The Wrong Definition of Management Hurdle

One of the saddest failures I’ve observed in my 16 years of business coaching are those individuals who define management as “Getting work done through others”.  Walt Disney had it right when he defined management as “The development of people, through work, while having fun.”  What a difference in approach! When adopt Walt’s approach it carries through hiring, interviewing, employee selection, training, company morale, etc. – in short, it affects everything in a positive way.  ...

The Bus Hurdle

Simply stated, the Bus Hurdle is overcoming having the wrong people on the wrong bus in the wrong seats.  The impact of not overcoming that hurdle is low morale, low efficiency and high turnover. I believe that most people desire “meaningful” work.  The concept of “meaningful” is personal and differs for each person.  People are normally wired to want to contribute, receive recognition, and want to make a difference.  The mistake most business owners make is failing to do the upfront work properly to insure matching the person to the right seat on the right bus.  That means asking the right questions, actively listening, and using behavioral assessments, when appropriate, to reach clarity with a job applicant on what jobs within the organization are available to provide “meaningful’ work to that applicant.  Failing to solve the bus problem is a symptom of Hurdle No 3, “The Wrong Definition of Management”  which I will discuss in tomorrow’s e-mail. At Wallach Business Solutions, LLC, we have been helping Business Owners, like you, for the past 16 years overcome these hurdles.  Call us to arrange a complimentary consultation to discuss this and other ways we can add value to your organization. Alan V Wallach, JD, CAP, CPBA, CPVA, TriMetrix HD Certified TAB Facilitator SBL Certified Cell: 414.750.1642 Website  ...

The Alice In Wonderland Hurdle

As was said in Alice in Wonderland, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will do”.  Why is it that so many businesses are started with a “Let’s try it and see what happens” mentality without planning, without thought to whether the business can be scaled to produce the profits necessary for a reasonable return for the risk?  My experience has been that the first necessary step in any new business is to prepare a written Strategic Plan for the business.  Most Strategic Planning starts with a step called “Vision”.  Here the author writes down what the business will look like at a fixed point in time.  I call it the helicopter view since it represents what you see from 5000 feet as you look down at your business.  Facilities, products, locations, number of employees, organizational structure, markets, etc. It is best if the Vision conveys the passion, purpose and contribution to society of the business owner.  Passion, not money, is what keeps a person and employees interested and motivated for the long haul.  Think of what Jonas Salk’s Vision would look like “To create a vaccine that would reduce death and suffering for millions from Polio.”  Is that a cause people could rally around with passion?  You bet it is!  I like to think of Strategic Planning as a five-step process: Business Vision SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Critical Success Factors Driving Critical Success Factor SMART Goals Action Plan Goal Strategies Action Steps Annual Review At Wallach Business Solutions, LLC, we have been helping Business Owners, like you, for the past 16 years create...