As I was watching an episode of the #askgaryvee show, he simply answered the question of “Sup?” with what has been occupying his mind. This was brilliant and reminded me that oftentimes there is great value in telling those around you what you’re thinking. I’ve been focused on focus. As we move forward I have […]

I had the opportunity recently to attend a leadership forum. The focus of the forum was to introduce the group to the candidates for public office. There was a huge difference between many of them. What I took away from the session was that if I ever have the opportunity to present to a group […]

This was my favorite question of the week! What really made it my favorite question, was that I found myself asking it, not just answering it. As a leader, I think about this question and its answers across all levels of the business. This is what occupies my mind, keeps me up at night and […]

A critical aspect of employees thinking as owners is financial literacy. Since business generally involves making money, it is necessary to understand how that happens within an organization. Financial literacy does not absolutely mean financial statements though. It is simply connecting me to profitability, knowing how I impact it. If that can be conveyed with […]

As an owner I want to know 2 critical things: 1. How is the business doing? 2. What can I do to impact the business? Normally, owners sit at the top of the organizational chart with access to tons of information, much of it confidential. It has been my goal to engage all employees to […]

I was reminded this morning of the fact that no successful, individual leader actually leads by themselves. Their influence ultimately comes through others. Attending the Economic Development Council meeting thing morning brought this strong reminder. We are starting to see real success and momentum building in our community. This is coming from the collective activity […]

An aspect of family business relationships that is not often discussed are the long term business relationships established by one generation that sometimes change or end when another generation takes over. In some ways these relationships can feel very much like employee relationships. The connection is sometimes with a family member or aligned with a […]

About 10 years ago my father and uncle made the decision to sell their shares in the company, but not to an outside company. They created an Employee Stock Ownership Plan that put the ownership of the company in the hands of the employees. That ownership then becomes a retirement benefit for the employees working […]