Management
Michael Mehlberg
Project Management Solution? Keep It Simple ...

Project management is among a top skill to master in any business; especially one wanting to grow.

Why?

Because without project management, business owners will unnecessarily run into common issues:

Project Management Solution? Keep It Simple Stupid
Productivity
Michael Mehlberg
Getting Derailed? Leave Room to Accommodate the ...

You often get derailed by "the unexpected.”

It’s inevitable.

You get interrupted an unexpected number of times daily. Those interruptions come at unexpected times. They each take an unexpected amount of time with which to deal.

That’s why it’s "the unexpected."

These interruptions kill your flow, destroy your focus, and force you to work on the urgent instead of the important.

So how do you deter, prevent, and deal with the problems these unexpected interruptions incur? 

Getting Derailed? Leave Room to Accommodate the Unexpected
Product Development
Michael Mehlberg
The Exact Value of Your Million Dollar Idea

I was shocked, hurt, and felt like my idea had been stolen. Though I had the idea first, Nintendo would be the star. Nintendo would make $millions. It took years before I was old enough to recognize the important lesson in this experience... 

The Exact Value of Your Million Dollar Idea
Business
Michael Mehlberg
Finding Your Value Despite the Competition

Are you second-guessing your next great idea? Are you downplaying the value you could provide to others? Are you upset that you found a competitor in the market who seems to be offering everything you want to (and seems to be finding great success doing it)?

It might be time to step back and realize a few important things.

Finding Your Value Despite the Competition
Productivity
Michael Mehlberg
On the Power and Freedom of Getting Yourself ...
On the Power and Freedom of Getting Yourself (and Your Business) Organized

Trust

Team Building Like a Professional with James Bennett

Team Building Like a Professional with James Bennett

Quick...

Can you describe the difference between teamwork and team building? 

Do you know the three factors to creating an effective team building event?

How do you apply vulnerability-based trust into your leadership and management goals to bring out the most productive, effective, and excited staff?

These questions aren't for the feint of heart, and often take years to understand and execute. 

Unless you're a Professional team builder like James Bennett of Firefly Events. 

James runs a small business to build team productivity, camaraderie, and effectiveness through planned events and outings. His experience is incredibly deep, and the list of companies he's worked with is impressive, to say the least. 

In our interview with James, we uncover some of his secrets to building strong teams, tips for dealing with toxic employees, and influential books that have helped businesses of all sizes develop an effective and energetic staff.

2 Valuable Leadership Lessons from an Ugly Presidential Election

2 Valuable Leadership Lessons from an Ugly Presidential Election

Like many of you, I thoroughly appreciated the thoughtfulness, rationality, and unifying nature of the recent presidential election.

As I was reflecting on how much everyone seemed to enjoy the entire election process and subsequent goodwill it created, a remarkable idea came to me. I thought, “why don’t I write a post that brings the election back up since people clearly haven’t had enough of it?”

Sarcasm aside, I do believe there is something useful we can learn from the election, although I’m not going to focus on anything in the political arena. Instead, I’d like to talk about leadership issues that seemed to plague the candidates throughout the process. I’m specifically referring to two key leadership attributes where both candidates demonstrated obvious and consistent weaknesses...

Two Key Things Small Business Owners Need to Do to Thrive with Brian Roberts

Two Key Things Small Business Owners Need to Do to Thrive with Brian Roberts

In this interview with Brian Roberts, founder and CEO of Croix Connect, we explore two things that often hold small businesses back from growing and what business owners can do to overcome them.  Brian shares his substantial experience as a business advisor, coach, and Vistage CEO Peer Advisory Group Chair to offer insights on how essential it is for business owners to embrace trust and delegation.  

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Five Ways to Know When Team Building is Urgent

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Five Ways to Know When Team Building is Urgent

In the words of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, “great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.” He’s right. No matter how much talent, hard work, and determination individuals can offer, teamwork is required to achieve results.

But if teams are essential to success, why do so many leaders and organizations spend little to no time working on them?  Why do they leave team development to chance?

The goal of this post is to provide leaders and managers with a specific strategy for assessing the teams they have today.  We’ll provide a framework to evaluate teams across critical the aspects of Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results.  In each of these areas, we offer context and questions to help leaders determine if their teams are healthy or if they need some urgent help.  We also suggest specific steps you can take in each area to turn things around. 

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