Leadership: 6 Reasons We Say Too Much

Early in the COVID-19 days, my wise wife, Karen, said this could really hurt our son’s business. Michael and his wife, Casey, perform wedding videography and photography.

Have you heard the trendy phrase “gig economy”? Well, Sun Prairie Films of Colorado couldn’t be more closely tied to the world of gigs. All revenue comes from events, group celebrations, and gatherings of lots of people.

I feared Karen was right, but I responded, “Probably, but let’s not say that to them now. It won’t help to predict doom and gloom when we don’t know.” Karen agreed.

Sadly, she was spot on—Sun Prairie Films revenue eventually shut off like a faucet.

Leadership Lesson Learned

The Time To Be Outstanding Is NOW!

As our heavily damaged economy slowly comes back to life, I can’t imagine a more critical time to stand out.

Said differently, it’s time to … be outstanding.

Is your organization there? If not, what needs to change?

Bottom line, success will be driven by where paying customers choose to spend their money. As in pre-Coronavirus days, they will vote with their dollars — and feet.

We must be as excellent as we can possibly be. No organization can afford to lose cash-carrying customers. Of course, it will happen since our organizations are made up of humans and humans make mistakes.

Don’t Make These Mistakes

Personal Accountability: No Throwing Stones!

There’s a ton of COVID-19 angst and anger in the world today, for sure. Being home together 24/7, my wife, Karen, and I have lots of time to discuss what’s going on. You probably do, too.

Interestingly, somehow, we’ve learned even more about each other than we knew before. Even though we began dating … in 1976 and married in 1980!

Last evening, as we talked about the finger-pointing and blame we’re witnessing — not to mention incessant recrimination and hind-sighting — Karen shared a short story I’d not heard before …

Accountability & Productivity In These Times

Are your people tense? Worried? Annoyed? Frustrated? Are you hearing lousy questions like these?

Diversity: The Foundation of Outstanding Teams

Is your team diverse?

Karen and I (and our four biological kids) are Caucasian. Our three adopted daughters are African-American. Son-in-law, Ricardo, is Mexican, and our only daughter-in-law, Casey, has Native American blood running through her veins.

We’re different in heritage and skin color. Also in personality. Imagine that! 😉

A Relationship of Differences

When Justin was dating a Miller daughter, sharp personality differences came to light. One eve at 9:30, I was heading to bed when he stopped me on the stairs with, “So, John, how does QBQ, Inc. bring in revenue?” I stared at him like he was from another planet. My brain shuts down by 6 o’clock. In a friendly but firm soon-to-be-father-in-law tone, I said …

How Do I Get My Team to Read This Book?

Not in our QBQ! Facebook Discussion Group? Join here!

Do you buy books for others?

When Who Moved My Cheese? was the hot title, a Barnes & Noble employee told me, “I’ve never seen anything like it—customers are backing up the truck to load this title up!”

Of course, I would rather have heard that about the QBQ! book, but it wasn’t quite our time. 😉

I do recall wondering, though, how many people actually read the Cheese book after their boss plopped it onto their desk.

There’s nothing new about managers buying books for staff; it’s a fine way to teach and train. Yet, there are ways to do it and ways not to do it …