On Leadership

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On Leadership: Trends to watch in 2024 – leaders predict continued disruption

Last fall, as I was finalizing our annual plan and budget for 2024, I remarked to our leadership team once again how much disruption and change we’ve experienced over the last several years. Even though …

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On Leadership: Building trust a top leadership priority in 2024

“Earn trust, earn trust, earn trust. Then you can worry about the rest,” said famed business executive and author Seth Godin.  

I was recently reminded of Godin’s words as I addressed our team at …

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On Leadership: Managing people for the first time? Successful leaders offer advice.

When I was a recent college graduate, I got a job leading a nonprofit organization and started managing a team of employees and volunteers. I quickly made numerous rookie errors, one of which was hiring …

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On Leadership: Leading when you don’t have all the answers

When I was younger, I assumed that leaders knew what they were doing. I worked at various companies where strategy or plans were not obvious or not communicated well, and I was annoyed when my …

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On Leadership: In-office vs. remote vs. hybrid: Which model is best for your business?

My first job out of high school and during college was working as a secretary in a social services agency. I punched a clock and was expected to be physically present at my desk during …

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On Leadership: Should you hire your family members to work in the family business?

This column is part of a series on family-owned business issues.

Earlier in my career, I worked in wealth management and advised many clients who owned multi-generational family businesses. One story stands out – a …

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On Leadership: Communication is key in family businesses

This column is the third in a series on family-owned business issues.

While clear communications are critical in any business, family-owned companies often face unique challenges when talking about the enterprise. Family issues and feelings …

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On Leadership: How can you prepare the next generation to lead the family business?

This column is the second in a series on family-owned business issues. 

Earlier in my career when I worked in wealth management, I assisted many business owners with the transfer of business ownership from one …

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Family-owned business succession: To sell or keep the business in the family?

This is the first in a series on family-owned business issues. 

Did you know that Iowa ranks fifth among states with the most family-owned businesses? 

Last year, a study published by Small Business Trends revealed …

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On Leadership: Are you relentlessly focused on reinventing your business?

How many times have you had conversations with team members where they reminded you of how things were done in the past? “We used to do it this way,” one colleague said to me recently, …