Forward Looking Business Training

  This week on Business Blunders Trivia we started the discussion on Leadership. The first question I put forward was if leaders such as Dwight D. Eisenhower were too old school, or were they in fact instrumental in modern leadership theory? I say yes they were instrumental, and you only need to read the quotes I have chosen to agree with me. ‘Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.’ (Dwight D. Eisenhower) ‘The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it’. (Theodore Roosevelt) ‘The department is filled with able men who analyze their problems well but always feel compelled to bring them to me for final solution, I must have assistants who will solve their own problems and tell me later what they have done.’ (George C. Marshall) ‘I love argument. I love debate. I don’t expect anyone just to sit there a...

 This week on Business Blunders Trivia we are going to talk about Leadership, and we begin by telling you how it started for me.  On a summer night in 1986, I experienced an event that shaped the foundation of what I, and my organization Forward Looking Solutions are all about.  At the age of twenty, having served in a small town as a volunteer fire-fighter for just under two years and already achieving the rank of captain, I experience a leadership role that will remain in my mind forever. On this night, we were called to attend a dormitory fire at a private school, and when I arrived at the fire station, I discovered due to regular work commitments of our chief and deputy, I would be in charge of this incident. A critical part of the fire service is contingency planning: our equipment was maintained; we were familiar with most establishments; we knew where our closest water source was for each address in our area; hydrants were inspected and flushed regularly; and we al...

  ‘Ability is nothing without opportunity.’ (Napoleón Bonaparte)   The hiring process is often considered a one-sided equation; however, selecting the ‘Right Fit’ should work both ways as the team must have the right members, and the member must have the right team. For those who question the two-sidedness of this, you can be assured the most talented will only stay when the work environment is congruent with their own values, needs and desires.   Selecting the right team member consists of two primary phases: the first being choosing the right candidate, and second, taking the appropriate steps to ensure they are successful.   Selecting the team member includes: Determining what the ‘Right Fit’ is for your organization Advertising clearly articulating the Job Description and what you consider as the ‘Right Fit.’ Assessing potential applicants to ensure they meet the requirements. Selecting the right candidate.   Ensuring Success includes: Provi...

  Are you struggling to keep good employees? Are you taking the right steps to retain them? This week on Business Blunders Trivia we will look at Part II of our Forward Looking Guide: Select for Success, that being the post selection process of onboarding. This guide is available as an online course, eguide and audio guide, which we will be giving away to new followers who request a copy through DM. Each morning we will present the question, then at the end of the week summarize in our blog.  Join the Business Blunders Adventures!

The Trend   There are many circumstances where services to a payer are provided through business contracts versus employment. We are not talking about obvious situations such as operating an automotive service centre, or a hospital who provides an operation; in this article we are talking about personal services such as but not limited to: sales, purchasing, accounting, human resources, domestic services, and even tradespersons working alongside others.   As intriguing as contractual arrangements may sound, it is not as simple as you might think… for either party! For example, how do you handle payments such as income tax and retirement/unemployment benefits? And what happens when the authorities deem it an employment situation regardless of what the parties agree to?   Why a contractual versus employment arrangement?   We start with the perceived advantage of contracts versus employment to payer:   Only pay when services performed. No overtime, holi...