This list of tips is intended to help you focus on the key issues that are important to your success as a manager. (If you would like to contribute a tip to this list, email it to me.)

12/30/97: Business is not a tightrope. Remember that running a business is not a tightrope walking act. For one thing, you are not in this all alone. For another, nothing in business is a straight line like a tightrope.

12/23/97: Want More Innovation? If you want more innovation from your people, let them know that their employment is secure, even if their job changes. People worried about losing their jobs tend to find ways to stretch out the work, not innovative ways to do it better.

12/16/97: Get Involved. If you think you are too busy to get involved in civic and charitable activities, you don't know what you are missing. The greatest reward is the personal satisfaction, but you will also make a lot of valuable contacts.

12/09/97: You Are Not Smarter Than Everybody. You may be smarter than anyone, but you are not smarter than everyone. Seek input from the group, and LISTEN to it. You will be surprized at what you can learn.

12/02/97: Follow Through on Sales Promises. Don't let your sales people make promises the company can't meet. If they tell a customer they can have 100 gross of widgets "tomorrow before 10", they better be sure that many are already in the warehouse. Nothing loses customers faster than broken promises.

11/25/97: Identify All of Your Stakeholders. It is important to know who all of the individuals and groups are who have a stake in what you do. Learn who they are, what they expect of you, and how they will measure it.

11/11/97: Be Careful Who You Step On On Your Way Up, they will be there on your way down too.

11/01/97: Tell people what you want, not how to do it. You will find people more responsive and less defensive if you can give them guidance not instructions. You will also see more initiative, more innovation, and more of an ownership attitude from them develop over time.

10/21/97: Fix the problem, not the blame. It is far more productive, and less expensive, to figure out what to do to fix a problem that has come up than it is to waste time trying to decide who's fault it was.

10/14/97: It's the Customer, Stupid. To paraphrase that popular, and successful, quote from Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign: The single most important aspect of your business is your customers. Make sure your entire team understands that - and acts like they understand it.

08/04/97: Stop and smell the roses. Believe it or not, you will do a better job with your business if you let your mind wander once in awhile. Take a break. Recharge your internal battery. When you go back to work you will be more creative as well as less stressed.

07/28/97: Don't be an ostrich. Even the best run company can be blind-sided by external events. Stay aware of what's happening in your industry and to your clients. Watch world events that could effect your customers, or your suppliers. Don't worry about every potential problem, but keep your eyes open for the ones that do develop.

07/14/97: "Doctor" your customers. Everyone wants to think they are special. You can make your customers feel special if you treat them like your family doctor treats you. For the time you are with them, concentrate on them and what they are telling you. Exclude everything else for that period of time.

06/30/97: Actively listen. Listen to your customers, your employees, your suppliers, and anyone else who comes in contact with your business. Honestly evaluate what they have to say, without letting your ego get in the way, and you will probably learn something that benefits your business.

06/23/97: "In every business there are a handful of key success factors. Define them, organize the business to acheive them, and make them your no.1 priority everyday!" (This week's tip is from Steve Pohlit of SRP Consulting, Inc. )

06/16/97: Be on time for ALL your appointments. If you schedule a meeting, set a time to visit with a client, or tell a friend you'll meet them for a working breakfast you have to be there at the time you set or you will lose their respect. If your dispatcher tells a client the serviceman will be there at 1pm, make sure he is. It's just common courtesy, but it will really help your business.

06/09/97: It is easier to save a dollar than to earn a dollar. Every dollar you don't spend is a dollar you don't have to earn to achieve the same profit level. Invest as needed to grow the business, buy what you need, but don't spend without forethought and a good reason.

06/02/97: Appropriate technology can help. Use technology to automate repetitive, mind-numbing tasks. That frees up people's time for creative and problem solving tasks. Do not reverse them.

05/19/97: The lack of a succession plan kills most family businesses. You can have your heirs run the business after you. Or you can place outside managers in some or all key spots and just leave ownership to the heirs. Having a plan is more important than what the plan is. Seek guidance from an impartial counselor.

05/12/97: Your biggest business challenge is your competition. They have to take your customers to survive or grow. How are they going to do that? How can you stop them? How can you steal their customers? Don't wait for it to happen. Start preparing NOW.

05/05/97: Keeping existing customers is cheaper than finding new ones. Are your sales people calling on your existing customers? Do your customer service people understand the value of keeping these current customers satisfied? Does everyone in the operation know that "customer service" is part of their job too?

• Weekly Management Tips
• 1998 Weekly Management Tips (2nd Half)
• 1998 Weekly Management Tips (1st Half)