Is Your Team Missing This?

As a coach, we are trained on how to ask powerful questions. We are supposed to ask questions that encourage clarification and powerful thinking. After working with a variety of leaders, we have realized that this is a tool that they need to use as well. 

The next time you are with your team, instead of asking questions like "how do you feel about that?" or "how do you plan to get that done?", ask this question: “what is it you need?”

You’ll be shocked at the floodgates that might open. According to smallbusiness.com, one third of employees say their leaders don't know what they need. 

Here is the thing: if we don't give them what they need, our organization will not move forward in the way that we need it to. 

We hired them because we trust them to do their job well, because they are the experts. So, make sure that you are asking your team what it is they need and your company is going to move forward in the direction you want it to go.

If you want more leadership tips, head over to the Business Lab with Laine Schmidt Podcast. 

Want more customers? Do this.

I should have listened. 

One questionI like to ask all of our podcast guests: What is one piece of business advice you should have taken? My answer: maket when you don't have to.

Often, when things are going really, really well, we let our marketing fly by the wayside. We are so in the weeds and we are in the middle of maintaining all the things that are going well that we don't even realize that when our projects or agreements come to an end, we are left with nothing.

We hear a lot about feast and famine in the business world and one way to gain consistency is by having clear marketing and sales systems in place.

We cannot wing it. It needs to be something we are doing all the time. So, double down on your business development activity when you don't need to and you will have a consistent stream of clients coming in the door.

If you would like to talk about how to set up those systems for you and your business, give us a call today.

Your Team’s Differences are an Asset

It was the fall of 2004. I was sitting across my dining room table from my new boyfriend, my now husband, the very handsome Brad Schmidt. 

He was there with his puka shell necklace and his perfect, white, sparkly teeth and I was so excited. We were on one of our very first dates and I had decided we needed something  interactive.

Sitting before were two pieces of plaster and a big pile of some random pieces of glass. We were going to make a mosaic. 

After all was said and done, our two mosaics looked very different. Mine was perfectly structured, had a very clean color pattern and everything was symmetrical. Brad's on the other hand, was a little bit different. His was more like some random globs of glue and a piece or two of glass. 

Now, they both were beautiful in their own right. It really showed me how differently people think and how true this is in the workplace. 

I know that right now you are thinking of someone in your mind and thinking "oh yes, they work completely differently than I do." That's ok, we need different minds.

The problems occur when that  breeds frustration, assumptions, miscommunication...but, they don’t have to.  Here are 3 ways to combat those issues:

1. We get rid of our pride. The way we work isn't better, it's just different.

2. We identify those differences. There are all kinds of programs right now that will help with that. A few to consider: DISC assessment, Myers Briggs, the Enneagram.

3. Plan accordingly. 

It helps us to move forward knowing which people need to be in what seats based on what they bring to the table.

Identify the differences on your team and you will work much better together. 

If you'd like more information on the Enneagram and on how your team is different, head over to the Business Lab Podcast with Laine Schmidt and check out Episode 26 with Jen VanHekken. 

Where the Amazing Chik-fil-A Customer Experience Began

This is who is getting my vote for president: Chick-fil-A.

What makes them so great is not their waffle fries or their large lemonade with extra ice, mmmm. It's the fact that kindness is woven into every thread of the fabric of their company.

Legend tells that the founder, Truett Cathy, was once in a Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Every employee he interacted with, would respond with “my pleasure” when thanked.  If you have been to a Chick-fil-A, you know that that is how they respond, as well.

That was the beginning of the inspiration for what is now the amazing Chick-fil-A customer experience.

When people think of your organization, what do they think of? What sets you apart? We all need something. And Truett Cathy is a great example that it doesn't have to be big, it just has to be consistent.



In the comments, write about a company that you think stands apart and tells us why. Let's celebrate them together.