Bob Schultek Bob Schultek Ben owns a services business and was convinced that the performance of his employees was the primary reason that his business had stopped growing. He believed that his employees cared only about how much they were being paid and that they should focus on doing their jobs the way he wanted them done. He saw no value in engaging with his folks or encouraging them to continue developing their skills. “If they …
In our work, we hear many different excuses for why a business isn’t growing. Often, it’s the leader of the business who is the primary excuse. Why? Bill owns a small manufacturing business that provides some insight into why he was the main reason that his business was not achieving its growth goals. When Bill purchased the business, he had a vision for what he wanted to accomplish. After a few years of keeping his …
Bob Schultek My good friend is a passionate biker, and an entrepreneur. He often uses his cycling experience to make a point about business. We were discussing the rapid evolution of technology as a driver of competition when Mike uttered: “Intense competition is the new normal, and there’s no time to rest. Bikers prefer to ride in hilly country – it’s a hard ride up and restful ride down. But when you ride on flat …
Bob Schultek Last week, we discussed how active listeners get what they deserve: actionable information, profitable orders and enduring relationships. It takes commitment and practice to become an active listener, and we shared some tips to help develop your active listening skills. In response to those of you who asked for some examples of poor listening habits, I offer the following: Interrupting the speaker frequently Prematurely judging what is being said Saying little and providing …
Listening is not a passive act. In our world of perpetual urgency, being an active listener makes you distinctive – it’s a competitive advantage. In fact, prospects cite engaged listening as a key reason they choose to work with one supplier versus another. Active listening communicates respect for the speaker, and his or her time. It maximizes the productivity of your interaction with your customers or your personnel.Learning to be an active listener starts …
Bob Schultek Keeping your operation synchronized with your growing business is an incessant challenge. While you focus on getting more orders and getting the work completed, your growth keeps nagging at you to ensure that your operations are keeping up with your progress.Various processes need refinement, but you can’t find time to get to this. You’re considering hiring more personnel but need flexibility and wonder how much additional support would be needed if your processes …
Bob Schultek Twelve months ago, my weekly Friday blogs were launched. Thank you to all who have commented on my posts. Your thoughts and suggestions have helped me learn while I strive to be a better writer…it’s a work in progress! Please continue to share your comments and ideas for blog topics. I will respond personally to each and work to continually improve the blog content. Happy Blog-day!Writing the blog is important to me. After earning 30+ years of …
Those of you who follow this blog know that I’m always preaching that your brand message should communicate your unique value. So now, you may get a kick out of knowing that my associates and I are taking a dose of our own medicine.Three years ago, our three growth businesses – GrowthPointe, DecisionPointe and PointeVierge – began collaborating under the umbrella name of TriPointe. You may have never noticed this since we did not follow …
Our three growth businesses – GrowthPointe, DecisionPointe and PointeVierge have a new home. Our new company name is Grolisitc, a combination of the words Growth + Holisitc. It conveys our proven method of synchronizing strategy with people and process. Grolistic is a no-excuses approach to helping companies grow. As experienced business builders, we identify your growth barriers and engage with your team to close the gap between your growth goals and current realities. Want to …
Jerry is CEO of a manufacturing company. They have multiple facilities and he wonders how best to remain engaged with his employees at their various sites. He understands the value of keeping everyone on the team “lashed together” to produce value for customers and to achieve shared company and customer goals.They decide to initiate a new program based on quarterly roundtable meetings held with departments and at each facility. The personnel at each site choose …