Oct. 9, 2017—To better assist shop owners with their production management, marketing tactics and leadership styles, Ratchet+Wrench has compiled a short list of essential business-building material from some of its favorite sources.
Paul Struthers: Be Brave in Everything You Do - The Business Leadership Podcast
Paul Struthers is responsible for Sage’s overall business in Canada, working alongside Sage’s cherished network of customers, partners, and accountants. In this episode, you'll learn:
- What he learned working within a consultative role earlier in his career
- How to manage and lead a global marketing team across five continents for 18,000 employees
- How to successfully transition from one global organization to another within key executive roles
- Why he uses themes to motivate and bring his teams together
Artificial Intelligence and Robots Key in Enhancing Customer Service - Information Age
It was National Customer Service Week last week, and one of the key themes being discussed is the use of AI technology and chatbots for serving customers. One big debate for the week is whether chatbots will or will not eliminate any inadvertent bias in how customers are treated.
When questioned about previous human customer service interactions, almost half (49 percent) of British consumers said they have experienced bias as a result of their individual characteristics, beliefs and/or appearance. By contrast, and despite fears that inherent human bias could be transferred onto modern chatbots, only 8 percent of respondents feel there is a risk that chatbots will be biased.
How to Fill Your Company’s Top 5 Leadership Gaps - The Business Journals
In this article, The Business Journals identified critical leadership competencies across their organizations that were in moderate or low supply in the marketplace, as well as the most difficult to develop. Using a model developed by Korn Ferry for its Voices 360 instrument, here are the top five leadership gaps across participating organizations.
10 of the Best Small Business Marketing Studies Published This Year - All Business
You can—and should—connect with other business owners one-on-one, but it’s also good to step back even further and see how entire groups of small business owners are faring. That’s the benefit of small business surveys. These high-level snapshots can show where you stand compared to your peers, and what strategies and tactics are working best for them.
5 Ways to Focus Your Energy During a Work Crunch - Harvard Business Review
Work invariably ebbs and flows, cycling between steady states, where we feel more in control of the pace and workload, and peak periods, where the work crunch hits us hard. Unexpected setbacks, project sprints, or even vacations and holidays can create mayhem and tension. Maintaining focus and managing energy levels become critical as tasks pile onto an already full load. When you’re in your next work crunch, there are a few things you can do to focus and manage your energy more productively.
