With vaccine efficacy against the Delta variant falling by 39%, normal return to office plans are pure folly. There is no denying the peril that lies in wait: the Delta surge is projected to escalate further in the months ahead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requesting vaccinated people to wear masks, and it is likely to promote booster shots soon. Still, a lot of large companies, mid-size firms, and even the federal government are compelling unwilling employees to return to the office. More than a third of those who worked remotely during the peak of the pandemic have already complied. A majority of the remainder ar...
Tumisu / Pixabay Employee retention and engagement is critical for the success of any company. A 2019 Gallup report found that the cost of replacing an individual employee can range from 1.5 – 2 times the employee’s annual salary. If your business has high employee turnover, you’re expending unnecessary money, time, and resources. Employee turnover isn’t only expensive; it also can lead to low morale, a lack of productivity, and poor or disjointed customer service. The downside to recurring employee turnover is significant and the stakes have risen even more during the pandemic. Even for those companies lucky enough to withstand the c...
A note in my LinkedIn message box last week. I am also a podcast host and launching my book xxxxxx. Nice to be connected to you. Would you be interested in receiving a copy of xxxxxx, and you can feel into me being on your podcast? The writer is a professor at Stanford University and teaches conscious leadership. I adore her very conscious use of the phrase feel into me being on your podcast. Nice. There is a certain grace about feeling into things. And, you may wonder, what exactly does “feeling into things” look like? Last Thursday I had a planning meeting with 3 esteemed colleagues. We’re supporting a leadership team at a pharmaceuti...
Many small business owners pay little or no attention to their business listings across the web. That can be a big mistake. BrightLocal Conducted an in-depth look at the impact of business listings Among their conclusions are some startling ones: 94% of consumers have used a business information site ro find information about a local business in the last 12 months. The most commonly used sources of business information are Google Facebook Yelp Instagram Apple Siri BrightLocal found that finding incorrect information on a business listing would stop 63% of consumers from using that business. Incorrect business listing information causes custom...
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is on top of every organisation – social or entrepreneurial and every leader worth their salt is thinking about how to make their culture more inclusive and equitable for all members of the tribe. In this blog I want to warn leaders about the risk of ignoring one or more of the trinity of values (Diversity, Inclusion & Equity) in favor of the others. I was talking to one of my friends yesterday. He leads a large team and said that he was hiring and wanted to check with me if I knew someone for the job. I recommended a couple of names and he said that he needs to hire a woman and an early talent at that. W...
Going to college. Buying a car. Starting a business. Owning your own home. Often, these facets of the American Dream take a loan to achieve — and loans, in turn, require good credit. Without a favorable credit score, loan applicants will either fail to qualify or have punishingly high interest rates. Either way, financial goals stay that much further out of reach. Mortgages and auto loans are not the only things denied to people with bad or no credit. For example, without a good score, an applicant may be unable to rent an apartment. Or, they might be unable to have a job that would let them pay the rent. Credit Access in Marginalized Commu...
How much does it cost to start your own business? Well, that depends. However, according to the Small Business Administration, most micro-businesses cost approximately $3,000 to launch, while most home-based franchises cost between $2,000 and $5,000. Yeah — I’d say that’s really conservative. In the scheme of things, that’s not an awful lot of money. But, considering that 56% of Americans have less than $5,000 in savings, and a third have no savings at all, coming up with that amount can be problematic. While you could take a loan or max out your credit cards, you could save money for a business to avoid high-interest debt. Again, $2,...
Most brands waste a huge amount of money on marketing. The reason is simple. Most businesses hire graphic designers to build their websites and their collateral material. Graphic designers have degrees in design and have lots of coding knowledge. However, most have very limited skills when it comes to crafting messages that prospects can relate to and which follow the proven story brand framework that makes the prospect the hero. Graphic design companies are more than happy to take your money and incorporate the latest fads, regardless of the results they deliver. Websites don’t sell things – words do. If you have not clarified your messa...
Despite investing heavily in digital solutions at the start of the pandemic, many business leaders are seeing productivity losses within their organizations. With economies around the world re-opening, they are now looking at the future shape of their workforces. The downward productivity trend after initial gains at the start of the pandemic is a common story. However, a few companies are seeing progress — specifically, those successful at managing employee time, talent, and energy before Covid-19. These businesses excel at continued growth, outpacing the rest by 40% in an ever-widening corporate productivity gap. This parallels what happe...
nattanan23 / Pixabay Many people are choosing to start their own businesses and there are more ways than ever to thrive — even during challenging times. However, even once a new business has been established, it is important to continually invest in it. This does not simply mean financial investment, but investing in the quality of the service, the wellbeing of staff, and the simplicity of the processes. The six tips below will help you to invest in your business in more than just the immediate financial form. With the approach below, the investments you make in your business can help ensure that it is not only financially successful, but a...