The A-B-C’s of Executive Presence

Years ago, I had the opportunity to listen to the hall of fame basketball Coach Pat Summitt speak at an HR leadership conference in Tennessee. When she walked on stage, […]

Should You Make The Hire? Should You Keep The Employee? Three Simple Litmus Tests

In my coaching and consulting work with CEOs, the most common challenge is finding the right people. One of my favorite tools to aid in this important decision is part of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), created by Gino Wickman. Information Experts implemented EOS several years ago. I frequently reach back to my EOS toolbox when helping other CEOs move forward.

Whether you are an employee or an employer, chances are you have your share of nightmare stories about the fallout of hires that were not the right fit for a position, or the organizational culture.

9 Strategies to Avoid Business Partnership Purgatory

Partnerships are one of the most important – and messiest – parts of business. Right now, I am working with clients who:

1: Are building a great partnership

2: Are trying to get out of bad partnership

3: Have narrowly escaped a seemingly good partnership gone bad

In my own experience, I was the majority owner in a partnership at Information Experts (with my husband). With Successful Culture, I am contemplating bringing in a partner.

To grow beyond a solopreneurship, a business owner often needs to enlist the help of a partner. There are many reasons for this including:

Ten Questions to Ask to Determine if Your Customers and Employees Really Understand Your Company

Business owners live and breathe their company missions. Often, their business identity plays a significant role in their personal identity. Naturally, they can effortlessly explain what their company does, why it exists, what it stands for, and where it is going.

This is not often the case with employees or customers.

Here are two sets of questions to help you determine if your two most important stakeholder groups – your employees and your customers – really understand your company.

Strengthen the Body, Strengthen the Mind, Strengthen the Outcome

I’ve been a hard core fitness enthusiast ever since I was 15, when I saw Linda Hamilton in The Terminator. I learned then that physical strength is not only beautiful; it is also essential to feeling confident and capable in all aspects of your life.

Executing on a dream or vision to build a business is one of the most mentally challenging endeavors a person will ever pursue. Every day, we are faced with nonbelievers, seemingly insurmountable challenges, and 101 reasons to quit. But still we persevere.

Four Steps to Diffusing a Customer Disagreement

A client called me last week to coach her through a delicate situation with a customer. Her customer had entered into a legal agreement, and at the last minute, wanted to change the terms of the agreement without consent from the other party. This would have jeopardized the entire transaction. Furthermore, her customer insisted that she had told my client about her decision prior to signing the contract (which was not true). My client was on the hook to talk her customer out of a really bad decision, even though her mind was made up.

Four Easy Ways to Get Excited About Prospecting!

I coach a lot of small business CEOs with BIG visions. Visions of tremendous growth. Visions of huge impacts. Visions of organizations with amazing cultures. Visions of….delegating the prospecting to other people.

Four Steps to a Successful 360-Degree Hiring Process

A client asked me, “Marissa, should I involve my other employees in the interviewing process?” My answer was an enthusiastic YES. From the intern to the executive, the CEO should never unilaterally own a hiring decision.

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