Most of my columns are based on experiences I’ve had with my former companies. Most of my organizations were in business-to-business selling, so my experience with retail is relatively limited to personal buying experiences. That being said, I think many of the practices I used still apply to … [Read more...] about Ask the CEO: Exceptional Customer Service
Ask the CEO
Can You Learn to be a Great Manager?
My column last month was titled, “Five Habits of Great Managers.” I always re-post my columns on social media and that column had by far the most views of any column I’ve ever written. In addition, I received a long list of emails about the topic. One of the most interesting questions I received … [Read more...] about Can You Learn to be a Great Manager?
Do Two Things to Get a Raise or Promotion
Every month, when I hear from the Flagstaff Business News editor that it is time to submit my column, I look back over the emails I have received, or the discussions I’ve had with business leaders, or just something I’ve witnessed in my day-to-day work. For this month’s column, I didn’t need to look … [Read more...] about Do Two Things to Get a Raise or Promotion
You Did Not Get to the Top All By Yourself
This was an interesting week for me at Northern Arizona University. Two things happened that reminded me our successes are not the result of our individual work and effort. Our successes are the result of others who have reached out and helped us climb the career ladder. The first thing that … [Read more...] about You Did Not Get to the Top All By Yourself
Is it My Fault That Company Morale is Terrible?
I have been extremely fortunate during my life to have had a wide range of jobs, from delivering newspapers to helping the poorest of the poor in Kenya to leading a $130 million public company. One of the greatest opportunities and challenges is being an executive director/CEO/president of an … [Read more...] about Is it My Fault That Company Morale is Terrible?
How Will You Treat Me After I Resign; Does it Matter?
As a manager, one of the worst things we can hear is, “I’m quitting” from one of our employees. Our immediate thought is that we are already over-worked and understaffed. Then we start thinking about the hassle of recruiting, and trying to find someone qualified to accept the pay for the … [Read more...] about How Will You Treat Me After I Resign; Does it Matter?
When Should I Fire an Employee?
A couple weeks ago, I had lunch with a local CEO that was going back and forth over firing an employee. She was reluctant for two reasons: the employee was in a key position and she was worried what impact it would have on the organization and senior team. Also, the employee had been loyal. It is a … [Read more...] about When Should I Fire an Employee?
My Employees Don’t Like Me
One of my former students came back to Flagstaff for homecoming weekend. She stopped by my office to let me know how things were going since she had graduated. She asked if I had any advice for two issues she was having. One was that she wasn’t learning new things as fast as she wanted. The second … [Read more...] about My Employees Don’t Like Me
Everything I Needed to Know about Business I Learned from My Newspaper Route
This week I had a student in my management class ask which job taught me the most about running a business. As I thought back it, I realized it was probably my newspaper route in Ohio, delivering the Ravenna Record-Courier. I’m not sure which is more unfortunate; the fact that fewer and fewer … [Read more...] about Everything I Needed to Know about Business I Learned from My Newspaper Route
Stop Doing These Five Things if You Manage People
In my column last month, I wrote about the five things you should do in order to be a great leader. I had a former student email me and ask if I had advice for new managers. The first thing that came to mind was a famous quote from Lee Iacocca that reads, “Management is nothing more than motivating … [Read more...] about Stop Doing These Five Things if You Manage People
