Traction Inc.

Every entrepreneur starts out with the goal of staying organized and on top of everything. Unfortunately, as the business grows it’s easy for even the most well-intentioned entrepreneur to get overwhelmed and lost control of their business. This issue coupled with time constraints can quickly lead to bad organizational habits that ultimately affect the overall success of your business.

Business leadership and business management are often used interchangeably, but the two terms are actually quite different. As anyone who has been to business development training knows, what makes the two terms distinctive really matters to the way you run your company.

Performance management is an ongoing challenge in most organizations. Managers spend hours huddled over spreadsheets, analyzing employee performance metrics, looking for ways to improve performance and boost production. When mistakes happen – and they do happen – the bulk of the blame is often shoved off onto the employee. What leaders often fail to acknowledge is their role in the errors. This lack of leadership accountability can cause problematic issues to continue repeating. This, in turn, causes a decrease in employee morale as frustration and devaluation increase.

You probably spend most of your waking hours at your workplace, but if that workplace is negative, it creates a toxic environment and a place you won't enjoy being, while also harming overall productivity of the team. However, if that workplace is positive and full of integrity, your vision and the vision of all those involved will soar and your workplace will become an enviable place to be while you watch the company grow and flourish.

There’s no question that a small business coach can help a company grow and get on track with organizational goals. They can help any business get better, but when it is in critical condition, a business coach can be a life saver. Even if you don’t realize that your business may be in trouble, a small business consultant can identify potential problems before they become big problems. Do you need a small business coach? If you are dealing with any of these issues your situation might be approaching critical – and the answer would be a resounding yes.

Chances are you've heard the saying, "You are only as strong as your weakest link" quite a few times. While this proverb is certainly a rather trite phrase, it is also very true, especially when it comes to your leadership team. No matter how uncomfortable or unpleasant it might be, it is necessary to evaluate every person in your leadership team to ensure everyone is contributing both the quality and quantity necessary. If you're not sure how to determine if you have the right people on your leadership team, here are ten tips that will help you do just that. After all…I’ve heard it before, maybe you have too; EVERY company is just one leadership team away from extinction.

In any organization, there will be conflict. Knowing how to channel opinions and conflict the right way to get to the bottom of issues and move forward is key. There is a way to have a healthy conflict without disrupting the core foundation of the organization. Here are four ways to do this effectively:

In any business, the overall success lies within the people who are responsible for making sure the operations go smoothly. With this in mind, what does accountability really mean? In a business dictionary, it means “the obligation of an individual or organization to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner.” This is vital to your company because without accountability, there is no direction. Anything can happen and no one would be responsible for taking or ensuring action.

Meetings account for a lot of time in business environments. A single weekly meeting among executives might only account for a hundred or so hours a year for each person with a chair at the table, but calculating the total time spent on meeting purposes often generates a larger number. In a breakdown that includes time spent supporting such a meeting throughout an organization, the Harvard Business Review shows how meetings can eat thousands – even hundreds of thousands – of productive hours. One key to boosting productivity is to use the EOS system's Level 10 agenda when approaching weekly meetings.

As a business owner or corporation, having business goals to give you focus is key. What are business goals? Business goals are objectives and benchmarks you are striving to reach that are designed to move your company forward and help define the processes needed to be successful. If an organization does not have defined goals to reach, this helps foster an environment where there are unproductive employees with no accountability. Your vision should drive your goals, assisting your management team in carrying out the vision of the organization. If you are not meeting those goals, there are three reasons why: