I know what you’re thinking…I’m a consultant so either this is a self-loathing mea culpa or I have a point. Bear with me because I do in fact have a point. The thing about consultants is that we generally are really skilled at something, that’s why we’re consultants. But we are workers, fixers, problem solvers. We aren’t business owners and that is something that I have come up … [Read more...]
Managing an Entrepreneur
There is an inherent fear for people that aren’t entrepreneurs. They believe that hiring an entrepreneur will somehow infect the rest of the staff and cause them to defect. While this may be true to a degree, there is so much more your company can gain from having an entrepreneur in its presence. Here are my go to lessons learned. Be More Entrepreneurs expect more than … [Read more...]
Your Business, Your Leadership
The past week has given me the opportunity to observe the management style of a district manager for a fairly well known retailer. As I have had the horror of observing this individual, I’ve noticed that there are some things that entrepreneurs can learn from this horror movie. The staff mistakes are your mistakes What I have observed is this DM ruthlessly pointing out every … [Read more...]
Causes of the Business Leadership Gender Gap Are Different According to Men and Women
NEWS AND INSIGHTS UPDATE: Ask a group of business men why there is a gender gap in business leadership and you'll get a very different answer than you will if you ask the same question to a group of business women. However, the differences might surprise you. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox shares an enlightening story on the Harvard Business Review to demonstrate the disparity in … [Read more...]
The Power of Perception
As a small business there is a perception that the quality of the service we provide is directly linked to our size. The question is whether that perception is true and if it is, are we actually the ones creating that perception? Here’s what I have learned to consider when projecting your business image. Perception trumps ability I’ve noticed that small businesses have a … [Read more...]
What’s Your Worth?
Yesterday I had the good fortune to have lunch with an established mentor and the question floating around the table was 'how do you know your worth as a consultant'? I thought the answer rang true for any business owner and here’s what I got from the conversation. When you’re not sure of what you know, you charge for everything This is true for all industries, when you … [Read more...]
The Success of Failure
Entrepreneurs are created for a variety of reason, but the most pressing question is 'have you been successful because of skill or luck?' Most entrepreneurs will be very offended at this question, but it has merit and whether we like it or not every story of success is tinged with the luck. You were at the right place, with the right product and you met the right person. Just … [Read more...]
Get Your Organization In Sync To Sustain Change
Guest post by Suzanne Weinstein (learn more about Suzanne at the end of this post) Change is the one constant we know is going to occur and it is also one of the biggest challenges a leader will face. Leaders are acutely aware that change never ends. In fact, most organizations are interested in changing, not because they want to change, but because our fast-changing economic … [Read more...]
WomenOnBusiness.com Now Syndicated through Leadership Digital
This month, WomenOnBusiness.com was invited to syndicate our content through a new aggregation service, Leadership Digital, that aims to gather the top leadership-related content online and offer it in a single location. This is a free syndication opportunity that puts the WomenOnBusiness.com content in front of a wider audience of interested readers. Many top blogs and … [Read more...]
Business Leadership: Recycling Conflict
Last week I was delighted to be a workshop presenter at the HBA Conference in Philadelphia. The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association is filled with many of the brightest executive women I have met. The key to the success of the two day program is the care and constant tending the presenters get once they have been chosen. Interestingly, I mused about this after the … [Read more...]