Archive for category employee development
If You Get a Chance, Don’t Be Yourself, Be Batman
Authenticity, the marketing buzzword from the last decade and the piece of advice given universally to owners of small businesses or large alike and to marketing professionals. The basic message being, don’t lie about who you are, be authentic. I have no way of proving this, but I believe that the authenticity movement in business […]
How to Make Your Employees Care About Your Business
Posted by Elizabeth Kraus in customer experience, employee culture, employee development, employee engagement, employee satisfaction, engagement on July 13, 2012
Few business owners knowingly hire people who really don’t give a damn about the type of work they’ll be doing or the type of business they will be working for. In fact, most new employee/employer relationships enjoy what is commonly termed a “honeymoon” period at the outset, where each enthusiastically enjoys getting to know the […]
Leadership on a Leash
Posted by Elizabeth Kraus in employee culture, employee development, employee relations, employee satisfaction, Job satisfaction, leadership on April 22, 2012
The weather in the Pacific Northwest having finally cooperated, relenting from a pattern of gray cold drizzle to a more moderate and at least semi-sunny schedule of days enabled me to get out of the house and into the neighborhood to walk my dog several times this week. This is a dog that’s new to […]
7 Leadership Takeaways from A Management Coup on NBCs ‘The Office’
Posted by Elizabeth Kraus in change management, employee culture, employee development, employee incentives, employee relations, leadership on March 17, 2012
Most of the executives in NBC’s comedy, The Office, exemplify the kind of leadership you should absolutely avoid. This fictitious sales-centric company has more than its share of exaggerated dysfunction in any given episode; nevertheless, every once in a while, one of these over-the-top personalities does something to be funny that deserves serious analysis. The […]
Why "Job" is a 4 Letter Word and "Work" Shouldn’t Be
Posted by Elizabeth Kraus in employee development, employee relationships, human resources, Job description, management on February 9, 2012
We all know that you spell work using the 4 letters w-o-r-k and we’ve all heard the phrase, “work is a four letter word,” referring to the fact that it’s something most of us have to do vs. something that we actually want to do. But I’m going to suggest, instead, that the word “work” […]
How do you measure up against these traits of good leadership?
Posted by Elizabeth Kraus in employee development, Job satisfaction, leadership, management on February 6, 2012
Everyone wins in an organization characterized by good leadership, but people can talk a good game and spout leadership quotes and clichés all day long. And leaders both good and bad will tell you the right things to get you on board, get you to go above and beyond the call of duty, do more […]
14 Characteristics of Great Teams for Small Business Success
Posted by Elizabeth Kraus in 2012 marketing ideas, 2012 marketing plan, employee culture, employee development, small business, strategic planning on January 23, 2012
14 Characteristics of Great Teams: Part 1 of 2 If you read my recent post titled, “Playing to Win” then you know that I’m an avid football fan. And while my favorite team was knocked out of the playoffs, I’m still watching the remaining games with great interest, including the two divisional championship games that […]
Why and How to Build ‘Brand You’
Posted by Elizabeth Kraus in employee culture, employee development, marketing, personal brand on December 5, 2011
If you’re ‘just an employee’ (rather than a business owner) or an independent seller or entrepreneur, you might not yet know how important marketing yourself is to your success, whether or not you ever plan to actually own your business. When you think of the word “marketing” what comes to mind? If you think of […]
The Sidekick or the Superhero
Posted by Elizabeth Kraus in 2012 marketing calendar, branding, elizabeth kraus, employee development, marketing on October 21, 2011
Many pros are looking for the silver bullet – the magic formula – the hocus-pocus – the quick fix – the express train (if you will) to success. Even though it seems like they really want to know what it is, most don’t like the answer when they hear it, because, as Thomas Edison said, […]
The One Competition You Can’t Afford to Lose
Posted by Elizabeth Kraus in 365 days of marketing, business, employee development, marketing on September 15, 2011
Sometimes we fear the competition, sometimes we hate them and sometimes we may forget they are even there. But one thing is for sure: just as iron sharpens iron, competition forces us to do more, to do more with less, to do more and do it better than before, sometimes better than we’d even thought […]
