When you prune a tree, you remove the dead or diseased parts so the whole tree will grow and thrive. If you don’t prune the tree, the whole tree is at risk of dying.
The same is true with businesses.
Prune the Tree
What do you really control?
Seth Godin wrote a blog post a while back called “The Illusion of Control.” You can read the whole post here. The gist is that we need to come to grips with the reality that we actually have no control over the outcomes of our actions. In fact, all we are in control of are the actions themselves. We can only influence the outcomes.
This is particularly frustrating for successful business owners who are scaling their organizations. Making the change from doing everything to merely influencing everything is difficult. Some can’t cross that bridge ever, and hopefully can be at peace with whatever size business they can manage to sustain by being a “genius with a thousand helpers.”
How to Have Healthy Conflict at Work
When I was 10 years old, I went on my first sleepover to my Irish Catholic friend’s house. Approaching the carport, I heard a commotion and was shocked to see the whole family of ten gathered, watching their two youngest kids in an all-out fist fight, and Mom and Dad making bets with the others on the outcome!
Commitment—Your Solution to Your Accountability Issue
Do you have accountability issues in your company? If you said “No,” you’re in the minority. Accountability is usually one of the biggest issues that hold organizations back. However, people talk about a lack of accountability and yet I find that many don’t really know what is meant by the word. Let me see if I can help.
Puppies and Stars
We’ve all heard the phrase “Hire slowly and Fire fast,” but most companies do the exact opposite. We’re quick to hire people because we have a need and we want someone in that seat, now! When people aren’t working out though, we kick the can down the road. Fingers crossed, we plod forward trying to grow our companies with the wrong people.
Check-Ins May Be the Cure to Your Lousy Meetings
Last week in a client session, two team members rushed in frantically just as we were about to start the meeting. They dropped into their seats with disheveled hair and scowls on their faces. One of them said they didn’t get any sleep the night before because they were up all night with a sick child.
I took a deep breath and thought to myself, “Oh boy, this is going to be a tough day.”