Monthly Archives: December 2012

Business Plans and New Year’s Resolutions

For the last week or so, the regular denizens of my local gym have been “preparing” for the onslaught of Resolutioners, as we call them. Those are the folks that show up every year right after the holidays, determined to … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Response to Business Plans and New Year’s Resolutions

  1. Stan McBroom says:

    How true, with no measurement and someone to hold you accountable you will be back to your old ways in no time.

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2013 Planning:
Try Starting with “Who”

For many years, I’ve begun each annum with my clients by helping them answer the Seven Questions,  some simple keys to basic planning for the year. This year the questions have been picked up by my friend Jim Blasingame at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Response to 2013 Planning:
Try Starting with “Who”

  1. Clint says:

    Thanks John…I’m mainly in the II category…Funny, when I discuss these kinds of things with others, they look at me like I’m analyzing way too much..I agree that these are important insights and that many Decision Makers don’t think this way…I’ll remember this breakdown and watch how companies use or not use it.

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2013: Planning for Uncertainty

Every conversation that I’ve had with business owners over the last several weeks has revolved around the challenge of planning to do business in a political and economic climate that defies normal planning conventions. The sequestration budgetary measures scheduled to go … Continue reading →

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Santa Boss: The Role of a Business Owner

Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by three ghosts, so it’s fitting that I tackle the issue of the holidays three times. We’ve discussed terminations close to the holidays, and the custom of dispensing year-end bonuses. But in the end Dicken’s Scrooge was … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Management | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

2 Responses to Santa Boss: The Role of a Business Owner

  1. Clint Moar says:

    Thanks John…
    I’ve never owned a business that supported employees so this is an interesting topic…to be honest, I’ve never worked for a co. that paid a wage/salary that I really felt I’d deserved…the very few times that I did get a “bonus”, I felt it was just balancing out what I’d already worked for/supplied…
    You’re right, offering a “piece” of the business would mean much more.
    Clint.

  2. Cheryl S. says:

    I agree with Clint’s comment about how bonuses are perceived. If your bonus in a privately held business is setup on a profit-sharing basis after an owner-established flat amount, then that is what you have been diligently focused on the entire *prior* year, despite the owner controlling those numbers in the end. Bonus potential is discussed prior to the period for which you are working towards it, so I agree that they are very much a ‘balancing out’ of work provided that met or exceeded the documented criteria. Anything new after the labor year in question would be a simple breach, wouldn’t it?

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Year End Bonuses: Incentive or Entitlement?

It’s time for our annual discussion of the Holiday bonus.I pine for the days of my spiritual ancestor Ebenezer, who was offended at the expectation that he would pay Cratchit a whole day’s wages without receiving any work in return. One year … Continue reading →

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