Top 10 2017 Posts

My thanks to our customers, employees, and partners for an awesome year.  I’m going to be offline for a couple of weeks to be with my wife and kiddos.   I wish you and yours an enjoyable break and great start to 2018.  Below are my top 10 articles or posts for 2017:

  1. ​Business and life lessons, as taught by … mom
  2. The 100:  Downloads
  3. To keep employees, try valuing them
  4. 5 Lessons Most People Learn Way Too Late in Life
  5. Crazy Busy and Proud of it
  6. Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
  7. Social Media Marketing Matters
  8. Listen Up – Your Customers are Talking!
  9. 6 simple ways to make every project successful
  10. 4 rules for delegating so you can retreat without regrets

 

Getting On-Boarding Right

From pre-K to college, professional teachers understand the critical importance of a successful school year launch. “Onboarding Isn’t Enough,” from a recent Harvard Business Review states new employees need to be fully integrated into the culture of the company.  In the study of senior executives:

“Organizational culture and politics, not lack of competence or managerial skill, were the primary reasons for failure.” For new executives to succeed the research stated requires:

  1. Assuming operational leadership
  2. Taking charge of the team
  3. Aligning with stakeholder
  4. Engaging with the culture
  5. Defining strategic intent

In my book, The 100: Building Blocks for Business Leadership, I explain in chapter 30 how we set the tone quickly, upon acceptance of our offer, we:

  • Send a letter of congratulations
  • Courier a floral arrangement delivery to their home
  • Send an email explaining what to expect the first week

In short, take time and care to communicate with new employees.

Intertech Earns Title of Most Best Places to Work Awards

“Next, we congratulate 13–time winner Intertech, which shares the title of most Best Places to Work awards with (one other firm)” said the emcee at last week’s Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal Best Places to Work Awards.

My thanks to our tremendous employees and loyal customers for making us possible.