Author: Shannon Waller
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7 Characteristics Of An Innovation Manager
Ever had an idea you were extremely passionate about and thought could alter the course of your company?
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10 Nice Ways To Say No And Still Be A Team Player
Being an overachiever isn’t usually a bad thing unless you’re guilty of constantly over-committing and under-delivering—then it becomes your Achilles’ heel. Far too often, I’ve watched people shoot themselves in the foot by creating what we call a “mess.” At Strategic Coach, we define messes as any situation in which you’ve obligated yourself to something…
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3 Ways To Build A Company That’s Not Driven By Status
How successful we are has everything to do with the way we structure our companies. In my experience, most entrepreneurs organize their businesses in one of two ways: the conventionally successful way or the Strategic Coach way—what we like to refer to as a Unique Ability organization. The primary difference between these two structures is…
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How To Delegate Effectively: A 4-Step Guide
In business, one of the most beneficial skills to master is delegation. While pursuing success, too many entrepreneurs avoid letting go of certain activities out of fear and habit, and instead end up doing everything themselves. When we’re building a business, it’s natural to be so invested in perfection that we take on doing it…
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3 Challenges To Managing A Growing Business And How To Overcome Them
I began my career with Strategic Coach in 1991, and I was the sixth person to join the team. We worked in one large room, knew all of our clients personally, and also knew everything about each other. We could overhear one another’s conversations and always knew what was going on. Four years later, we’d…
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Creative Gratitude: Appreciation Ideas To Accelerate Your Team Success
I’ve always believed that the best leaders are those who operate from a place of gratitude and appreciation. This is because—just as with stocks—when people are appreciated, they increase in value and contribution. In teamwork settings, being conscious of expressing gratitude is even more important because when we’re working against deadlines, there’s a natural tendency…
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Attitudes Matter More Than A Sense Of Urgency
I recently had an epiphany. It all came from an experience I had while commuting to work. The person I was driving with didn’t appear to have any sense of urgency. He was moving slowly through traffic and didn’t seem to be concerned with how to most efficiently get to our destination. By the time…
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5 Ground Rules For Optimum Teamwork
It’s natural, as an entrepreneur, to want to give the majority of your attention to what’s new and exciting. But it’s just as important that this doesn’t take away from the things that will get you to those new and exciting opportunities—such as effective teamwork. Establishing principles and values is crucial to achieving tight-knit, effective…
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The Do’s And Don’ts Of Strategic Thinking
I had a really interesting realization while working with a high-functioning entrepreneurial team: how easy it is to over-focus on the tactical issues versus focusing on strategy. Over the course of the day, the group often got caught up in the specific tasks and activities, losing sight of the bigger picture. As the facilitator, it…
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An Entrepreneur’s Guide To Delegation
Do you often find yourself in a situation of “delegation gone wrong”? You thought you’d communicated clearly, but nothing happened—or, worse, the wrong thing happened? Do you have a team but know you’re not using them the way you could be, and aren’t feeling leveraged or freed up? If so, you’re not alone. In the…