All Business Management, Services & Risk Management Articles
  • How to successfully poach talent while safeguarding your own

    Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Several years ago, a firm hired me to directly source talent from its competitor even though the owner had a gentlemen's agreement in place with the CEO whose company he was about to raid. Mind you, this was before these agreements were deemed illegal. The owner hired me as his secret weapon rationalizing that his company wasn’t doing the poaching, and therefore, he wasn’t breaking his agreement. In the end, he got the talent he needed. Some say that nice guys finish last. When it comes to finding talent, however, nice guys do not even cross the finish line.

  • Team building without the hassles

    Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Ugh, team building. From HR-unfriendly happy hours or rock-climbing walls to cheesy ice-breakers and overpriced workshops, there are so many options for team building it can be numbing. Further, so many of us have had more annoying team-building experiences than positive ones it can be hard to find the motivation to participate fully, even if it might be a productive event. Enter: passive team building. Passive team building activities allow everyone to participate in a group project at their own level of social comfort.

  • Negotiating commercial leases: Renewal term allowances

    Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield Retail

    For many commercial tenants, negotiating a good lease or lease renewal against an experienced agent or landlord can be a challenge. While an entrepreneur focuses on marketing and managing, savvy real estate agents and brokers are specialized salespeople. Their job is to sell tenants on leasing their location at the highest possible rental rate. Whether you are leasing a new location for the first time or negotiating a lease renewal for your business, here are two money-saving tips.

  • 4 ways to use social media to humanize your company

    Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

    The content you publish. The voice you cultivate. The way you respond to customers. On social media, all these elements work in tandem to help you form a better relationship with your followers. The more customers develop a relationship and emotional connection with a company, the more they humanize you. Customers think of you less like a business that delivers a service and more like a friend who has a distinct personality and identity they connect with. Jump-start this process by proactively humanizing your company on social. Here’s how.

  • Governance between the rails

    Robert C. Harris Association Management

    The elected chair of a chamber of commerce suggested, "A strategic plan keeps the board members between the rails." Her comment made sense to support good governance and a high-performing board. The rails are like train tracks. The intent is to stay within the rails. The board should avoid derailments and detours. Here’s how it applies to association good governance. The board wants to stay on the straight and narrow. Distractions are frequent.

  • Matthew Pollard shares 3 steps to rapid growth

    Jason Zimmerman Construction & Building Materials

    Matthew Pollard, the "Rapid Growth Guy," shared his blueprint for growth and success as the general keynote speaker Aug. 9 at the 18th annual Sunbelt Builders Show™, hosted by the Texas Association of Builders at the Hilton Anatole. Pollard, the founder and CEO of Rapid Growth, LLC, is dedicated to achieving maximum ROI for business of all sizes. But his passion is helping small business owners. His methods have transformed more than 3,500 businesses.

  • Practical tips for employers to minimize immigration risks

    D. Albert Brannen Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

    Under the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has clearly increased its work site enforcement actions against employers. Unlike most labor and employment laws, federal immigration laws provide for criminal penalties, including large fines and jail time. This article outlines how ICE can gain access to your records, and lists practical guidance for minimizing or avoiding risks that put your company in violation of applicable immigration law.

  • Roy Spence: We need to build a new home for America

    Jason Zimmerman Construction & Building Materials

    "We have a marketing problem in America." So said Roy Spence, co-founder and chairman of GSD&M, a leading marketing communications and advertising company, to attendees of the 18th annual Sunbelt Builders Show™, hosted by the Texas Association of Builders at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. "All we hear is the political sides, on all sides, who would perpetuate and 'us vs. them' culture. Us versus them is not the purpose of America. Us versus them is not the promise of America." To combat this divide, Spence — whose agency has helped grow some of the world’s most successful brands — decided to take on America as his client.

  • It’s a candidate’s market: 3 tips for employers

    Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    The recruiting process can be tough. A stronger economy and increasingly competitive sectors are making it even more difficult to retain the best candidates through multiple rounds of interviews to the offer. How do you successfully land a great new employee when they have multiple strong offers? Here are three tips for employers in a candidate’s market.

  • Fast strategies for defusing team conflict

    Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Your staff is in the middle of a huge project — and stress levels are rising. A small misunderstanding between two team members can lead to a mistake that the whole group then needs to pitch in and take care of — and if you're not careful, resentment and disagreement can fester and make everyone less than productive. Need to step in? Use these proven tips to restore harmony and get everyone back to doing their best work.