The 2 Minute Takeaway Podcast

Ask yourself these important business questions to unveil ongoing problems or new opportunities in your organization. They are designed to make you face some important truths. While each question is rather simple, they can lead to productive discussions. Start asking the right questions, in this week's episode of The 2 Minute Takeaway Podcast. Get your copy [...] The post Important Business Questions appeared first on Ken Okel.

If you need a pep talk or words of encouragement for your employees, then consider saying, "Priceless must be played." It's a reference to a very expensive musical instrument and why it can't hold its value if it's locked in a case. Enjoy this short story from one of my speaking presentations, that's designed to [...] The post Priceless Must Be Played appeared first on Ken Okel.

As you look to build teamwork and celebrate accomplishments, you need to ask yourself if employees want office parties. You might be surprised to learn some of your old traditions may no longer fit your team. A lot has changed in the workplace over the past few years and some may want office parties to [...] The post Do Employees Want Office Parties? appeared first on Ken Okel.

If you feel professionally stuck, then you may need this smart career advice for 2024. I recently polled my followers about the areas where they plan to make improvements. We'll talk about the popularity of each option and how you can approach them. Often, these are tips that can take you to a new level [...] The post Smart Career Advice for 2024 appeared first on Ken Okel.

Do your employees show courtesy on the job? While we expect this when they are dealing with customers, how about with each other? Simple acts of courtesy can make a major positive impact on your workplace culture. But with all the working from home that's been going on, some may be out of practice with [...] The post Do Employees Show Courtesy? appeared first on Ken Okel.

In a competitive hiring market, you may be struggling to find new employees. This can be especially challenging if you can't afford to pay more. Let's talk about two other ways businesses make themselves more attractive to candidates. It's about promoting any edge that you already have, which separates you from your competition. The two [...] The post Standing Out in a Competitive Hiring Market appeared first on Ken Okel.

Thanking a business referral is something most people want to do but they don't know how. If you do nothing, then you risk turning off a profitable pipeline of goodwill. Let's brainstorm several options that can give you a system for saying, "Thank you," to those who help you get business. These tips also will [...] The post Thanking a Business Referral appeared first on Ken Okel.

Have you ever found yourself unexpectedly in a situation when you think that something is wrong? That feeling can produce confusion, anger, or just distract you from your important work. Recently, I found myself in this scenario and it made me realize this kind of problem is more common than you might think. Don't worry, [...] The post When You Think Something Is Wrong appeared first on Ken Okel.

The world of coffee shops may provide you with an unexpected source for employee retention. Those businesses have mastered sales tactics that can keep customers coming back again and again. Guess what? You can use some of those same principles to make your employees want to stay on the job. Enjoy this tip, from one [...] The post An Unexpected Source For Employee Retention appeared first on Ken Okel.

This Get Better! new book preview will give you a good idea of what the book is about. It contains smart business advice from unexpected mentors. None of them are celebrities, world-class athletes, or billionaires. Instead, the chapters provide great advice from extraordinary, yet ordinary people. These are stories I've discovered over the years and [...] The post Get Better! New Book Preview appeared first on Ken Okel.

If you want to keep your top talent, then you must understand how employee turnoffs hurt retention. These problems may not seem big to you but they can play a huge role in an otherwise great employee deciding it's time to work somewhere else. Are you already making some of these costly leadership mistakes and [...] The post These Employee Turnoffs Hurt Retention appeared first on Ken Okel.

In business, you should never underestimate the power of a fast response time. It can prevent a lot of problems and set you apart from your competition. Don't assume that business as usual will produce a fast response time. It usually takes an ongoing commitment to several important steps. Let's satisfy the marketplace's need for [...] The post The Power of a Fast Response Time appeared first on Ken Okel.

If you feel like you're not getting enough accomplished on the job, then you should consider what wastes your time at work. I'm guessing there are likely some ongoing issues that take more time than they should. Complaining about these things is easy but making changes is hard. So let's go over some of the [...] The post What Wastes Your Time at Work? appeared first on Ken Okel.

Workplace culture problems rarely happen overnight. They are usually a product of several issues in an organization. A falling workplace culture can be turned around but the longer you wait, the harder it will be to achieve. So why wait? Learn four important signs of workplace culture problems, in this week's episode of The 2 Minute [...] The post Workplace Culture Problems appeared first on Ken Okel.

As a leader, do you understand the difference between easy and hard at work? Because if you don't, you may be creating frustrating situations for your employees. It can happen easily, when you make assumptions about their skill levels. Because easy street for you might take them to nightmare alley. Let's get everyone on the [...] The post Understand the Difference Between Easy and Hard appeared first on Ken Okel.

Let's continue our important business discussion of some additional customer loyalty strategies. At a time when you may be forced to raise your prices, you want to make sure you're still an attractive choice for people. In our last episode, we talked about how exceptional service can keep customers engaged and willing to pay more. [...] The post Additional Customer Loyalty Strategies appeared first on Ken Okel.

It is possible to improve customer loyalty with exceptional service. This was one of the findings from a recent LinkedIn poll I held about customer loyalty during times of price hikes. While most acknowledge the importance of exceptional service, not everyone knows how to put it practice. Let's focus on some actionable steps you can [...] The post Improve Customer Loyalty With Exceptional Service appeared first on Ken Okel.

Some simple steps can help you create happiness in your workplace culture. At a time when retention and hiring may be challenging, you want your business to be as employee friendly as possible. You may be falling into some common traps, where you're letting random or outside factors negatively impact workplace happiness. Change and hopefully [...] The post Create Happiness in Your Workplace Culture appeared first on Ken Okel.

If you want to hold onto your top talent, then you need to have some employee recognition strategies. You simply can't leave this to chance. Otherwise, you may give too much praise to the usual suspects and not enough to your behind the scenes superstars. And what are your options for ways to recognize excellent [...] The post Employee Recognition Strategies appeared first on Ken Okel.

Organizations looking to improve should schedule a productivity holiday at work. This gives everyone a chance to catch up on important tasks that never seem to get done. If you're not careful, skipping these valuable activities will cost you dearly. What should you do on these days? Plan your productivity holiday, in this week's episode [...] The post Hold a Productivity Holiday at Work appeared first on Ken Okel.