Tag: Culture

Subtleties of working with people … Take a short quiz.

Paul Wagenaar

I hope as an entrepreneur, manager, supervisor, or someone who aspires to take on any of those roles, you will ask yourself “Would you work for you?”

To be truly effective as a leader, you must consider the effects of your decisions, systems and processes, and their impacts on your people. My challenge today is to take a few minutes and consider the questions in this post. It is possible to be a manager but not a leader, considering this quiz may help you to become better at both.

SME SURVIVAL/thriving – 21 Prospecting Tips

Paul Wagenaar

We may live in the most competitive environment for small and medium-sized organizations ever. Competition for limited resources for charitable organization and for “for-profit’s” is literally a fight for survival. “Prospecting” for new clients and customers is some many smaller organizations should be examining. Today’s “Tools Everyone Can Use,” includes elements of the ongoing processes that can help you today.

Don’t cry, learn from spilled milk …

Paul Wagenaar

People are the “everything” for any organization. What if I told you, your organization could be much more successful without seeing any more clients or customers than you are right now? Every organization has “spillage,” clients or customers who leave your organization unsatisfied.

Starting today, especially after reading this short introduction, you and your people, regardless of your place in our communities, can do better. Providing an “Exceptional Customer Service Experience” is the starting point. This is true whether your organization is dedicated to sales or an established charitable organization. Take 5 minutes and see what you think.

The best working experience of my life …

Paul Wagenaar

At the beginning of the pandemic, I left a job I had spent forever doing and volunteered to work at a local charity. My volunteer work lead to a job working with food banks, meal programs, and community gardens to help alleviate local food insecurity. It began a process that opened my eyes to an entire world that had been mostly invisible to me.

The journey was filled with surprises, lessons, and revelations; please take a few minutes so I can share them with you.

Don’t be too quick to say “NO”

Paul Wagenaar

I regularly speak about topics such as job searching and keeping a job from an employers perspective to high school students and other adults. Recently, several people suggested writing about employee retention from the employee’s perspective.

A Primer for Small and Medium-sized Organizations

Paul Wagenaar

Organizational toxicity is a major problem for some small and medium-sized organizations. Failing to acknowledge and effectively remove the toxic elements could result in poor morale, low staff retention, and left unchecked the elimination of the organization itself.

Today’s post is a primer, a short guide to creating a plan to change the dynamics of your organization for leaders, managers, and everyone else in the affected organization.

Tools Everyone Can Use

Paul Wagenaar

Perhaps the most important of the posts for small and medium sized organizations of all stripes I have written so far. Looking after your people effectively will make the difference between success and becoming a “train wreck.”

When your organization is not your organization

Paul Wagenaar

Internal dynamics in any organization are interesting. All organizations, large or small, for-profit or not, all face external challenges. What happens though, when the greatest threats to growth, adaptation, and evolution come from inside?

Common denominators

Paul Wagenaar

People are the heart and soul of any organization. Finding the “perfect” hire seldom occurs, when any organization “goes to market” the best they can hope for is to find the very best person available. The search can be difficult, but can be made easier by looking for the common denominators the “best people” often share.

Leading Evolution

Paul Wagenaar

People are any organization’s greatest strength, conversely they can also be its downfall. Successfully navigating through issues of entitlement, appreciating the importance of gratitude, and ensuring connectively is not always easy. Organizational evolution is the path to surviving and thriving in today’s world.