As we mark National Small Business Week, I’m reminded of my roots as the descendant of entrepreneurs who were hardwired to embark on the journey of owning a business. I salute all those brave souls who eventually learn the enormous impact that it has on their lifestyle and how to best adapt. Being a small […]
Lifestyle will dictate the success or failure of small businesses Read More »
When my mother fled Iran before the Islamic Revolution that started in 1978 and met my American father in Canada, she was adamant about hiding her identity. I remember from an early age how she told me not to let anyone know her side of our family was from Iran, or that we had Persian,
Persian or Iranian: What’s the difference?! Read More »
There are some real parallels between corporate leadership and Burning Man, a network of like-minded creative and resourceful people I’d been hanging out with at an annual gathering in Black Rock City outside of Reno, Nevada. Burning Man represents an opportunity to practice discipline, transformation, balance and survival in extreme conditions. Embedded in this regenerative experience
Applying Burning Man principals to corporate leadership Read More »
I had never heard the term “virtual assistant,” which a colleague of mine suggested that I hire when faced with the need to fill some critical roles. So I interviewed some VAs from the Philippines, which has earned a reputation as fertile ground for seeding international talent. I was very impressed by the skillset and
The virtual assistant: a modern take on business outsourcing Read More »
The foundation for traditional corporate hierarchy is crumbling in the face of a more collaborative and transformative approach that elevates the notion of leading without authority. Whereas employers are used to the leadership team setting a direction for everyone to follow, what makes far more sense in today’s evolving business environment is for people to
Leading without authority allows for nimble management Read More »
The movement away from 9-5 office hours Monday through Friday toward work-from-home and hybrid arrangements represents a major cultural shift. It’s also changing the way that employees relate to their employers and way people are hired. More flexible work schedules are now almost becoming an expectation that’s permeating everywhere from the C-suite to breakroom for
Flexible work schedules are becoming an expectation Read More »
When COVID-19 lockdowns placed a stranglehold on the hospitality industry, my staffing company helped a woman earn $3 an hour more than her previous gig at a hotel. But early on, she realized that the culture at Amazon, her new employer, was hyper focused on productivity around key performance indicators for her position. It was
Great Resignation shows importance of culture Read More »
How corporate leaders respond to the nomadic work movement could be game-changing in the tightest labor market in our lifetime.
Nomadic lifestyle changing the face of work Read More »
Who knew contact sports and gourmet cooking could be so intertwined? It was a pleasure having Chef Duane Keller on my Off the Clock podcast to explain the link. A Canadian-born gold-medal recipient in hockey whose father Ralph was an American Hockey League Hall of Famer, he generously shared pearls of wisdom about the importance
Elite Chef Duane Keller’s Recipe for Success Read More »
Mark Twain once wrote that “wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have rather talked.” One of the wisest men I know is Tom Racosky, who has mastered the power of listening to his employees along the way to building and burnishing trusted brands. “I have two ears
Growing Leadership by Listening to Employees Read More »