Sometimes I think everything I need to know is contained in children’s movies. In his infinite wisdom, Cheshire Cat demonstrates one of the great aspects of any team of any size – a mission. Without one, where would we be? Consider a team of ten professionals, all high performers, more than capable in their positions. Despite […]
Read More Business, Employee engagement, Management, PlanningWhen you think of the word strategy, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of an involved strategic planning system. Maybe you think of directors having retreats, coming up with the future direction. One thing people rarely think of is the front line staff of the organisation. Fewer still think of strategies as ephemeral, applicable […]
Read More Management, Planning, StrategyIt’s been an interesting time lately. Here in North Queensland we’ve had a couple of recent cyclones (the southern hemisphere equivalent of hurricanes), and it’s been a little hectic, although things are starting to get back to normal now. Over the last couple of weeks a great deal of time has gone to preparing for, and […]
Read More Business, Development, Motivation, PlanningStrategy first entered the business world after World War Two. Leaders from military backgrounds entered the business arena, and brought with them their military concepts. Strategy was one of them. In broad, modern terms, strategy defines what an organisation does. Compare that with tactics, or operational strategies, which refer to how the strategy is to be […]
Read More Management, Planning, StrategySmall business is tough. It’s the industry where people work long, difficult hours, often without reasonable compensation. Working for yourself isn’t always the dream it might seem. It’s not all bad, though. Small businesses often have some of the best growth rates around. I’ve put together a list of my top tips for small business, to […]
Read More Growth, Marketing, Planning, Small businessSeting work priorities are a difficult thing for many people to do. There are a great many techniques for managing time and setting priorities, and there are a great number of wonderful books on the topic. I wanted to provide some pragmatic tips to assist in the overall management of your priorities. Could just as easily […]
Read More Planning, Productivity, Time managementIf there has ever been a colossally terrible idea, cutting costs so that your business can grow takes the cake. In fact, it takes the bakery too. It’s a story you hear every now and again. A company has fallen on hard times and decides to cut costs in every avenue to grow, or even […]
Read More Cost management, Management, PlanningI was having a conversation about planning with a colleague the other day. We were discussing how strategy and planning integrate, or at least how they should. I think Sun Tzu had it right in the quote above. To start with, a great number of people don’t understand the difference between strategy and planning. When I […]
Read More Management, Planning, StrategyWhen you’re planning for your business, whether it’s new or existing, start at the start. What I mean by that is, you have to have some general plans in place, before you can get specific. Without having that broad strategy and concept in place, any specific plans won’t share the same alignment. The result is […]
Read More Management, Planning, StrategyToday I went down to the local food court and again noticed something that confused me. A large number of retailers are still displaying signs advising that they accept “cash only”. This isn’t new. It happens every few weeks that I go to buy a coffee, or lunch, or something else, and I’m told “sorry, […]
Read More Management, Planning, Small business