I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! I know we did. Now, it’s back to work, 
right? Well, to start the week off right I thought I’d share some of the best articles I’ve come across over the last few days – and a few of my own ideas too. Happy reading:
- I thought this was a good article about being a metrics-driven company: entm.ag/1WIwBX1
- Sometimes you can almost sense that a business has a “toxic” culture. Can you fix it? I for one think so. This article hit on that topic: bit.ly/1XN5wlD
- Being shy and introverted can help in business in some ways. Those of us that are introverts tend to be more analytical and sometimes can be better listeners. This article also looked at how you can use that to your advantage in negotiations: entm.ag/1Mm2Uue
- Some people have very, very strong personal brands. If you choose to use yours to make some money, here are some ideas for how to approach that: bit.ly/1pIaC86
- We know that the world of retail continues to change. It’s hard to know what the further will bring for retailers. This article discussed some ways they might compete in the future: bit.ly/1U5BNpN (via @FastCoDesign)
- Sometimes a company needs to pivot and change course. This article provides some good advice from some successful entrepreneurs did it: bit.ly/1MAcDYy
- The best route for growth isn’t always organic growth. A merger or acquisition could be the best route to growth for your small biz. This article discusses how to prepare for that: bit.ly/1RxCs2U
- A really top-notch customer loyalty program could be provide huge benefits for your small business. This article gives some good tips on how to design one: bit.ly/1VAFkvZ
- As you know, I feel very strongly that leaders and their companies need to be real and authentic – not a product of brands that are dreamed up by marketers. This article discusses how being genuine and authentic leads to better business relationships: bit.ly/21FAihp
- I love podcasts and listen o them all the time. If you are looking for some of the best podcasts for entrepreneurs, here’s a really good list to start with: bit.ly/1Zmo2CB
- How can we tell when a leader is being authentic – and how can we be one? This article looks at what traits authentic leaders have in common: bit.ly/1pFEO3Z
- Change in our business is pretty much inevitable. This article takes and interesting look at how our brains react to change: bit.ly/1WCYGPg
- Uncertainty might be one of the hardest issues to deal with for us a as small business owners. This article shared some ideas for how you might reduce the levels of uncertainty in your business: bit.ly/1WCV0wZ
Customers have been on my mind the last few weeks. How do we build a company that understands them and targets and solves their needs? One way is to develop the right staff. And developing your employees to deliver great service to customers is not always easy. Last week I shared some tips that might help:
- Developing a committed team is a two-way street. They need to know your business’s goals and you need to know theirs.
- All employees should know your business’s keys to success – and the role they play in accomplishing it.
- Evaluate whether you as a business leader have openly shared the org’s long-term vision, strategic goals with employees.
- Assess your back-office processes. Don’t underestimate how much they can impact your top-line.
And I also focused on some of those issues in my blog post – “Building a Motivated Team“. I’d love to hear your thoughts too! Please leave a comment and/or share it!
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Well I hope you enjoyed this week’s summary.
Let’s get the workweek off to a solid start!
Also, one last thought, please let me know if there are some topics you are interested in. I’ll be happy to start focusing more on topics you suggest! Just email me at BCohen@IDiscoverConsulting.com or use the Contact Us page on my website.
IDiscover Journal 