The Thriving Small Business

4 Tip for Improving Productivity and Decreasing Employee Errors

by

I am a firm believer that employees come to work and want to do a good job.

However, it is the organization’s responsibility to ensure the work environment is one that inspires creative thinking and allows employees to do their job without any barriers or distractions to slow them down.

Apple is getting ready to open its new Spaceship Campus or Apple Park. Read the Full Article →

What Are Critical Success Factors?

by

Whether you are managing a restaurant, boutique or insurance agency, it is important to know that you are focusing on those things that help the organization achieve its mission.

Anyone who manages internal processes understands how challenging it can be to balance daily responsibilities with monitoring how well the organization is performing. Read the Full Article →

5 Barriers to Achieving Business Goals

by

Organizations use strategy and goals to move a business forward.

However, this is all dependent on how well goals are achieved.

Organizations need to have a structured performance management process to ensure business goals maintain priority until they are achieved.

Well written SMART goals lay out the framework and accountability for goal completion to support managing employee performance. Read the Full Article →

3 Reasons You Need to Manage Employee Performance

by

Having a strategy for business growth is imperative to success.

And, creating SMART business goals are the best way to achieve those objectives.

However, goals and objectives are only as effective as the people who have responsibility for completing them.

Managing employee performance is how work gets done and goals are accomplished.  Read the Full Article →

10 Steps to Developing and Managing a Budget

by

Having a formal and structured budgeting process is the foundation for good business management, growth and development.

Very similar to our personal finances, discipline and planning should be the cornerstone of a business budgeting process.

So where do we begin?  As with most things that come with managing an organization, budgeting needs to be driven by the vision (what we are trying to accomplish) and the strategic plan (the steps to get there). Read the Full Article →

5 Forms of Coaching Employees

by

Coaches can have a positive affect on the development of employees.

Many organizations encourage their leadership team to coach employees in performance,  skill development and career planning.

We all come from different backgrounds and have differing frames of references.

Some people are taught professionalism growing up and others have never been exposed to proper business protocol or etiquette. Read the Full Article →

Its About The Process – Not The People

by

Organizations are responsible for creating systems and infrastructures that support employee performance.

A speaker at an IHI Conference once said:

“every system is perfectly designed to achieve exactly the results it gets”.

This is so simple – yet so true.

Good employees, who are forced to work with bad internal systems, often fail. Read the Full Article →

Tips for Writing and Giving Performance Appraisals

by

Businesses use the performance appraisal process to manage employees toward achieving organizational goals.

The annual performance appraisal is one of the least favored times of the year because the process is often painful.

If done well, performance appraisals can be a positive experience for both the employee and the manager.  Read the Full Article →

Example Business Goals and Objectives

by

Part of the business planning process is writing business objectives that are translated into actionable goals.

Goals should support the strategic plan, which is a written document that articulates an organization’s strategy for achieving its mission and vision. The goal development process looks at this strategy and determines the necessary steps to get there. Read the Full Article →

How to Turn Customer Satisfaction into Customer Loyalty

by

Organizations that understand the importance of happy customers, need to think strategically in order to build a loyal customer base.

Successful organizations have learned that there is a difference between attracting customers, keeping customers and developing loyal customers.

Devoted customers are not only loyal to the organization, but also serve as advocates and help to solicit new customers by sharing their positive experiences. Read the Full Article →

8 Steps for Creating a Customer Service System

by

Have you ever interacted with an organization that provided great service in one area and terrible service in another?  How can there be such a cultural disconnect in the service that is provided by the same organization? Every interaction a customer has with an organization is an opportunity to win or lose that customer. Read the Full Article →

10 Tips for Dealing with Customer Complaints

by

Anyone who has a business has had the experience of dealing with customer complaints.

While listening to a complaining customer is not something most people enjoy, a complaining customer can be an organization’s friend if they try to learn from the complaint.

There are lots of things customers can complain about – communication breakdowns, process failures, faulty products, rude employees and unclean facilities, just to name a few. Read the Full Article →