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 today’s small business, or any retail business. Recently, I was shopping around for a very specific watch, and my experiences are what gave me the idea for this month’s column. Between driving to local … [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 was, “Can anyone learn to be a great manager?” I decided to make that the topic of this month’s column. I am fortunate to be on the faculty of the W.A. Franke College of Business at Northern Arizona … [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 beyond my own front door. My two sons, Matt and Ross, both called me to say they had been promoted and received a raise. Matt works at the world headquarters for a major automobile rental … [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 happened was a student, who is graduating in May, stopped by my office and asked, “What did you do to become a CEO, because that is what I want to do.” The second is that I was fortunate to have Gary … [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 organization. With all the personal and financial rewards come the good and the bad. During the good times, you get all the credit and life is wonderful. I once remember holding my board of directors’ … [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 cost-of-living that exists. Let me challenge you to look at this differently. Stop thinking about yourself and instead ask how you can make this a great experience for the resigning employee. I know this … [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 situation where there is no longer a “fit.” Last week, I ran into another local CEO who told me he had hired two university students only to have to fire them because they had violated a number of … [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 was that two of the employees that reported to her didn’t like her. The first one was easy; I told her she needed to practice patience but at the same time she needed to continue to ask for more and … [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 people read the daily newspaper, or if it is that young entrepreneurs don’t have the opportunity to be newspaper delivery boys or girls. I was given my newspaper route at the age of 11, and delivered … [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 other people.” Hopefully, Mr. Iacocca doesn’t mind me adding a few words to his quote. I would argue that the best managers not only motivate other people but they put them first, ahead of … [Read more...] about Stop Doing These Five Things if You Manage People
