Feel stressed? Probably. There are many reasons to feel anxiety and fear these days. Life was already pretty hectic and stressful even before the global health emergency. So it makes perfect sense to feel even more stressed now. And, it is collective. Practically everyone everywhere is affected. There is no downplaying the seriousness of the situation. But, how you handle all this anxiety, uncertainty and fear matters. Unrelenting and unrelieved stress can also make you sick. No one should survive the Covid-19 pandemic and die of Stress-2020. Just as everyone is following the directives to distance, they should also take steps to relieve stress. Continue reading →

The world is changing… fast. A “new normal” is emerging in which remote work is commonplace and productivity is increasingly measured by results not activity. What is not changing is that customers continue to expect companies to deliver quality products or services in a timely manner and in a way that delights, whether the business is completely virtual, partially online and partially live, or 100% in person. How business is done may be changing, but people still expect great service no matter what. So what does great service look like now, in the age of Coronavirus? Continue reading →

Working side-by-side with others spurs creativity, generates motivation, increases teamwork and even sparks competition. But “sheltering in place” is pushing businesses to have all employees telecommute for a period of time. This is a big adjustment for both employer and employees. But it is up to management to provide the tools, training and structure to make remote work sustainable for an entire organization. Here are a host of strategies to make the process more efficient and effective. Continue reading →

Coronavirus is now the top story of every news outlet every day. And the economic fallout of the pandemic is painfully reverberating through every sector of every country. Companies that want to keep from shutting down are turning to remote work and telecommuting when possible. But it is not easy to transition an entire organization to working remotely 100% of the time. While even in the most ideal situations having everyone telecommute is likely to be challenging, it can also have some benefits. Here are some tips for making the transition smooth and overcoming the most common issues. Continue reading →

Bring it. Make it happen. Just do it! Get it done! These are the daily mantras of business. Calls to action that convey urgency. Commands to seize the day. Act now. Do more. But as anyone in business can attest, sometimes the hardest part of making things happen is not just getting started, but maintaining that level of action and energy over time. The challenge is to persevere, focus and super-perform not just for a day but year after year. So how can a business create, maintain and harness the highly-desired-but-ever-so-elusive power of momentum?
Here are five simple steps. Continue reading →

How do you grow a company in today’s increasingly uncompromising, hyper-connected, lightning-paced, engagement-driven market? Directions are many but clarity and certainty are scarce. Even major companies led by seasoned business people are having trouble parsing a way forward as the world transitions from an Efficiency / Competitive Economy to a Knowledge / Collaboration Economy. It is a business landscape where the big eat the small, the fast zip past the slow and the shrewd outmaneuver the misguided. So how can business leaders help their organizations not just survive but thrive? It boils down to three things. Continue reading →

‘To post or not to post’, that is the question. Or more accurately, ‘what is ok to post or not to post’? For most professionals, it is a balancing act between one’s views and values and those of the employer. The guidance most organizations give is “don’t post anything inappropriate, disparaging or insulting.” But that leaves a lot of room for interpretation and error. And, many employers don’t provide any social media guidance at all. Employees are told to use their judgment, which is risky. How does someone decide what’s to okay to post on social media? Continue reading →

How well do you know your company’s brand? Mission. Vision. Motto or defining value. Slogan. Tagline. Dominant selling idea or positioning statement. Does every person at the company know it thoroughly? Whether it is the owner, a C-Suite leader, a middle manager or a rank-and-file employee — from the receptionist to the top decision-maker — every person that works at a company should understand the identity of the company’s brand much the way you’d know the details about a best friend, child or life partner. Name, occupation, character, personality, values and qualities. So how well do you know yours? If you were given a grade on your brand knowledge, would you get an A or an F?

Take our Brand Quiz to see how well you score. Continue reading →

What companies often have in abundance is managers. What they often lack is true leaders. Leadership is different from management. It is not only more rare, it is also more valuable. While there is a glut of ideas and approaches to leadership being touted by educators, pundits and the media, one of the most effective is Servant Leadership. That is because the Servant Leader is the antithesis of how so many people in positions of power lead. Here’s how they are different and the top 10 qualities needed to be a Servant Leader. Continue reading →

Are you a Servant Leader? Should you be? Is that leadership approach more effective than others? What does it even mean? While the term Servant Leadership sounds like a contradiction in terms, this leadership philosophy — first popularized in modern business management circles in the 1970s — actually dates back hundreds if not thousands of years and has been adopted by many highly successful people across a multitude of industries and sectors. Here’s the scoop on what a Servant Leader is and why it can revolutionize your business. Continue reading →