Avoiding drama, politics, and bull#@%!

This post was inspired by a series of miscalculations and mistakes I unfortunately helped to create. The end result was the exit of a very good person from an organization I care about deeply. What follows is a summary of our “lesson’s learned” that we will apply for the next time.

Ageism in the workplace

Ageism is real and it is happening today and will happen tomorrow. Ageism transcends almost all demographics and it holds back individuals who might otherwise make a difference, and it holds back organizations.

The people we don’t see …

Three years ago, I left the world of business and charted a new path in the charitable sector. I had always thought I was well informed and knew what was happening in my community. I was completely wrong. I am grateful for the people who volunteer and work for the United Way and the Canadian Mental Health Association for helping me to see what I couldn’t see before.

I have reentered the business world, but I am forever changed by what I learned to see, and hope to help other people see, what many of us miss every day.

Why now is a good time to plan your Christmas Party.

This might seem like the last item on your list of priorities heading into likely the warmest month of the year … do yourself a favor and give me five minutes.
Christmas parties can be more than just seasonal staff party. Done well with planning and preparation they can be your annual key event to build morale and staff retention.
See what you think, and if you liked this post check out more than 220 others for small and medium-sized organizations at salestrainer.blog.

To be successful in sales don’t sell!

Covid 19 changes how we did things, many things suffered including how many people approached sales.

Sales is about solving issues; satisfying wants and desires. It is also not limited to furniture, automotive, and real estate. Virtually all of us are involved in sales, the traditional definition as well as for ideas, new concepts, and to lead change in organizations.

I believe sales is not selling, give me five minutes and see if agree.

Ask your people, “Do our meetings suck? … … lessons for every sector from retail to charities

At the risk of being flippant, this topic is very important. Too many meetings and training sessions for organizations are ineffective. This post is just a start, but it is a good place to start thinking about make changes in your approach to meetings. Leading innovative, interesting, and effective meetings and training sessions can make the difference between engagement and failure.

For students of all ages, from teenagers to senior citizens

Recently, I listened to a story about how an entire generation of students are writing exams for the first time and that inspired me to write this post about how to prepare and write an exam. Whether you are one of those students; a high school or college student, or a professional preparing for a course exam; there should be something in this post to help you.

Mind the gap.

Many organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of “On-Boarding” new people to their teams. Taking the time to introduce “Team Charters” and developing “living processes” that help nurture and develop people are vital to increase staff retention. Managing “off-boarding” is also important. It is a process that should not be ignored, to gain valuable insights and feedback but also to ensure the organizational relationship is ended properly.

Common Sense, the least common of all senses, and Lesson’s Learned.

Learning from mistakes, encouraging feedback, and applying lesson’s learned should be common sense … you would think. Unfortunately this is not always the case. One of the most important “Tools Everyone Can Use,” is incorporating some method of applying “Lesson’s Learned” to things you or your organization do.