by Chris Hunter | Mar 30, 2016 | Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Mar 30, 2016 | Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Mar 30, 2016 | Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Mar 30, 2016 | Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Mar 30, 2016 | Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Nov 25, 2015 | Leadership, Management & Motivation, Sales Management, Start-Ups, Strategy
There are numerous lists of “ways to succeed in business” and many of them contain some words of valuable advice for every business owner. This article takes a different view — that of wanting to be sure a business turns up its heels and dies in the...
by Chris Hunter | Mar 31, 2016 | Coaching & Soft Skills, General - Human Resources, Leadership
Running a business isn’t something you can usually do by yourself. One way or another, other people make their contributions to your enterprise. They could be members of your team, suppliers, co-directors or even family members who support you and they all...
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
Every firm has its ups and downs, and that can have a major effect on morale. If times get tough or the firm has to drastically cut expenditures there’s often a negative emotion that grows until it pervades the enterprise. We’ve all seen places like that...
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
Description: At the core of your company, there is a group of people who seem to call the shots–or, rather, all the shots seem to be called for their benefit. This core group can’t be found on any organization chart. It exists in people’s hearts and...
by Chris Hunter | Nov 17, 2015 | General - Entrepreneurship, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership, Start-Ups
Successful employers and employees share many personal qualities but there may also be key differences. For example, both employers and employees need a positive attitude, and a good attitude is something that can be nurtured and developed. But the attitude of the...
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
Description: Executive consultant Marshall Goldsmith tells his CEO clients that he’s not the real coach; the people around them are. To change your behavior, he says, quit whining about the past and start asking your colleagues how you can do better....
by Chris Hunter | Nov 25, 2015 | Communications & Performance Reviews, Leadership, Management & Motivation, Sales Management, Strategy
Fewer than half of workers are committed to the goals of their organization. That’s the key finding in a survey by FranklinCovey of 12,182 U.S. workers conducted in late 2003 and released in March, 2004. The survey also showed that only 48% of workers believe...
by Chris Hunter | Mar 28, 2016 | Boards of Directors, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Mar 29, 2016 | Business Plans, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership
Every organization will benefit from an input of fresh ideas. These can be about products, services, promotions, packaging, human resources — any aspect of an enterprise. Even if you don’t have any pressing problems to solve at the moment, it’s...
by Chris Hunter | Nov 18, 2015 | General - Entrepreneurship, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership, Management & Motivation, Start-Ups, Strategy
The word “vision” is part of our contemporary business language, yet not every business owner can readily articulate just what their vision for the business is. It’s not just a marketing plan, although these plans have to be based on an appreciation...
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
As long as there has been a need for improvement there have been coaches to provide it. Two thousand years ago the Roman army had coaches to develop skills in such critical areas as fighting battles, defending a fortress, setting up an encampment and how to manage...
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
The contemporary business environment offers few places to hide. Even large corporations and government departments that once allowed mediocrity to coexist with performance are weeding out the unfit. So where are tomorrow’s top performers going to come from?...
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
The term “coaching” is used a lot these days. We hear about “personal coaching” and “business coaching” as often as we hear about coaching in the field of sports, but are we really talking about such different things? Leaving aside...
by Chris Hunter | Mar 28, 2016 | Delegation, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Mar 27, 2016 | Change Management, Leadership, Strategy, Values
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Mar 28, 2016 | Boards of Directors, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Dec 29, 2015 | General - Human Resources, Leadership
Every person in every organization is well aware that by adopting even the most basic time management techniques they can become more effective, and hence more productive. Even if they don’t actually do it. For professional service firms it is especially...
by Chris Hunter | Mar 28, 2016 | Delegation, Leadership
Almost every business owner has too much to do and not enough time to do it in. But there is a solution – let your team members take some of the weight off your back by learning how to delegate effectively. Are you taking work home every night? Do jobs pile up...
by Chris Hunter | Mar 28, 2016 | Delegation, Leadership
“Empower” is one of those words we see a lot of these days, but what does it really mean to a business owner? It doesn’t mean giving up your authority. It doesn’t mean shuffling off all the responsibilities of ownership onto the shoulders of...
by Chris Hunter | Dec 27, 2015 | Compensation, Employee Recognition & Rewards, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
Executive coaching develops the abilities and effectiveness of business leaders. It is a three way process that links the organization, the executive and the coach with defined goals for the organization and the executive to be achieved as outcomes of the process....
by Chris Hunter | Nov 21, 2015 | Change Management, General - Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Start-Ups
It’s part of an entrepreneur’s make up to take risks. Launching a new product, entering a new market, or starting a business entails an element of risk that can lead to failure just as it can lead to success. As Benjamin Franklin once said: “The man...
by Chris Hunter | Nov 6, 2019 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Communications & Performance Reviews, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Human Resources, Leadership
This tip is adapted from “Are You Sugarcoating Your Feedback Without Realizing It?,” by Michael Schaerer and Roderick Swaab Many managers sugarcoat tough feedback, either to avoid retaliation or to protect employees’ feelings. But research shows that managers tend to...
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
BOOK REVIEW: Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen. Hyperion Press, 2000 “When we choose to love the work we do, we can catch our limit of happiness, meaning, and fulfilment every day.” This is the core message of Fish! – the tale of...
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Dec 26, 2015 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Leadership
Managers always have high expectations for the people they hire. But new team members don’t always fit right into the organization, perform their jobs without fault and obey directions without questioning them. We’re only human and that means that our...
by Chris Hunter | Nov 22, 2015 | General - Entrepreneurship, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Sep 22, 2019 | Change Management, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership, Performance Management, Strategy
From McKinsey & Company When developing initiatives to improve performance and health, follow this process to prioritize for maximum impact. Click picture to read article.
by Chris Hunter | Mar 28, 2016 | Boards of Directors, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Nov 22, 2015 | Delegation, General - Entrepreneurship, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership, Start-Ups, Strategy
by Chris Hunter | Jan 2, 2016 | General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership, Training Programs
Leadership is a combination of inherited and acquired characteristics. Even if your genes didn’t make you a ‘natural’ leader you can certainly learn a lot about leadership if you’re called upon to lead. Natural leaders stand out – they’re easy to identify. Identifying...
by Chris Hunter | Mar 30, 2016 | Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Mar 30, 2016 | Leadership, Management & Motivation
by Chris Hunter | Mar 30, 2016 | Leadership
When the leadership is right and the time is right, the people can always be counted upon to follow to the end and at all costs. – Harold J. Seymour We often use expressions like “A born leader” without worrying too much about just what a leader is....
by Chris Hunter | Mar 27, 2016 | Coaching & Soft Skills, Employee Recognition & Rewards, General - Human Resources, Leadership, Performance Management, Retention
Everyone who’s ever worked in a business has thought about how to make it better. It’s usually with the goal of making their own job a bit easier or more rewarding, but that’s natural and highlights the sincerity of suggestions that originate from...
by Chris Hunter | Mar 31, 2016 | Communications & Performance Reviews, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership, Management & Motivation
There is no “one size fits all” solution to succeed in the demanding area of managing people. Most managers have their own styles and some are more effective than others. What is certain is that people management must be an active part of every business...
by Chris Hunter | Mar 31, 2016 | Coaching & Soft Skills, General - Human Resources, Leadership
by Chris Hunter | Nov 16, 2015 | Change Management, Family Businesses, Leadership
There’s an old saying about a family business that is often true: “The first generation starts it, the second generation manages it, and the third generation shuts the doors.” In fact, only about 30 percent of businesses are passed on to the second...
by Chris Hunter | Mar 24, 2016 | Change Management, Leadership, Project Management
by Chris Hunter | Mar 29, 2016 | General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership
How do you feel on Friday afternoon — worn out, tired, flat? Do your body and your mind agree that you’ve made it to the finish line, and you feel finished? Maybe it’s time to set a different pace for your workdays. This doesn’t mean...
by Chris Hunter | Nov 22, 2015 | General - Entrepreneurship, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership, Start-Ups
There are so many risks in small business that it’s impossible to list them all. Many events can put a business out of business and it’s the responsibility of owners and managers to somehow anticipate and deal with them. You’ve probably insured your...
by Chris Hunter | Nov 25, 2015 | Business Development, Change Management, General - Entrepreneurship, General - Personal Growth & Leadership, Leadership, Start-Ups, Strategy
by Chris Hunter | Nov 25, 2015 | General - Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Performance Management, Strategy
Chris’ combination of academic credentials, career experience and temperament ideally suit his calling as a business development advisor. Clients say he has a mind for business and a heart for service.