Starting and running a business is an exciting venture. Entrepreneurs start with a dream. This dream envisions an amazing future state. Daily, a mission is lived out with certain behaviors and values expressed. Strategy development bridges the gap between where the business is and where it wants to go. This is exciting stuff! Along the way, though, distractions surface. Lawsuits, miscommunications, under-performing team-members, et cetera get in the way of that exciting dream. How did it end up like this?
Steve Black
Recent Posts
Employment Practices That Create Workplace Distractions (Part 4 of 4)
Posted by Steve Black on Dec 12, 2019 9:15:24 AM
Topics: Takeaways, culture, onboarding, Growing, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management
Employment Practices That Create Workplace Distractions (Part 3 of 4)
Posted by Steve Black on Dec 11, 2019 9:25:19 AM
Distractions exist everywhere in the workplace! As introduced in the first two-parts of this four-part series, business owners and leaders must minimize distractions proactively. Waiting until an issue arises typically results in lost money, time, and productivity…all killers to an organization’s profitability and success! Here is part three of this four-part series.
Topics: Takeaways, culture, onboarding, Growing, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management
Employment Practices That Create Workplace Distractions (Part 2 of 4)
Posted by Steve Black on Dec 10, 2019 10:02:20 AM
Distractions exist everywhere in the workplace! As introduced in the first part of this four-part series, business owners and leaders must minimize distractions proactively. Waiting until an issue arises typically results in lost money, time, and productivity… all killers to an organization’s profitability and success! Here is part two of this four-part series.
Topics: Takeaways, culture, onboarding, Growing, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management
Employment Practices That Create Workplace Distractions (Part 1 of 4)
Posted by Steve Black on Dec 9, 2019 10:30:22 AM
Running a business is hard work! Operational bottle necks, financial obstacles, personnel issues, and business development road blocks are realities. New opportunities exist, yet day-to-day challenges and distractions get in the way. The last thing a new entrepreneur or seasoned executive needs is another people-related distraction! Such personnel distractions exist due to poor preparation and planning. When it comes to people management, business leaders must setup policies, processes, and procedures to maximize human effectiveness and tighten legal compliance. Up-front preparation allows employers to minimize lost time, energy, resources, and morale. Over the next four blog posts, I will explore ten employment practices that create workplace distractions.
Topics: Takeaways, culture, onboarding, Growing, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management
Cookies, Staplers, and Intentional Design: On-boarding Done Right (Part 3 of 3)
Posted by Steve Black on Sep 26, 2019 8:37:37 AM
On-boarding CANNOT end on day One. There are too many opportunities for a new hire to stumble and ultimately lose their Day One excitement. HR MUST take the lead in ensuring a new hire’s transition is successful and that obstacles are removed.
Topics: Takeaways, culture, onboarding, Growing, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management, 2019
Cookies, Staplers, and Intentional Design: On-boarding Done Right (Part 2 of 3)
Posted by Steve Black on Sep 25, 2019 8:16:28 AM
In my previous article, I shared the importance of a high-quality on-boarding program. When a company risks 20% turnover within the first 90 days of employment, successful on-boarding is not just a nicety; it is a necessity!
Topics: Takeaways, culture, onboarding, Growing, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management, 2019
Cookies, Staplers, and Intentional Design: On-boarding Done Right (Part 1 of 3)
Posted by Steve Black on Sep 24, 2019 8:37:18 AM
20%. The percentage of employees who resign within their first 90 days of employment (G&A Partners, "The First 90 Days Are 'Make or Break'").
Topics: Takeaways, culture, onboarding, Growing, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management, 2019
Micro-Interactions: Small Actions With Huge Results
Posted by Steve Black on Jul 15, 2019 10:45:09 AM
A casual glance at a cell phone while talking with a co-worker. Saying hello to a passer-by while walking to the copy machine. Interrupting someone just to say what is on your mind. Stopping to greet the front desk receptionist.
Topics: Takeaways, culture, Growing, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management, 2019, Micro-Interactions
Lattice Work: Building Structures That Support Strong Cultures
Posted by Steve Black on Jun 18, 2019 9:51:35 AM
In my front yard, a beautiful flowering vine grows. Each spring, it peaks out of the ground and within weeks, it covers a section of a flowerbed. Unfortunately, without proper direction and intentional scaffolding, it overshadows other plants, which experience stunted growth and premature death. The laws of gravity do not have mercy on the covered plants as the unattended vine continues its horizontal crawl. Unintentional damage and destruction take place not because the vine intends to do so. Rather, it is a by-product of growth and a lack of care by the gardener (me).
Topics: Takeaways, culture, Growing, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management, 2019
I do not fully trust my children. Now, before you recoil in outrage, hear me out. There are somethings where they have or will gain my trust, but there are some areas of life where I do not trust them and for good reason.
Topics: Takeaways, Human Resources, Growth, workplace productivity, Success, Management, 2019, Trust