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New ways to make great business decisions

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Trying to settle on an important work choice? We all know about the value of researching your options, making a pros and cons list, and talking over the details with objective and informed colleagues. However, employing an out-of-the-box and effective science-based trick might just be the ticket when it comes to clarifying your thoughts and options. Use one or more of these strategies to help yourself come to the correct conclusion.

Understanding the association org structure

Robert C. Harris Association Management

"I’m new on the board. At every meeting I hear about more parts to our organization. Shouldn’t I understand the purpose and relations of each?" It was an honest question from a volunteer. "What are all these entities and why do we have them?" Many organizations have a structure beyond their single-entity association. For this new director, she was hearing about a political action committee, for-profit subsidiary and a charitable foundation.

The high price of public subsidies

Seth Sandronsky Civil & Government

Does public assistance to businesses level the marketplace? Just ask Greg LeRoy, head of Good Jobs First (GJF), an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Public "subsidies favor big businesses and shortchange small, local and entrepreneurial firms — including a third of the Forbes 400," according to him. That policy dynamic has other effects. Governing magazine, tracking GJF data that examined cities’ tax-cut disclosures under a new accounting rule that studies federal measures of income distribution in municipalities, found that "local governments most heavily reliant on tax incentives tend to be those with greater levels of economic inequality."

Stop undervaluing individual contributors

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Promotions are not always an option. Stable or small workforces may mean promotion opportunities are few and far between. Yet promotions are not the only way to inspire, appreciate and encourage our teams. It is time we stop focusing on promotions and start recognizing the value of our individual contributors. The first step to valuing individual contributors is to understand that their career path does not go up as much as it goes deeper into their field and then finding ways to facilitate that growth.

How to create more camaraderie in your workplace

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Office collaboration is essential for great overall productivity in your company, but it's so easy for individual workers to get so caught up in their own tasks and goals that they don't feel this sense of friendly community. Want to encourage your workers to feel closer to each other, and subsequently more eager to do great work together? Try these research-proven tips to foster more camaraderie your organization.

Bill everything you earn

Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

One of the challenges for any kind of service provider, professional or non-professional, is finding the proper balance between delivering excellent service and being appropriately compensated for one’s time and talents. Being generous with your time and going above and beyond what clients expect is one way to ingratiate yourself with them and garner future referrals. Unchecked, however, it can slowly erode your business’ profitability.

4 ways to help your staff cope with nasty customers

Anne Rose Retail

You’ve hired cheerful and flexible staff to interact with your customers. But even the most cheerful team member can get rattled, defensive, or angry when confronted by a belligerent customer. And yes, belligerent customers do exist. They are the people having a lousy day (or a lousy life) and feel better about themselves by berating and bullying others, especially those who aren’t in a position to fight back. So, what to do?

Start doing this to lead a culture that lasts

Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk Management

It seems like everyone and their dog is now touting their organizational culture and how inclusive it is. But there is often a disconnect between the PR and marketing campaigns and what employees have to say. It takes intention, strategy and vision to build great workplace cultures, and everyone needs to be involved. Workplace culture is a way of doing business. It's not a one-time event.

Why your new company should be blogging

Mashaal Ryan Marketing

When you first start your company, one of the best ways to get the word out is through marketing. When marketing comes into play, a lot of people get worried and confused. It can be a bit of a daunting task when you start researching social media, website design, advertising and creating campaigns… but it doesn’t have to be difficult, and blogging can be a great way to market the new business. The numbers show that businesses who added a blog to their company’s website brought in more business overall.

Encourage your employees’ independence

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Autonomy at work — that's what employees truly crave. A sense of control and freedom of choice regarding how they accomplished their tasks can have a hugely positive effect on workers' well-being, including increased self-esteem, improved job performance and a renewed sense of enjoyment and pride regarding their jobs.

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