Deborah Chaddock Brown

There are tons of books and articles on goal setting, visioning, reaching for the moon and landing among the stars. But how many of those how-to guides talk about what to do after you set your goal?

As we begin a New Year and thoughts turn toward New Year’s resolutions and wiping the slate clean, I would suggest that once you set your goal, you let your employees know.

They say that “what gets measured gets done” and if you write a goal down it is more likely to become a reality, but still so many managers feel that letting their team know about the goal is just TMI.

Too much information.

“They just need to do as they’re told,” is the old school of thinking.

“If we tell them too much and they leave and go to the competition, they’ll take our plans with them,” those that are a little more paranoid or perhaps have been burned in the past might say.

Yet when we let our team know the big picture, they are more inclined to take ownership in the ultimate success and help you achieve your goals even faster.

When I worked for Pearle Vision I found that many of the franchise owners were reluctant to let their employees know their break- even number.

“They don’t need to know my financial information,” the franchisee would say.

That way of thinking came back to bite one owner who was consistently missing their break even number and money was tight. The employees, clueless to the financial strain, began demanding a raise. The owner stalled and tap danced and finally came to me for help. read more

Over Thanksgiving I was chatting with a friend who shared her frustrations with her call center staff.

“I was listening in to a customer call,” she said (you know, “this call may be monitored for training purposes.”) “And the customer was explaining a problem with the product. It wasn’t an area of expertise for the employee and so I expected her to say something like, “I’ll have to transfer you to the right department.” However what the employee said was shocking:

“I really don’t care.”

Imagine talking to a sales or customer service representative and being told “I really don’t care.”

A recession was officially announced recently which just puts the fork in it - it’s done. Jobs are scarce, companies are closing or downsizing and consumers are protecting their wallets. So wouldn’t you think the natural inclination would be to treat every customer willing to do business with us with kid gloves?

So what’s with the employee attitude? read more

I went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon. As I walked down the aisle an extremely attractive man approached. We made eye contact, I smiled and his gaze dropped to my shirt.

Oooh, I thought, for an old broad I’ve still got it. Our eyes locked again. I smiled. He looked away.

I looked down.

I had spilled coffee down the front of my blouse while driving to the store. The first impression that I thought was positive was really a moment in time where I wished the floor would open and swallow me whole.

First impressions are so important in business, in life and even at the grocery store. We only get one shot. How do you make sure that your first impression is memorable . . . in a good way?

I recently competed at the International Sweet Adeline’s competition in Hawaii. One of our professional coaches told us that the minute we take the stage – before we open our mouths to sing – we are being judged. How confident do we appear? How is our posture? Are we making eye contact? Are we smiling?

As much as we like to think otherwise, we judge a book by its cover. People make assumptions about our ability to provide a quality product, service or experience based on the way we enter the room, shake hands or make eye contact. read more

We say that, don’t we? Smug and cocky: “I get it – it doesn’t take a brick wall . . .”

But there I was, in the bathroom of the Woman’s City Club in Akron, Ohio, washing my hands. I looked into the mirror and it hit me!

I must first confess that at 51, my mirror gazing moments are few and far between. I’m amazed to find wrinkles by my eyes. After all, I have kids. I yell more than I laugh! Where did the laugh lines come from?

But on this day, in the middle of a monthly Boardroom meeting led by Norma Rist, I had excused myself to use the restroom. I looked in the mirror and my reflection yelled:

“You idiot – your business model is all wrong for you. You should be going in a totally different direction!” read more

Recently I read a post by Paula at Small Business CEO about balancing work and family as a home-based business owner. She talked about the importance of creating a routine and having the discipline to walk away at dinner time and immerse yourself in your family for the evening.

Although trying to create a workplace environment at home and operate similar working hours has its benefits, I have found a different style to work for me.

I’ve owned my business for four years; however, for ten years prior to that I worked from home as a field manager for Pearle Vision. Those ten years encompassed the early elementary years of my oldest and the birth and toddler years of my youngest.

The pull between home and work was never stronger than when I had a hungry baby with a wet diaper to care for while responding to the needs of business. Here’s what I learned: read more