Posts by Mike Hill

As you develop or review your business’ Mission Statement, you should ask yourself: Why does the business exist? I’m not being glib; it is important to know. Often the answers are some form of the following: 1. It’s the only business I know. 2. I can make a lot of money. 3. It’s our family…

When I was with a Big 4 Consulting firm, one of the services we provided to clients was business planning. Our plans were normally dozens of pages chock full of charts, graphics, and illustrations. However, when we met with the client to check on their progress, we discovered our plans were sitting on the shelf…

Our team was asked to implement a healthcare electronic medical record (EMR) system in each of our physician practices across the country, but we ran into an issue. The company Chief Executive Officer had already dismissed two outside firms who had offered proposals to do the implementation, so my team was nervous. I assured them…

I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. – Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower Early in my career, I was assigned a position to manage projects, which was a great experience for me. What I love about project management is that it mimics running a business. It includes sales, operations, marketing,…

Don’t compromise quality for speed. When it comes to hiring, we often make compromises and thus decisions we regret. A stable workforce is always less expensive than high turnover. Patrick Lencioni says, “Engaged, enthusiastic, and loyal employees are pivotal drivers of growth and health in any organization.” As business leaders, we need to ask ourselves…

When we think of innovation, new product development is what first comes to mind. But sometimes innovation can come through simple changes. I got a call from a business acquaintance whose profitability had begun to slip. As a result, their equipment and facilities became dated and began to fail. After my assessment, I made several…

There is no shame in being a start-up or small business. Every large business was once small. But just because you are small, you don’t have to appear that way to your customers. Business owners often believe that projecting a large image is expensive, and fortunately that’s not true. Remember, your desire is to create…

We all have a brand. What’s yours? The dictionary defines brand this way: “kind, grade, or make, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like”. A brand is most often represented by a logo, but it is far more than a logo. Whether we like it or not, brands or logos evoke an emotional…

I was so proud when I joined Ernst & Young. On my first day, they handed me a box of cards giving me the title of Senior Consultant. I remember thinking, senior to what? I had graduated from college just a few years earlier and didn’t feel senior to anyone. Fortunately, working for this prestigious,…