So, I recently wrote about expense reductions….which leads to the next question. How do you make sure you’re one of the people who stay? In my career, I’ve found there are 3 categories of people you never get rid of… Continue reading
Category Archives: Perform Better
How To Reduce Expenses
Expense reduction is a hot topic right now….I find that the pendulum swings back and forth: focus on investment (revenue growth) vs focus on expenses (margin protection). As an ex-COO in Operations, I’ve only known the expense focus side. Growing up in retail financial services where margin was measured in basis points, it was a never-ending focus on expense management. So what lessons did I learn in reducing expenses?
A New World
So, I’ve been reading about the Wells Fargo situation, and it was recently announced that two of their senior executives were put on leave. Now, that’s not that surprising, given the events which transpired at the bank…thousands of accounts opened fraudulently in the name of sales goals, employees terminated for not making quotas. The response was to launch an ad campaign which seemed woefully inadequate and didn’t address the fundamental question of “how could this happen?” Continue reading
When Your Manager is Remote
Someone asked me for my thoughts on how to deal when you have a manager who isn’t in the same office as you are. Reality is, this is becoming the new normal with people working remotely and location strategies as a way to reduce costs. The reality is that even when you’re in the same location, it can be hard to get time with your manager! The key is communication: using verbal, written, and face to face. Some lessons learned having remote bosses….. Continue reading
Taking Stock
Soon, everyone will be back from summer vacation, and the pace of work will pick up again. There are a few things to think about as you enter the last quarter of the year….. Continue reading
How Do You Make Others See Value?
Got a great question…someone asked me how you demonstrate value when you work in the softer functions?
In many companies, there’s an unspoken pecking order, usually with sales or anything revenue driven being first. Often at the bottom are the “support” functions…like communications. Having been a COO, I can definitely relate to how challenging that can be….a couple of suggestions should you find yourself in this type of role….
“Dripping”
Sometimes I’ll think of someone I haven’t spoken to in awhile. For whatever reason, they pop in my head. I used to ignore it, but now I do something different.
Your Golf Game
I was talking to someone who said something really insightful to me. She said “he’s got a great short game, but no long game.” Wow. I understood exactly what she meant.
Skating to Where the Puck is Going
I am fond of the sports analogy. This is one I like to use.
A lot of times I find that when people plan, they tend to look ahead only a few steps. Once you get there, you plan again, and everyone goes off with the new set of marching orders. Continue reading
What to Do when you &^%* up
Someone I mentor send out an SOS email….”I really need to talk to you.” She had been increasingly frustrated with her boss, and had talked to someone about it. Unfortunately, that person was pretty senior, so the next step was to escalate to HR. Now what?