There is nothing wrong with risk aversion.
It is only aversion to reasonable business risk that is a problem. When a business leader complains of excessive risk aversion in his staff, the underlying concerns are frequently personal. Continue reading
Steven's Blog
You Have the Right to Make Mistakes
Some people are natural leaders, and I have met a few. For most of us, leadership is something we learn. Making the transition from an operational staff or manager to a leader of people can involve the discarding of false beliefs and misconceptions. Below are five of the most common ones I have encountered when coaching leaders at all levels, along with what I advised.
The Golden Rolodex Trap
You should always own and never outsource relationships in your business in Japan or anywhere else, and there is no reason you should have to, no matter what you might have been told.
Discipline To Do What You Know
There is not knowing how to do something and not being comfortable with doing it—and the two are not the same. Leaders I encounter often know more than they think. It is those who possess the discipline to do what they know who achieve the greatest success. Click To Tweet
Reject Status Quo Salesforce Behavior
Rapid growth of business frequently means improved selling behavior of your salesforce. Some leaders I encounter are aware there are issues in their salesforce, but often don’t have complete visibility into specific behaviors that ought to be changed. Below are five of the most common behaviors of salespeople I have encountered and what I advised.
Labor Shortage Success Manifesto
Every CEO with whom I speak bemoans unfilled positions, many of them critical to the business and complain about the dearth of competent candidates. How do you successfully secure great talent in a tight labor market? Below are the most effective tactics I advise.
Your Best People Build Relationships
Good employees are responsive to customers. Great employees innovate ways to build relationships. In a world where outstanding customer service is frequently the norm, it is customer relationships that count.
Empowerment That Counts
Empowering people can be motivating and serve as a boon to your business’s results, but only if you do it right. However, nothing engenders cynicism more than pro forma exercises in prima facie empowerment. Too frequently, I find ham-fisted attempts of managers at making people feel empowered, often at the behest of some kind of edict issued by HR managers who are oblivious to the damage they cause.