How Remote Teams Work Together

Working remotely is about mutual trust. It’s the same as assessing the security of your home, the reliability of your office job, or the viability of your relationship. It's about creating an ecosystem where both parties can operate securely, reliably, and respectfully. Employers and employees must mutually invest in this ecosystem, recognizing that their actions or inactions can significantly impact each other. If you don’t care, you’ll lose. If you stress over it too much, something seems fishy and you may get burned again. I am a proponent of remote working in theory. And I’ve managed to build a team… Continue Reading

10 Practical Risk Management Techniques

Successful business founders, executives, and managers employ different approaches when it comes to risk management. Whether dealing with financial volatility, market competition, or internal organizational challenges, managing risk effectively is crucial for long-term success. Only 23% of CEOs believe they have comprehensive information about the risks in their business even if 92% of them agree that having such information is highly critical to the success of their venture. On Shark Tank’s season 7, Robert Herjavec said that “Great entrepreneurs live in paranoia”. While I do agree with the sentiment, the risk management course I took back in the day was… Continue Reading

The Power of Big-Picture Thinking: A Key to Sustainable Business Growth

Imagine a business that only focuses on short-term gains, ignoring the bigger picture. What would be the long-term consequences for its vision, strategy, and overall success? Would it be able to sustain growth and create lasting value in a rapidly evolving marketplace? A stark reminder of the need to shift from short-term goals to long-term ones was given by the recent pandemic around the world.  Businesses that failed to take the bigger picture into account and establish a clear long-term goal found it difficult to maintain growth during the instability. In contrast, companies that adopted a broader perspective by evaluating… Continue Reading

Internet Marketing For Startups – Outsourcing vs. Building Teams

Internet marketing is one of the many online disciplines that don’t require education, certification, or any type of entry point that comes with the right background or experience. The same goes for content marketing, web design, web development, advertising, PR - you name it. It’s not the same for medical professionals and lawyers - which is why we don’t deal with these problems in the first place. Sure, some are better and more experienced than others, but you know that they’ve studied hard and gone to some of the best medical or law schools in order to land a job in the first… Continue Reading

6 Ways to Hire and Manage Remote Workers for Business Advantage

The shift towards remote work has gained momentum, particularly after the COVID-19 outbreak. A FlexJobs survey reveals that 65% of participants prefer to work remotely full-time after the pandemic, while 31% are inclined towards a blend of office and remote working. While remote work presents certain challenges in business operation, many have thrived with its incorporation. Look at the case of Cisco. Back in 2009, Cisco released their telecommuting study results declaring $277M in annual savings for the company. Here are some key metrics outlined in their press release: The average Cisco employee now telecommutes 2.0 days per week. 60… Continue Reading

Micromanagement – The Good, Bad, and Ugly

It's not just about hovering over an employee's shoulder or obsessing over details. It's a reflection of a company's growth stage, the maturity of its staff, and the very essence of its operational culture. Micromanagement has nothing to do with caring about an employee. However, it’s important to review the different phases of a business and the professional experience of an employee, and the work environment. What is Micromanagement? According to Wikipedia’s sources : In business management, micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes and/or controls the work of his/her subordinates or employees. Micromanagement is generally considered… Continue Reading

Creating an Employee Performance Review and Feedback Workflow

Resilience is my number 1 hiring trait.  As a manager, you will have ups and downs with your employees, and your feedback should reflect this. It's not about harshness or power play, mind you. Receiving critical feedback may be absolutely devastating for juniors and many introverts.  However, your options are very limited and you don’t want to do any of the following that might only jeopardize the entire company: Stick to praising (missing out on improvements) Prolong tough times until it becomes unbearable Sugar-coat problems Look for a replacement because a civilized conversation is unlikely Deliver feedback and receive a… Continue Reading

5 Reasons Why Multitasking Actually Works (And Supplements Focus Mode)

Multitasking is a habit of many people who want to get many things done at a time.  More specifically, according to the American Psychology Association, multitasking is done by performing at least two tasks simultaneously, switching from one task to another, and working on two or more tasks speedily. But, it is easy to get distracted, tap into your favorite social media, watch YouTube videos, get on the phone with a colleague or a friend, and forget about the core tasks you were supposed to work on. These distractions can negatively affect your focus, meaning that the quality of your… Continue Reading

8 Reasons Why Setting Up a Meeting Is a Must

Most business meetings "should" have been an email.  If the company is large and has more stakeholders, the slower and heavier the processes become. This eventually leads to more meetings with less work being done.  A 2012 study shows that companies that held unproductive meetings lost an average of $250,000 annually. The study's findings suggest that companies can improve their bottom line by improving the quality of their meetings. This includes clearly defining the purpose of the meeting, setting an agenda, and ensuring that everyone has a chance to participate. Companies should also be aware of the signs of dysfunctional meeting… Continue Reading

12 Productivity Frameworks And Tools For Effective Management

Over 50,000 US users search for “productivity” in Google every single month. When you add the long list of queries around productivity tips, productivity apps, productivity planners, and other forms of definitions around the term, we’re ranking over 300,000 total searches across the board. We are all eager to fight procrastination and maximize our time. Best-case scenario, deliver more in less time, reduce stress and the tedious backlog at the end of the day, and get better at everything we do: professionally and personally. Productivity Trends But here’s a fun fact for you. Productivity has always been a chore. Humankind… Continue Reading