Tag: People

Author: Stewart Clark

Leadership is one of the many buzzwords used in business today. Yet, when you challenge someone to define what they call leadership, often there is nothing but silence. When you look around the world at some of our pronounced leaders, leadership is perhaps the last word you would use to describe them. Unfortunately, this is […]

Author: Stewart Clark

As every business owner will have heard, the greatest asset in your business is your staff… In many ways I support this comment – having benefited from having some truly exceptional people work with me, and for me, over the years. However, the evolution of business over time has meant that the traditional staffing structures […]

Author: Stewart Clark

Staff can be the greatest asset in your business, but for any service based business – they typically will be the greatest expense – whether they are an asset or not. Perhaps its my corporate background, my genuine desire to improve things (people and businesses), or it might simply just be my objective to see a […]

Author: Stewart Clark

Job descriptions are a valuable tool for both staff and employers and unfortunately, they tend to be absent in many businesses. For the staff member, a good job description provides clarity around the role, what the core responsibilities are, outlines the accountabilities/delegations and shows the associated performance criteria. For the employer, it provides important boundaries for the staff members to operate […]

Author: Stewart Clark

Improvement in efficiency has been an age old quest in business, as it has enabled either more to be achieved with less effort, or for the same amount of effort, but faster. For many reading this article, the phone or tablet you are using provides you with a more effective use of your time – […]

Author: Stewart Clark

Have you ever read a business note, perhaps an email or a letter and thought – huh, what’s that about…..as the tone or content of the note is as if its been written for someone else? Well perhaps it has! In business I have found that the principle of writing for a “third party” audience, is actually not that […]

Author: Stewart Clark

At some point – and we have all done it, we get to a point of knowledge within our business or industry were we feel……. comfortable. It is at this very point; you can guarantee that you have just fallen BEHIND the game. Business is ALWAYS evolving, whether it is directly such as with a new piece of equipment or product, […]

Author: Stewart Clark

How many times have heard the immortal catch cry, “I don’t have enough time” and then….the more scary question – how many times have you been the one to utter it? The lack of time is really the combination of our perception and tolerance. Perception, because busy is how we see our collection of activities – for some, 8 hours of engagements is […]

Author: Stewart Clark

Whether it be in sport or business, the difference between success and failure can often be simply doing one more thing than the competition. The extra phone call, one more prototype, another sales approach, an additional quality check, a larger focus group, an extra tier of service etc etc…..any of these can be the secret ingredient to business success. A few qualifiers; – know your competition as this will provide some form of benchmark. This is […]

Author: Stewart Clark

Many business owners are time poor and simply don’t find the time to read the more comprehensive articles. So if you are looking for a bunch of potent tips for your business – then this short article is for you.  Aptly named the 10 Commandments of Business, these are 10 activities which will add bottom line value […]

Author: Stewart Clark

Business Sale Building Blocks The prospect of selling a business, or at least positioning it so it can be sold, will be confronted by all business owners eventually. It may be for 20 years down the track (rare) or to sell now (more common), but the simple reality is that all businesses will have a […]

Author: Stewart Clark

Business owners tolerate a lot, whether it is poor performing staff, process problems, cash flow, IT and the like. In doing this, the level of stress or pressure on the owner (and in many cases – the business) rises in direct proportion. The two questions I pose are why…….and…..what is the cost? In general terms, things are […]

Author: Stewart Clark

“Fail to plan is planning to fail” – Winston Churchill. Even though this well used line receives universal acceptance in conversation……. few businesses “walk the talk”. If fact, based on a number of recent business reviews it’s obvious that more planning goes into an overseas holiday, than many business owners put into planning for the success of their business. Few businesses were actively “not planning”, […]

Author: Stewart Clark

How many times have you been given some news and reacted badly; triggering a sudden or violent reaction, not gaining an understanding or getting the full message? In finance, most bad news revolves around loans – the words that most clients don’t want to hear from their Banker include; No! Declined.  …there’s a problem…. These are of course simple words – nothing more, but […]

Author: Stewart Clark

All too often this is the catch cry after a major incident…..a show stopping incident…..a business crippling incident… But after the dust has settled and the emotion has been removed from the discussion, the real question is “WHY didn’t you see it coming?”  Show stopping incidents in business – the ones that have the ability to cripple […]

Author: Stewart Clark

Time is a precious commodity and one not to be squandered. Often time…..is the critical factor between success and failure. In prior blogs I have made references to how important time is in finance, and then more generally – to business viability. If your business is running tight – with losses or cashflow gaps starting to show, then this article […]