The Foundation is Built in the Weeds

Stay out of the weeds! It’s often regarded as sage advice for all mid- to upper level leaders, but the reality, especially for entrepreneurs, is that the foundation of a business is built in the weeds.

Leaders of young businesses who dwell in the weeds aren’t micromanaging; they’re establishing a foundation. When the foundation is there, they can step out of the weeds knowing that the details will continue on without them being in the weeds to oversee it.

So, how do you build your foundation? Here are four areas to focus on: (more…)

In my career, I’ve been blessed to coach to a variety of personalities, strengths and work styles. I’ve learned that in most cases, there is no “right” and “wrong” way to be, and that different roles seem to attract different types of people. For example, sales people are more likely to fly by the seat of their pants and just wing it, especially if selling comes naturally to them. While it’s great that a person can quickly flex, a complete lack of discipline can harm the teammate’s individual performance as well as the team’s overall results. As leaders, we sometimes need to coach our people on those discipline extremes back toward the middle. (more…)

Imagine a workplace with no more rigid rules or stringent policies! What if we didn’t have to consult an inch-thick employee manual before taking time off, using the company car, or submitting expense reports. Some of you might be thinking, “That’s insane and impossible!” But in reality, a policy-free (or at least policy-few) workplace should be a completely rational idea.

Policies are only created due to someone not having Character, Common Sense or Care for others. (more…)