by Suzanne Lucas | Mar. 1, 2019 | Field Service Spotlight, Strategy & Leadership
The U.S. Postal Service’s unofficial motto — “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” — was called into question during the polar vortex when the agency halted mail... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Feb. 4, 2019 | Strategy & Leadership
Business is hard and you need to make money. Sometimes things happen outside of your control or a new competitor pops up and what was easy before now becomes complicated. Lots of business owners put pressure on their managers to reach goals, right? Ask — no, demand —... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Dec. 18, 2018 | Strategy & Leadership
Let’s face it: Managers can be annoying and, from time to time, you may be tempted to ignore their instructions. This is all completely logical, of course. Managers often haven’t done the job you’ve done—at least not for years—and you likely have... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Sep. 18, 2018 | Strategy & Leadership
“You can call me anything, just don’t call me late for dinner.” This old dad joke demonstrates a laid-back attitude towards life, one which I applaud. After all, very few people say my name correctly. (It’s Suzanne, not Susan, thank you!) But,... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Aug. 28, 2018 | Field Service Spotlight
Field service techs have a tough job. It’s hard to work in air-conditioned comfort when you’re sweating on the job because you’re fixing someone’s broken air conditioner. Unless it’s winter, in which case you’re freezing because... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Jun. 13, 2018 | Strategy & Leadership
Sometimes it seems that managers do nothing while their employees do all the work. So why should managers make more money to sit in air-conditioned offices and do paperwork while everyone else works hard? There is a difference between managing and doing, and in many... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | May. 14, 2018 | Strategy & Leadership
We spend more time at work than we do with our friends — and often more time with them than we do with our families. As such, making friends at work seems like the natural thing to do. You get to know how your employees like their coffee, their favorite movies, and... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Mar. 14, 2018 | Strategy & Leadership
Part of the training process is explaining what not to do. If you say, “Don’t do X,” people may tune it out. But if you say, “John did X and then the furnace blew up!”—well, people tend to remember that. It’s easy to come up with... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Feb. 13, 2018 | Strategy & Leadership
If you have 50 or more employees, your staff qualifies for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the U.S.’s Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). When someone takes a protected leave, you know the steps to take — have the employee fill out the paperwork, grant the... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Jan. 30, 2018 | Strategy & Leadership
2018 is in full swing, so — woo hoo! — you don’t have to think about writing those dreaded performance reviews for a whole year. If that’s your attitude (and it’s a common one), it’s the exact wrong approach to take. Performance... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Dec. 18, 2017 | Strategy & Leadership
Do you know anyone who looks forward to year-end reviews? Yeah, me neither. Managers don’t like giving them. Employees don’t like getting them. But it’s important to document job performance and goals, and in some cases this is the only true feedback... Read more
by Suzanne Lucas | Nov. 28, 2017 | Strategy & Leadership
You know not to tolerate an employee who uses a racial epithet or makes a sexual advance toward a co-worker. You’d involve HR, and use progressive discipline, upt to and including termination. It’s not acceptable. But what do you do when a client who... Read more
