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Three ways to create a culture of giving
At our company, we create a culture of giving year-round by partnering with larger, like-minded organizations to advance our community’s needs. Whether it’s volunteering at a blood drive or food bank, our goal is to constantly build and establish strong community partnerships that often turn into...
Best of CoBiz: A top-notch leadership model
Editor’s note: Here is another valuable excerpt from the new success book by national business consultant Laurence B. Valant and partner Gayle W. Hustad, “Lead and Manage! The definitive guide for getting the results you want.” I am often asked to speak at various business functions, and following one particular luncheon presentation, I was contacted […]
The annual strategy review isn’t enough
As 2014 winds down, corporate directors will soon sit down in their boardrooms, as they do every year about this time, to focus on what is perhaps their most important function and primary responsibility: establishing and evaluating their companies’ overall strategic direction. The traditional str...
Best Companies to Work For 2014
Why are we so interested in catching a glimpse of the inner workings of other professional environments? Can it really be that much better to spend your 9-5 at office A than office B? Work is work after all, right?
Executive edge: Diedra Garcia
Diedra Garcia, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver (and a ColoradoBiz CEO of the Year finalist) was born in Las Vegas, N.M., and moved to Denver when her father enrolled in law school at the University of Denver. Her father returned to New Mexico, leaving her moth...
The gift of great hires
The process of finding the right people is not easy, and employment law is a minefield. As employer, following employment “rules” is a must (and very hard for entrepreneurs). It begins with attracting great people; retaining them and treating everyone fairly. Those three skills are key. The best w...
Measuring success
I was on a trip to a prospective client who wanted help crafting strategy and better articulating objectives. The CEO had a great deal of passion for the business, his customers and his employees, but his measures of success were ethereal, more about feel than metrics. If he heard good stories fro...
Top five personnel mistakes …
Owning your own business is thrilling, and the thought of calling the shots inspires many entrepreneurial spirits. Along with the thrill comes the responsibility of dealing with the endless array of employee issues. How personnel matters are addressed can make or break a fledgling company. Doing...
Courageous vs. heroic leaders
Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Is it Superman? No, it’s just another heroic CEO. Resembling Jimmy Olsen in his early career, our hero is somehow transformed by his newly refurbished office on mahogany row into a superh...
Office holiday party pitfalls
Alcohol is one of the biggest potential issues at company parties. It is best to hold an alcohol-free event, but if alcohol is served, hold the event at an off-site location with a liquor license. Licensed professionals will check IDs before serving guests and cut inebriated drinkers off, if need...
How to inspire loyalty and retention
Where businesses go wrong is in assuming that if they offer a good product or service and market it effectively, that’s basically all that matters. The customers will come; the employees will stay. They assume employees will be happy enough if they get a little training, a few benefits and get pai...
Stepping up your absence management
With unemployment under five percent in Colorado, it’s harder than ever to find a replacement when someone on your team can’t work, so every company has to be prepared to handle employee absences effectively, efficiently and legally. Whether you’re running a small company that’s dealing with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act for the […]
