Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

In talking about a local bank that had great profits and low overhead, Kevin Stirtz talks about the two simple things they did to be one of the highest performing banks in the region.

The first decision they made was to serve a very specific loan market. Only one.

Secondly, because of the first decision, it allowed them to be choosy about who their customers were, and then they could serve the right ones extremely well. They wouldn't work with those who didn't fit in with what their expertise was.

This is a great strategy. Think of the additional benefits of doing business this way.

Just like anything else in life, there are times when we can get addicted to something. In the case of deadlines, this can be especially true. Here is one way that you can help yourself and the team to identify,... Continue Reading

We hear a lot about defensive management when people always talk about leaving a paper trail. Usually the purpose is in case you need to take some action, you will have proof that the event and communication about was dealt... Continue Reading

Probably the greatest hindrance to innovation is fear. When a business encourages or tolerates a culture of fear, it's basically dramtically reducing it's creative and innovative potential. Because the very nature of innovation implies doing something not done before, its... Continue Reading

One of the things we all like to do is read or listen to predictions of the future. Some call them trends, fads, or insights. How are we to interact with these suppositions? Do we just take them in as... Continue Reading

One of the questions that many people in management ask is concerning how they can make things change for the better when they aren't in the position to make final decisions. There are two things to consider when asking that... Continue Reading

Most of the time when we think of a team, we immediately think of some type of official organizational creation to do a specific job. While that's not necessarily untrue, it's not the whole picture. The minute anybody within a... Continue Reading

Training should be one of the "killer apps" of any company today. Not too many take a lot of time to bother with it, and some barely at all. It's somewhat looked upon as something to occasionally do because others... Continue Reading

There are times that, for a number of reasons, employees that are usually very reliable and can be counted on in almost any situation, suddenly start losing their edge and their work isn't what it usually is. When you notice... Continue Reading

One of the nagging problems with relationships between employees and business is the misunderstanding of what employees really want or don't want out of their jobs. Human Resource professional, Kevin Horseman, Deloitte’s Manager of Human Capital Consulting gave a number... Continue Reading

All management positions are not created equal. If you are offered an opportunity for advancement, make sure you look at the whole picture before plunging in. One of the biggest keys to protecting yourself is to look at the turnover... Continue Reading

There is a lot of talk that goes around these days about the difference between leaders and managers. I'm not going to quibble about terms, but one thing that defines both is vision. Now what some usually try to distinguish... Continue Reading

Sometimes it can be hard to know whether you should try to go further in your management career or not. Somewhere you will find your limits and it can be disappointing when you do. When considering this we need to... Continue Reading

While there has been some movement in the area of using blogs internally, I think that this could be a tremendous opportunity to keep lines of communication open and allow employees to sound off and add input to the company... Continue Reading

A business or department must be considered a living thing; an organism. As such, we all must understand that it will always constantly changing. Because that's true, we must keep the attitude of being flexible always within ourselves. Any type... Continue Reading

The uniqueness of employees and what it means to a business, is one of the characteristics that distinguish fair managers from great managers. It's the difference of seeing the world in multiple colors or being color blind and seeing things... Continue Reading

Sometimes over the years we can get to feel that we don't enjoy managing anymore and either think about quitting or dropping out of management altogether. Now sometimes it may just be the time and right thing to do, but... Continue Reading

There are times when our reaction to events will determine the type of manager and person we will be. When something happens at work that triggers strong emotions in you, it is what you do with them that will determine... Continue Reading

Every person that has success in managing and leadership, has at their inner core a high level of integrity. If you find yourself in a management position, but nobody is really following you, first look within honestly to see if... Continue Reading

Businesses exist for the purpose of serving human wants and needs, people don't exist for businesses. Nonetheless people and businesses need each other. Specifically employees need jobs, satisfaction, opportunities and fulfillment on the job. Businesses on the other hand need... Continue Reading