There is an old saying the “Hope is not a strategy.” It has been attributed to many people who have used statements like it to emphasize that planning and action are critical parts of achieving the desired outcome. As discussed in previous weekly newsletters, planning and then taking proper action are crucial to achieving the goal or best results. But where does “Hope” fit into the success or best outcome?
Summer vacations have wrapped up, Labor Day has gone by, children are back in school, football season is in full swing, and business is about to enter into the final quarter of the calendar year. This is a time to re-engage and make the most of your efforts to close out the business calendar on a high note.
Let’s start by acknowledging that, no matter how hard we try, there will always be challenges to address and a need to be proficient in reacting to situations we had not planned for. There is a real cost to having to react to a challenge that presents itself. The initial distraction from the intended plan or outcome takes place first. The Oh No! We must deal with this…
This coming Monday, we take time to celebrate Labor Day. This national holiday is rooted in taking time to acknowledge the economic and social contributions the American workforce has made to this great nation to build and strengthen prosperity.
Bring together a few business leaders and have them discuss their challenges in their businesses. Inevitably, they will introduce the issues surrounding employees that they consider toxic to the workplace environment. They may each have their own perspective on what is toxic in their workplace or what particular individuals do to contribute to the toxicity. Still, the common thread is that as leaders, they allow the toxic situation to exist. So is leadership contributing to the toxicity by not addressing the challenge?
Lots of talk about toxic employees, but what about toxic leadership?Read More »
Every business is seeking that one magical differentiator that will set it apart from other companies. Numerous strategies and tactics have been employed over the years to differentiate one organization from others in its industry. Everything from new products and services to changes in company logos has been tried, with a variety of successes and some significant failures. They are all seeking that special thing which sets them apart from the rest and causes customers to come flocking to their door for more.
From the movie “Apollo 13,” there are a few classic lines that, as business leaders, we can all relate to. In the movie sequence, one of the lines is “Houston, we have a problem!” This starts the next set of events in motion. Not knowing the whole situation at the time, the astronauts, who were specially trained to handle potential failures on space missions, began the organized process to diagnose and then make a decision that would ultimately lead to the best course of action under the circumstances.
For many years, JKL Associates has been honored to work with many business owners during their transition from building to selling and into their next phase of life. Each one has been unique to the owner’s situation. Each one has had some pleasant surprises, and every one has had some bumps in the path to getting the deal done.
It is fascinating to look at the dollars spent on outbound marketing to attract customers, only to have the organization fail to deliver on the relationship the prospective customer was looking for. One would think that investing dollars into attracting customers would immediately be followed by delivering excellent customer service.
Your financials for the first half of the calendar year 2025 should be generally ready for a good review by now. The plans architected last fall have been implemented, and the results of those initiatives should be showing signs of contribution or not. As leaders, we take some time at the beginning of each year to roll out the plan. We also take time in late fall to review the progress, so plans for the subsequent year begin to be shaped accordingly. Sometimes we skip the quarterly or semi-annual reviews, based on the gut feeling that things are going as planned.