When you think of a safe work environment most likely the first thing that comes to mind is “workplace safety”. Well, I want to talk about the real “elephant in the room” when it comes to a safe work environment. Do your employees feel they have a safe place to work in? Continue reading
Few people are more optimistic than I am. Entrepreneurs must be optimists or they will shut down before they really get started (could this be one reason so many businesses fail so soon after they start?). Yes we have to be optimistic but Entrepreneurs are also realists. In other words we cannot have our “heads in the sand” so to speak. Am I optimistic about the economy? You bet I am and I expect our business to grow exponentially. The economic reality however is this (based on what I see): It is going to get far worse before it gets better! Continue reading
When all is said and done, the real crisis we face as a nation and business community comes down to a leadership dilemma.
Anyone can be a leader. Often leaders are placed into positions for “time-in-grade”, sometimes by default to fill a critical vacancy timely, sometimes because the individual is in the right place at the right time and steps forward to accept the challenge. There are natural born leaders but these are few. Most of us in leadership positions have to learn and practice the skills needed for success. The fact remains that those of us in leadership positions must make decisions on a regular basis that affect others.
Here are seven filters that separate strong leaders from anemic ones: Continue reading
Edoc Service, Inc. has been pioneering the virtual structure from day one now in our 14th year of business. Our initial premise involves “stay-at-home” workers serving the business community. As others hear about our structure their response is often, “this would not work at our company”. Well, there are exceptions and companies that simply cannot go entirely remote for very good reasons yet with the correct mindset many companies can and ultimately will. Needless to say, this is not a good time to be in commercial real estate.
Here are some of our learnings:
Virtual is different
Virtual structure thinking is unlike the central workplace. It is no longer about hours, time at work, and management. It is about leadership, results and requires some “out-of-the-box” thinking. Continue reading
As long as we are on the topic of teams and as an entrepreneur I find myself a team leader on several fronts. There is my company team of managers, the local Ethical Business Committee I chair, plus preside over a non-profit corporation.
Most if not all entrepreneurs want winning teams and seek the best and the brightest. The challenge is how to direct and lead a group of over-achievers? How do you empower the empowered? Over-achievers are smart, leaders in their own right and as such they know when to lead and when to follow plus come to the table armed with skills and talent.
Credibility Matters
There is no room for duplicity, deception or artificial arguments here. The OA team expects the leader to be genuine and therefore character-driven. Everyone on the team means what they say and says what they mean so the leader better be prepared to do the same. They will tell the truth for there is neither room nor time for “political correctness”. Continue reading
Who needs HR?Why is it that 80% of workers are dissatisfied with their jobs (according to Deloitte’s Shift index survey)?
Why are sales people not meeting their sales goals?
I would suggest that the answer to both questions points to the company culture. Continue reading
Finances can rear an ugly head if not guardedTransitioning from the corporate world to that of the entrepreneur has been an eye-opener. Up to that point by trade and education my expertise was in accounting. These skills have been vital during the start-up years of the company yet I now realize how easy it is to lose the pulse on finances when company operations get hectic. Continue reading
Today’s Business Environment Requires a Different Approach in the Business-To-Business MarketIt is time to be honest and face some facts. Our current business environment is more transitional than economically depressed. Companies today are operating very lean prompted by the economy yet finding efficiencies worthwhile and within best practices. The first fact is this: decision-makers no longer have the time or patience to be sold. They are still willing to buy however but only from the right individuals.
Sales have always been and will remain succeeding on relationships. The question today is, who is in the best position to develop and cultivate this relationship? This further begs the question, who has the right to meet with the decision-maker? The second fact is this: Sales person relationships with clients are fragile. Real relationships are established with the customer-service team who are actually providing the service. These associations are solid often leading to real business partnerships as business service relationships should be. Continue reading
No one is more interested in current contact list opportunities than Edoc. Lead generation is an important aspect in helping our clients bridge the gap from sales expectations to sales results.
Several years ago a friend called me after hearing a radio interview with Ben Golub the developer of Jigsaw an online contact database source with up-to-date information. My friend was very excited about the concept. Simply upload complete contact information from our own contact database and receive a free download of an equal number of contacts from the database uploaded by others. The site also allows one to purchase contacts for a fee. I will admit at first I was intrigued and logged on to the website. But then I began to wonder how I could use it. I could not simply violate the confidence of my clients, prospects, casual contacts, etc. by uploading their contact information without permission. Eventually I dropped the idea. Continue reading
Here is another view“Know your competition” is still being touted by the (alleged) sales and marketing experts. An article in a recent Inc. Magazine even tells in detail how we can legally snoop on our competition. All this chatter begs the question for me: Why? Continue reading