Healthcare is arguably the most popular of employee benefits. COVID-19 has made this an even higher priority — while at the same time adding to businesses’ challenges in providing it. And addressing the need to keep the workplace and the workforce healthy has put COVID-19 testing front and center in business operations even while information changes on a nearly daily … [More]
Armored Leadership vs Daring Leadership
Leadership is about risk. For me, it began when I took a giant first step into the business ownership arena, full of hopes and dreams with no real idea what I was actually in for. How I faced the risks and challenges in the arena was what mattered. Getting up when I fell, dusting myself off and taking what I learned right back into the arena the following day. Dr. Brené … [More]
The Next Normal: Change Your Game Plan or Become Irrelevant
Change and disruption are the next normal. C-suites and boards of directors must learn how to become agile, make decisions fast and get ahead of the change curve. They will need to think and act differently. There is a lot we don’t know about what the near-term future holds for us. However, there are two things that we know to be true: There will be more, not less, … [More]
New C-Suite: Why Companies Should Have a CHRO
The COVID-19 pandemic is an event the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the flu outbreak in 1918, before co-working spaces and international travel on airlines. Strange is it may seem, the solution, for now, is to stay at home for work and play. With the increase in remote work, HR is fundamentally shifting into a higher-level decision-making position where HR technology … [More]
Problem-Based Learning – Thriving during the Crisis
If there is one thing the coronavirus has taught us all is that training, as we know it, is neither resilient nor flexible. Classroom training that requires facilitators and participants to fly to various locations and pack arm-to-arm in a classroom is no longer an option. But as organizations consider replacing their current programs with virtual training, do they understand … [More]
Connection in the Workplace: It’s Worth the Risk
“Leaders must either invest in a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior.” —Brené Brown Whether it’s private sector or nonprofit, in communities, schools or government, we are hungry for courageous, empathetic leaders. We want to show up, learn and be inspired by … [More]
No Ageism in Entrepreneurialism
As the fog of this war on the U.S. economy begins to clear, it looks as if one class of employees will be among the hardest hit by the pandemic — professionals and executives 50 years and older. And if that sounds familiar, it should. The Great Recession 12 years ago had a similar impact. This time, however, these typically highly trained employees who are at the top of their … [More]
In a Time of Uncertainty, Understanding Risk Is Essential to Business Survival
Today, more than ever, business leaders and entrepreneurs are functioning in a world that is full of uncertainty. These executives need to clearly understand the difference between what is certain and what is not, in order to identify which risks are worth taking and which to avoid. Many years ago, when I started my own Phoenix-based real estate company, I took on millions … [More]
Marketing: Are You Pivoting or Freezing?
Many businesses poised for huge gains at the start of this year are fighting to stay alive. Stable, longstanding enterprises are questioning their greater visions. Waves of layoffs and shuttered doors have — quite understandably — induced fear and uncertainty across the Valley, where small businesses serve as the backbone of the community. The need for a true pivot has never … [More]
Strategies to Attract Customers Online during the COVID-19 Outbreak
Times are hard, especially with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Businesses are suffering as more and more communities go into quarantine. To survive as a business owner, one needs to find effective marketing strategies in the midst of the crisis brought about by this pandemic. One of the best ways to stay profitable is to make the businesses’ online presence known … [More]
Is Your Company’s Bench Deep Enough during Difficult Times?
In the uncertain times that COVID-19 produced, business leaders were forced to face the fact that employees might not be available every day to do their jobs — either because of their own health concerns or because they were scrambling to make childcare arrangements due to school closings. And, as the economy takes a hit, some businesses may even need to downsize, leaving … [More]
Media Interviews and Promoting Your Brand in a COVID-19 World
Business leaders and professionals who want to promote their personal and business brands have faced a tough decision in recent weeks: Should they put those publicity efforts on hold during the COVID-19 crisis, or keep pitching their expertise to the media? In most cases, yes, they should keep pitching. There are many opportunities for getting in the media as long as one … [More]
SAFETY: Close-Up on Disinfecting
Disinfecting office, home, stores and schools is top of mind during this COVID-19 pandemic. Cory Chalmers, CEO of Steri-Clean, Inc. and featured expert cleaner and host on A&E’s “Hoarders,” shares his expertise with In Business Magazine. What are the most common misperceptions about how to disinfect for COVID-19? The most common misconception, and made worse by … [More]
COVID-19 Impact on E-commerce
Three months into the COVID-19 crisis, the current situation has major effects on businesses and consumers. Although many online sellers face severe challenges in the current situation, they are optimistic that e-commerce will leave the crisis as a winner. The new necessity of ordering products online encourages those not shopping online to switch to online stores, while … [More]
The Field Guide to Taking Back Control during the COVID-19 Crisis
The unrelenting news of the COVID-19 pandemic is taking its toll on the mental and emotional well-being of Americans. First, there’s the grief and depression for those who’ve been stricken or lost, of social interactions suspended indefinitely and of the disappearance overnight of their normal routines. Humans are social creatures and the forced isolation the past few weeks is … [More]
Coronavirus and the New American Economy
The face of the American economy is forever changed by this coronavirus pandemic. In three weeks’ time, we've witnessed financially viable companies go into rapid freefall by the millions, starting with employees and trickling rapidly. Small to mid-sized businesses are laying off in record numbers, and there is no clear end in sight. With the spread of COVID-19, people are … [More]
Bad for Business: People at Work Who Shouldn’t Be
Today’s workplace culture has many workers feeling the pressure to turn up to the office at all costs, even when ill; however, the global pandemic COVID-19 has shown it is more critical than ever for businesses to tackle the widespread workplace challenge of “presenteeism” (coming to work when ill or suffering other anxiety). As coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to … [More]
Where’s the Profit?
Business owners tend to focus on the traditional accounting method of driving up revenue: Sales – Expenses = Profit. This approach can lead to a cycle where businesses might build revenue but quickly spend it as expenses rise proportionately. This leads to less profit and owners paying themselves last, if at all. Unfortunately, too many business owners keep reinvesting in the … [More]
