What it takes to develop a high-performing team
You need people. But not just any people: You need a high-performing team. The kind of team that makes your systems—and your business—really work.
You need people. But not just any people: You need a high-performing team. The kind of team that makes your systems—and your business—really work.
When I started as a business coach, my life did not look like it does today. I lived in the city, in a house that was in the middle of a subdivision. I worked for someone else and had never considered myself an entrepreneur. My default vision at the time was that I would continue to build a career for myself insid...
Have you ever found yourself emptying the trash at the end of the day? What about printing shipping labels, cleaning dishes, packing boxes, entering receipts or customer data, or loading trucks? (Or maybe all of these things?) And all this is on top of the work you do selling, responding to customers, completing t...
Overwhelmed. Tired. Depressed. Stressed. This is how I felt having created a business that was a reflection of me without really knowing who I was and what I wanted from my life. I was tired, unhappy, in chaos and felt like my world was coming down around me. The world was in recession and I was caught in the eye ...
This is the fifth installment in helping you fully develop and implement Org Charts and Position Agreements, which support a culture of ownership within your business. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. “My employees know what to do, but if one thing goes wrong, they just stand around.” “They can ge...
This is the fourth installment in helping you fully develop and implement Org Charts and Position Agreements, which support a culture of ownership within your business. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Fully implementing your Position Agreements is an endeavor that requires simple steps over time. It starts ...
This is the third installment in helping you fully develop and implement Org Charts and Position Agreements, which support a culture of ownership within your business. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2. If you followed my previous blogs—and you kept it simple—you should have a Position Agreement for each role in yo...
This is the second installment in helping you fully develop and implement Org Charts and Position Agreements (also known as Position Contracts), which support a culture of ownership within your business. Click here for Part 1. The three things people crave in a business are: Certainty, Unity and Stability. Certain...
If, after reading part one and part two in this series, you’re starting to see the value in better understanding your financial performance, then we’re in a good place to move forward. If you’re thinking, “Sure, that all sounds good, but there’s no way I have time to put this much energy into tracking and thinking...
The day you decided to stop working for anyone but yourself was probably glorious. No one to tell you what to do and how to do it. Life suddenly had promise, imagining yourself spending every day doing the work you’re passionate about. Until… until the day you realized that instead of your boss dictating how you d...
John Lennon gave us, “Yes is the answer,” and I get what he means. He was talking about saying yes to love, embracing life, and seeing opportunities instead of limits—all important and valuable in building the kind of world we want to live in. But what about saying “No?” Is there a place for that, especially in yo...
It was about a year ago today that I was asked by Ilene Gail Frahm, our Board Chair, to become the next CEO of EMyth. The last year has been filled with an immense amount of learning and growth. My appreciation for every single person on our team in Ashland, Oregon has never been greater: they are all incredibly d...
I’m in the upstairs bathroom writing notes on my iPhone when it strikes me—the apparent irony of me sketching out notes for a blog post about work-life balance while in the middle of giving my daughters a bath. I left work hours ago but had hardly left my work behind me. And in that moment I felt so close to the m...
This is a guest post by EMyth client, Morgan Spradling. When I started Highland Cycles in 2007, I wanted to change the way people thought about the motorcycle industry. Over the years, motorcycle repair shops have lost their appeal and have earned a poor reputation. Everyone told me it would be impossible to make ...
How do you inspire your people? You can feel they need something. You see them come into work with tired eyes and watch them half-listen during meetings. You know it’s on you to uplift them or bring them more meaning, something to get their head above water and remember why they took a job with your company in the...
You call your team together to roll out your strategy for the coming quarter. Everyone gathers around and all eyes are on you. You’ve spent at least forty hours over the last two weeks planning, modeling, forecasting, all in anticipation of this day. OK, take a deep breath, and begin your presentation. Five minute...
On It is a monthly podcast where we tell the stories of business owners and how they transformed their companies. Listen to the latest episode on Soundcloud and iTunes. In Part 1 of Jeff Schneider’s turnaround story, his business, Marketing Ninjas, was on the edge of failure. But, Jeff was determined to keep his b...