Recently, I was out for dinner and drinks with an old friend when the conversation turned to our work. My friend told me that one of his co-workers had recently revealed to him that he was well-respected but not necessarily well-liked by his employees. This sounded like bad news to me, as I know how…
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I always wonder in mid-January how many well-intended New Year’s resolutions have already fallen by the wayside. So many people want to improve themselves by losing some weight, watching less TV, or spending more time reading. The New Year is a great time to wipe the slate clean and start over. Yet by the middle…
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In business, you have to meet with a lot of people, especially if you are a financial advisor, or other professional advice-giver. This creates a big challenge: keeping your schedule under control and setting up appointment times. If you’ve ever been in the embarrassing position of having to reschedule a client meeting because you accidentally…
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I’ve observed an interesting trend in my years of business coaching – most people resist taking the advice of the coaches they hire to help them. There are a few reasons why this happens, but it is not impossible to overcome resistance to change. I’ve blogged this week on LeadEssentials.com about why it is so…
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It’s an interesting experience for me whenever someone finds out I’m a business coach. Some will ask for feedback, while some feel the need to go into “show off” mode. I understand both of these responses, although neither are particularly useful in the moment. But last week I encountered a business owner who honestly…
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There seems to be a lot of confusion out there about how to create a budget. Specifically, a lot of business owners have trouble knowing how much money to allocate to the many initiatives of the company. I recently talked with the owner of a financial services agency who mentioned he was really struggling…
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I don’t like talking on the telephone. It makes me uncomfortable. That’s not to say I’m bad at it; I just don’t particularly enjoy it. Telephones are a business necessity and, despite my personality-induced aversion, I spend a good portion of my day on the phone with clients. I like talking with them, helping them,…
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I have been in my industry for over 30 years. During that time, I have had the honor, privilege and responsibility of managing hundreds (maybe thousands) of people directly or indirectly. To be honest, it’s a lot of pressure. I want to be able to have my department deliver quality for our company. I want…
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So often, I find myself coaching my clients about all the ways that they make an impression on their prospects and clients. Whether we like it or not, we are always being evaluated, judged, and reviewed. The mistake comes when we believe that it doesn’t matter. Here’s an example. One of my clients in the…
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Business owners often complain that they just can’t find good, reliable help. Unemployment rates are down and good people are getting harder to find. This problem is compounded by new hires not sticking around for long, even when it seems like they might be a good fit. On the flip side, I hear jobless individuals…
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