Where do you turn when you need advice on what car to buy or what vacation getaway to book? Probably your friends, family and work colleagues. Why? Because you know they have tried different options and you value their advice on what is best...and what to avoid. So...

As business leaders, we all know it can be “lonely at the top”. This is one of the key reasons that so many entrepreneurs seek out a peer advisory group - an organisation whose main purpose is to create an environment for non competitive business leaders to share...

It can be lonely at the top, which is precisely where many business owners spend a lot of their time. Loneliness, however, isn’t known to inspire cutting edge creativity or cost slashing resourcefulness. As an entrepreneur, it’s creativity and economic savvy—among...

The biggest difference between a board of directors and an advisory board comes down to one thing: authority. A board of directors has formal legal responsibilities and decision-making powers within a company. Directors can vote on significant business decisions, hold...

What does a Business Advisory Board Do? A business advisory board is a group of experienced people who meet regularly to help a business owner make better decisions, work through challenges and identify opportunities. Unlike a board of directors, an advisory board...

Running a business can be a lonely job. You might have a great team, supportive family and plenty of people around you, but there are some conversations that are difficult to have when you’re the owner. Should you take the risk and grow? Is it time to make a difficult...

You probably have a picture in your head of where you’d like your business to be in three or five years. Maybe it’s a bigger and more profitable business. Perhaps you want a strong leadership team that doesn’t need you involved in every decision. You might want to...

Many businesses invest time creating a set of company values, but over time they can fade into the background. They appear on the website, in induction packs and on office walls, yet they're rarely discussed or used to guide everyday decisions. Ask a few employees to...

Most small business owners have a sense of where they want their business to go. The challenge is turning that picture of the future into something clear enough to guide the decisions they make today. It is easy for a business vision to become confused with a mission...

Business owners make decisions every day. Most are relatively straightforward. Others can have a lasting impact on your people, cash flow and the future direction of your business. Should you hire another employee? Increase your prices? Invest in new equipment? Expand...

Providing feedback to a manager can be uncomfortable. They're someone you've trusted with responsibility, your team relies on them, and their performance influences everyone around them. It's often tempting to avoid the conversation, drop subtle hints, or hope the...

Many businesses reach a stage where performance levels off, engagement starts to decline, or projects don't progress as smoothly as they should. The instinctive response is often, "We need leadership training." In some cases, that's exactly what's required. In many...

Most managers don't lose control of their week because of one major decision. They lose it to the small things: forgotten commitments, unfinished follow-ups and meetings that continue simply because no one questions whether they're still needed. An effective weekly...

 If you run a small business, you probably did not sit down and design your performance management approach. You picked up habits from past jobs: a once a year review, a raise conversation when you feel good about it, and quick feedback only when something...

Employee evaluations are for performance improvement. As such, they need to be regularly measured and managed. Yet most companies treat reviews as a cumbersome year end, 360 degree process that management hates, as uncompleted reviews become a monkey on their backs....

An executive dashboard gives you a quick and easy to read view of the business metrics that matter most to your organisation, your Key Performance Indicators or KPIs. The goal is simple because you should be able to spot performance, risks and opportunities at a...

Doesn’t every entrepreneur or business owner start and maintain a business in order to see it grow? The answer seems obvious. But as many top business coaches will tell you, some business leaders who attain a certain level of success are content to stay at this...

Successful and effective business leaders often share notable common traits. You know, things like vision, enthusiasm, and integrity, to name a few. Research suggests, however, that communication is the number one key attribute of great business leaders. Strong...

In the feverish hunt for qualified job applicants, businesses sometimes rush through the hiring process and miss out on some promising candidates. By optimising your recruitment practices, you can significantly enhance the efforts of your team to do everything...

Growing a successful company is remarkably similar to building a family home. Both ventures demand a clear vision, immense effort, and a fair amount of grit. You would never find a reputable site manager or builder who would start a project without a comprehensive set...

Running and growing a business is a significant undertaking, but rarely due to a lack of effort on the owner’s part. In fact, it is often quite the opposite. Many local business owners find themselves stuck in 80 hour work weeks, endless meetings, and time consuming...

Most companies spend valuable time and resources creating strategic plans, giving their best to outline a strategy that establishes a solid long term vision. While having a strategic plan is necessary, a vast number of organisations often lack a critical strategy...