work on your business

Make Time for Internal Business Management

Do you take time to analyze your internal business cycle or do you ‘back burner it’ from year to year depending on client demands? Every business has an external and internal business cycle. For example, when I work with CPA firms providing accounting and bookkeeping, audit, employee benefit plans and tax services, we are faced…

2022 ahead

Getting ready for 2022

Now that you have made it through the summer, what is next for your business? 2022 is on the horizon, and the way many people work is forever changed. How will you navigate the road forward? Where were you when you first heard about the pandemic? Some of you may have been like me, in…

Solve client needs

Are You Meeting All of Your Clients’ Needs?

Doing good work, consistently, is hard and rewarding. It is also fun if you love what you do. I consider myself fortunate because my work invites me to step inside a client’s business and help them do their best work. We do it together. My work is exciting because the people I associate with are…

change beliefs to change behavior

Change Your Beliefs to Change Your Behavior

Ever faced a really difficult task? One of my goals this year is to get better at capitalizing on, and leveraging, technology. Seriously, if not now, when? Most of us are still in a pandemic fog with more hours at our disposal than in the past, so I want to use them productively. Here’s the…

230537_10150240428501271_3857395_n

Are You Burned Out?

Burnout seems to be a popular word these days. It is linked to people feeling they can do no more of anything. Yet, we push more and more stuff through brittle systems now. It got me to thinking. When did this burnout begin? We have always had high, average and just getting by type performers…

smart-watch-821557_1920

Where Does the Time Go?

Learning and application go hand in hand. I grew up in a family of learners. My interest though was in sports, all things basketball. It got me through school plus my Dad taught me a lot about business. That is why I went to college. I still have my first college book, “The Think and…

AdobeStock_356048972-scaled_02

The Changing Leadership Landscape

The changing leadership landscape means again leaders face a challenging business environment in 2019. Moreover, opportunities abound for leaders who can effectively manage the changes required and deliver strategies for sustainable success. The dilemma leaders face is with the pace of change, unpredictable economic climate and disruptive technologies. These combined factors continue to impact negatively…

Confident mature businessman giving a presentation to his team in modern office. Business brief with annual goals with employees. Leadership man training businessmen and businesswomen in conference room.

Authentic Leaders Are Developed

Authentic leaders are developed and this is good news. In the perennial search for higher performance, leaders seek out new insights. For one thing, leaders focus on upgrading capabilities, addressing strategies annually and adding to an already full ‘to do’ list. They learn to instill calm and are trustworthy. Firstly, we trust them. Secondly, we…

Table filled with pages of charts, calculator, and cup of coffee

Mind the Performance Gap

To mind the performance gap means to build the habits that successful leaders display over and above just capability. Continuous improvement is critical when it comes to building business capabilities. While the capabilities a leader needs to learn or refine are similar each year, leaders need to commit to lifelong learning to master their skills…

Holographic images of 2 people displayed above a laptop screen

Innovation Process is a Bridge

Ready, set and go!  Creating a collaborative work environment using technology in a multi-office environment first starts with asking “what’s possible”. Next use an innovative process to work out the details.  An innovation process is a bridge between continuous improvement and breakthrough leaps. It uses simple steps to make it easy for your team to…

Student looks at teacher through screen in an online lecture

Business Skills Transfer

Implement business skills transfer through a Growth Hub leadership development program designed for you. Often, leaders are too busy for traditional learning and coaching support. In that case, leaders need to pivot and adapt to build new capabilities. They need experienced support to drive the success of the business, grow as leaders and adapt to…

AdobeStock_246395895-1-scaled_02

Core Visions and Purposes

Recently we facilitated a core visions and purposes workshop for business leaders in the CPA industry. The content applies to leaders in any industry who want to build better businesses. The book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras provided a deep dive on vision, values and purpose. Understanding core visions and purposes…

A hand holding an old-fashioned clock extends from a laptop toward a businessman

Managing Time and Productivity

Daily leaders must address the delicate balance of managing time and productivity. For instance, this is a great article Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey originally published in the Harvard Business Review in its November-December 1974 issue and reissued as a Classic in the November-December 1999 issue. The authors are William Oncken, Jr. and Donald…

Fishing boat in a storm in the dark, frothy ocean

Opportunities in a Crisis

In a movie that was popular in 2000, a Perfect Storm engulfed the experienced crew of a fishing boat off the New England coast. In the middle of the ocean the opportunities were few. Well, in 2008, a “Perfect Storm” of events both globally and at home hit the business world. While those were trying…

Man standing in front of transparent charts and graphs and examining the figures

Making good decisions to reduce risk

Making good decisions is a business skill that many people take for granted. My library is filled with books on proper questioning techniques. Some of my go to books includes: “Leading with Questions” by Michael Marquardt; “A More Beautiful Question” by Warren Berger;

Cross-section of iceberg with a view underwater

Business Improvement Strategies

Most business leaders I know are plugged in 24/7, continually searching for business improvement strategies to create a winning organization.  It’s true such organizations are rare, yet you know them when you see them.  They have the right structure, the right beliefs and waste is under control. It’s almost as if the stars aligned!  The…

Overlapping and intersecting view of highways from above

Roadmap for Growth – A 50,000 Foot Overview

  Developing a roadmap for growth is essential for you personally and for your business. We recommend you start with a simple roadmap. “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” – Lewis Carroll We’ve talked about vision and reflecting on the past to help you build a roadmap…

AdobeStock_298001885-1-scaled_02

What’s Working Not Working

What’s Working Not Working? Starting the year off with lots of enthusiasm and energy is like “resolution” mania. Lots of good intentions and activities crowd our minds. But how do they relate to where you and your business were headed last year? Have you taken time to reflect on where you were headed? What went…