Hiring Staff: When and Who
Learn about hiring staff, the decision about when to hire your next member of staff and what positions to consider first. This article is aimed, primarily, at owners hiring their first few staff members. But additionally, it suggests a thought process and habits that will be useful even when your small business becomes larger. Yellow Belt […]
Use StrategyTrees to Visualize Effective Strategic Planning
Every type of Enterprise faces the need to develop a Strategy and then implement it. 12Faces has been doing this in its own businesses for many years and we have developed a very practical approach which we share with you here. This is a blue belt article.
How to Use 5 Whys Problem Solving Technique
Often you are faced with a problem and have no idea what is causing it. You don’t even know where to start looking! Actually, you and your team may know more than you think and 5 Whys is a way to unearth possible reasons from complete unknowns Five Whys and its sister Five Hows is […]
How to use Time Management Skills Tools
There is one thing that every business person will tell you they are short of. That is TIME! Time Management Skills are a way to drive a wedge into, and free up, more time. So much so that you will, rather bizarrely, find yourself with nothing to do from time to time. Part one is Yellow […]
Developing and Executing a Business Plan
Do You Really Need a Business Plan, You Ask? Every business leader must take control of the design and implementation of the direction for their business. Developing a Business Plan is the first crucial step toward this. If are you selling your business, a different type of Plan is important to ensure you get the […]
Introducing the GamePlan System
Business Owners are Busy People! Dump “Pie in the Sky” 5 Year Business Plans We developed a routine for getting more done faster using the “Work Smarter, not Harder” mantra We were “National Small Business of the Year” and appeared 4 times in the “National 100 Fastest Growing Businesses” list using this approach This is […]
Business Plans: Why is it Important?
Business Plans: Why Construct a Plan Why is a business plan important? No matter what stage of life your business is at, you need a clear direction for you and your staff. Business plans are undertaken for many reasons. Growth, stabilisation, exit strategy are some. Do You Have a Comprehensive Strategy For Your Business? Begin […]
How to do Goal Setting for Business
Goal setting is the first step of any new business or project. Until you can clearly define a set of goals, further effort can easily be misdirected down unprofitable avenues. Once defined, any particular effort being contemplated can be tested for value by asking, “will this contribute to our goals?” Yellow Belt Goal setting is […]
How the Plan/Do/Check/Act (PDCA) Cycle Builds Important Routines
The business world is full of uncertainty. Many managers cross their fingers, build the planned addition to their business in its entirety, or their start-up, then launch it and pray. The most common outcome from this approach is – failure or, at best, mediocre success. Starting with the auto industry and then moving to the start-up industry, smart managers are dramatically reducing their risk by doing a series of experiments that let them “fail fast” and cheaply if their idea does not have legs. This approach substantially speeds up the migration to a profitable new avenue for the business. Learn the process of the PDCA Cycle This is a Yellow Belt (Introductory) article.
How to Manage Highest Paid Person’s Opinion – HiPPO & other Effects
When a HiPPO (highest paid person’s opinion) is in play during staff meetings, it is doubtful that your enterprise is relying on data to inform decision-making. In fact, the HiPPO effect will be killing debate in your team meetings. Is your business making decisions based on what the HiPPO wants done? Yellow Belt I am […]