When encountering difficult situations, separating truth from emotion and adopting a successful business mindset can make a huge difference in both the outcome and the way you feel about it. Kenneth had an unpleasant encounter with a client and couldn’t stop replaying the events of the day in his head, so much so that he… Continue reading Separating truth from emotion
Category: Dealing With Difficult People
When to fire a client
If you’ve been in business for a while, it’s likely that you’ve run across a client or two, (or possibly even more), that has caused you some pain. Engaging with them sucks your energy, your time, your wallet and can undermine your feeling of self worth. You may even find that you’re turning yourself inside… Continue reading When to fire a client
Employee Retention: Why Resolving Staff Issues Is So Important
An employee retention disaster at a local coffee bar reminded me of how critical resolving staff issues is to the life of a business. It all started (publicly) when regular customers found that Gorilla Coffee on 5th Ave. in Park Slope was closed because all ten of their employees quit, enmasse. Instead of being able… Continue reading Employee Retention: Why Resolving Staff Issues Is So Important
When clients micro manage
You’ve encountered them before, the meddlers: clients who hire you to do a project for them, and then proceed to constantly second guess what you’re doing to the point of frustration. You’d think they’d have better things to do than continually look over your shoulder and want to know what’s happening on every front. Perhaps… Continue reading When clients micro manage
More on learning to say no and the importance of setting clear boundaries
A recent post on the Selling To Big Companies blog reminded me of how important setting clear boundaries is in business, a topic I work with clients on all the time. An architect had problems with a client. No matter how many hours she put into the project, the client always wanted more. More revisions,… Continue reading More on learning to say no and the importance of setting clear boundaries
Learning To Say No
In business as in life, there are lessons to be learned, sometimes the hard way. One of these lessons is learning to say no. And often, business professionals get themselves in trouble by not being able to do it. By not knowing when to say no, we leave ourselves open for lots of problems, here’s… Continue reading Learning To Say No
Dealing with a difficult boss
A recent article by my friend and colleague Career Coach Dale Kurow, entitled "Dealing With A Difficult Boss" is geared toward employees; but has some great insights into dealing with customers, partners and other difficult people as well. Dale talks specifically about "screamers" and "hypocrites" and give some great tips about how to handle them:… Continue reading Dealing with a difficult boss