Dan SchneiderAll Articles
Super Charge Your Strategic Plan with Scenario Planning
The future is a mystery. Strategic planning may not fully prepare you for the curve balls of the future, but it can help us prepare to keep moving forward on the path to success. The best way to form a contingency plan is to have more than one solution to possible problems. “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” – Napolean The strategic plan doesn’t involve your competitors, but the internal business and familial struggles and the world as a whole. There are sometimes individuals on your team who may play “devil’s advocate” and question the logic behind the [...]
Make Change an Asset
We fantasize about the day we start our own business or make our first million. Maintaining success is the ultimate objective that many entrepreneurs fail to consider. But achieving success is only half the battle; sustaining success is the challenge because the only constant is change. We are dealing with continual flux now more than ever. The keys to surviving and thriving in this environment are flexible strategies, processes, and organizational culture so your company can go with the flow. Flexible Strategies The future isn't clear. Experts, scholars, and even economists did not predict the dot.com bubble burst, the [...]
Moving From Average to Extra-Ordinary
The definition of discipline is “an exercise that develops or improves a skill or habit.” It is the missing ingredient in building the personal and organizational “muscle(s)” that leads to exceptional performance. Most of us who recognize the value in building those muscles are sometimes reluctant to make the effort, either because we don’t want to work that hard or because we just do not know how to break away from the old habits that keep us chained to being “average”. If you fall into the latter category, then this article will give you the recipe for becoming more self-disciplined, [...]
How and When to Turn Over the Reins
Depending upon whether you want to sell the business, transition leadership/ownership to a family successor, or outside management - the following steps will set you up for success. The sooner you begin this process, the sooner you protect your life's work and be able to begin climbing other mountains. Decide what event(s) will trigger your decision to begin formal succession planning. The triggering event can be any one or more of several conditions: business size and growth; a certain age (pick a specific year); a specific level of wealth accumulation (choose a figure); or the proverbial offer you can’t refuse. [...]
Turn Your Organization into A Talent Magnet
Qualified, loyal, and motivated employees are hard to find, and once you do find them, you want to keep them around. Therefore, having a pulse on the organization's culture is key to employee retention. So often, there is a disconnect between leadership and the needs of the people. John Dijulius of The Dijulius Group shared at the 2022 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference to "Stop Calling It a Labor Shortage, It is a Turnover Crisis." People realize what they will and will not "take" from their employers. Dijulius further shared, "Days of lighting fires under people are over. Days of lighting fires [...]
How Do I Manage Negative Emotions of Others When I am Supposed to Encourage and Lead?
The most important thing to recognize when dealing with any negative emotions, whether it is your own or those of your team, is that we are all human. We all deal with the unknown in different ways, but for certain we all carry anxiety and stress. It is important as leaders of teams that we acknowledge that we navigate this all differently, but that it is our job to be there for our people. We must be inquisitive and ask our people how they are doing, how they are feeling, and if there is anything [...]
