Management

  • Are You Serving on a Good or Bad Board of Directors?

    • August 28, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Business, Leadership, Management
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    As someone who has served on a board of directors at different times, I pay attention to corporate and nonprofit boards. A few weeks ago, I received an email newsletter from a fellow named Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures about his experience with boards of directors and the two types of problematic boards. He

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  • Is There Ever a Time ROI Shouldn’t be the Driving Force Behind Decisions?

    • August 21, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Management, Measurement
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    A green ROI button on a laptop. There are times you need to put other factors before ROI.

    The return on investment (ROI) is a good benchmark for business decision making. Will your new piece of equipment achieve a positive ROI? Will expanding your sales territory? Will hiring a new employee? The problem is, ROI shouldn’t be the only deciding factor in making business decisions. In some cases, it shouldn’t even be the

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  • Improving Productivity Reduces a Factory’s HR, Onboarding Costs

    • August 14, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Management, Productivity
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    Improving productivity on your factory floor can also reduce HR and onboarding costs.

    Improving productivity throughout your operation, especially on the manufacturing floor, can have an amazing ripple effect throughout your entire organization. A few weeks ago, I wrote about how we were able to improve productivity by measuring our results on the floor and in our accounts receivable department. We were able to save a lot of

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  • Another Important Lesson in Self-Awareness from the Center For Creative Leadership

    • July 17, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Leadership, Management
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    A finger pointing at its reflection in a mirror.

    Last week, I talked about my time at the Center for Creative Leadership in North Carolina. I attended with many military and government leaders who wanted to improve their own leadership skills. I learned a lot of valuable lessons there, including how to communicate, how to manage, and how to lead. One important lesson I

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  • An Important Lesson in Intelligent Listening Learned from the Center For Creative Leadership

    • July 10, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Leadership, Management
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    Active listening is important for any leaders

    Several (okay, many) years ago, I had a chance to attend the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina. I attended with many military and government leaders who were looking to improve their own leadership skills and better manage their staffs. While I was there, I learned a lot of valuable lessons about how

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  • What a Tail-less Cheetah Can Teach Us About Partnerships

    • June 26, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Innovation, Management
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    A tail-less cheetah cub and his mother.

    Take a look at this video. It’s of a mother cheetah and her cub that I took while I was on a safari in Natal, South Africa. I used to own a company in South Africa in the 70s, and I like to return to South Africa from time to time to visit old friends.

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  • The Benefit of Executive Mastermind Groups

    • June 19, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Management
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    Executive mastermind groups can help different executives find solutions to their issues and problems.

    As an executive, it’s often hard to find someone you can share your experiences and your fears with. The only people who truly understand what you’re going through are your fellow executives, usually at other companies and even in other cities and states. Discussing these kinds of thoughts, fears, and ideas are where executive mastermind

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  • Impostor Syndrome vs Dunning-Kruger Effect

    • June 12, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Leadership, Management
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    A perfect illustration of the difference between Impostor Syndrome and the Dunning Kruger Effect. Illustration of an unhappy man with a big brain, and a happy man with a small brain.

    Last week, I wrote about the Impostor Syndrome (How Do Executives Deal With Impostor Syndrome?) and the effect it has on people. I said Impostor Syndrome is. . . . . . the fear that you’re not good enough for the job you’re supposed to do, and that you’re going to be discovered and outed

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  • Managers Should Train With Employees

    • May 8, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Business, Management
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    Photo of soldiers running through an obstacle course.

    A few months ago, I talked about the importance of manufacturers providing training for their employees, especially if they were adopting new technology and processes. You could send your people off to a training school or your vendor partner to learn the new technology. Another option is to pay some of your vendor partners to

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  • Creating a Caring Company Culture Where You Can Have Retention

    • April 17, 2019
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Leadership, Management
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    A foosball table is not necessarily a good sign of a caring culture.

    When I think of company culture, I think of a company’s office environment, the attitudes of the people, and the general emotional atmosphere around the building. It’s the feeling of camaraderie and the drive to get things done. It’s the relationships and whether people get along. A company culture can tell you a lot about

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