I have not found a better process than what John Maxwell described to prepare people to lead: I do it.I do it and you watch.You do it and I watch.You do it.You do it and someone else watches.” – John C. Maxwell, The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization TheContinue reading “Make Leaders On Your Team”
Category Archives: Blog
Managing Multiple Businesses by Structure and Scorecards
It’s hard to win if you don’t keep score. This is especially true if you are mired in details and can’t see the forest from the trees. I like simple systems that I will use regularly to create clarity and decision making. Thus, if you are managing multiple ventures, try creating your own dashboard. AContinue reading “Managing Multiple Businesses by Structure and Scorecards”
How to Keep Partners Accountable
“Business is easy if it weren’t for the people.” – Rockefeller There have been many management meetings wasted in examining why someone does not do what they committed to. It’s an exercise in unclarity and insanity. I personally hate talking about the same issue repeatedly without a resolution. Many times, there is an existing agreement;Continue reading “How to Keep Partners Accountable”
Consult Stakeholders for Requirements Definition
When you have to deliver on requirements definition for technology and software projects, it is critical that you consider all the stakeholders involved for their input, buy-in and consideration. This includes: If you design and drive requirements alone, you may be missing both overt and nuanced requirements that may be costly to fix later. Furthermore,Continue reading “Consult Stakeholders for Requirements Definition”
Pivoting vs. Determination in a Startup
In one of my technology startups, we are on a third pivot to drive a revenue model that scales. This is always a hard call because part of a strategy is to commit to the time, resources and risk of seeing it work or not. I like to model out the future on a spreadsheetContinue reading “Pivoting vs. Determination in a Startup”
Using Gmail as a Simple CRM Tool
For individuals and small teams that may not require the collaboration and power of Salesforce.com or the many other CRM solutions on the market, you can retain speed, simplicity and discipline with your sales and relationships using Gmail and G Suite. Much of the efficiency of using Gmail as a CRM comes from habits andContinue reading “Using Gmail as a Simple CRM Tool”
Managing Projects and Tasks in Gmail
There are a lot of project management tools out there (Basecamp, Monday, Trello, Asana, etc.) And many can be a great fit for sophisticated project management workflow for teams. The collaboration, task management and record keeping structure can be helpful. However, there’s a lot of friction also when it comes to using a whole otherContinue reading “Managing Projects and Tasks in Gmail”
Taking Notes
I agree with Richard Branson on Why everyone should take notes. We are moving through a lot of information and trying to make sense of it to be able to take the right actions.I have a process I have used for years that moves information to action. That is the goal of notes for me. Here is aContinue reading “Taking Notes”
Don’t Start A Business Until You Do This
When you don’t know what to do or have an idea that you want to build a business around, I would inject restraint. There are more things against you than for you. And the downside risk of your business idea being successful is much higher than the upside dream. I like Derek Sivers’ principle: “Don’tContinue reading “Don’t Start A Business Until You Do This”
Brainstorm Your Next Step
Opening up more options is always a better thing than limiting your choices. However, this takes some time and, I would argue, brainstorming works better in collaboration than alone. Working with someone else helps stimulate your thinking. When I brainstorm an option, I like to pull out visual tools. A Google Sheet for working financialContinue reading “Brainstorm Your Next Step”
