite effect than what is desired. Case in point - the company brochure. Some firms work for hours, days, and months to create the perfect brochure with the best writing and layout. Yet later they discover that they could have … [Read more...]
Leadership Tactics: New Meaning of FEMA
The title of my almost finished book about women and leadership keeps changing, while I continue to search for essential concepts about partnering with our male colleagues in new and highly productive ways. A recent thought about a merger of the feminine and masculine aspects of our natures made me chuckle. Looking at a synthesis of female-male leadership qualities, I … [Read more...]