Frequently Asked Questions

What types and sizes of groups do you speak for?

Commodity, charity, volunteer, leadership, industry, sales and advisory groups who need very relevant, current and real-life strategies that cover their specific needs.

All speaking topics are customized to the group. No two presentations of the same topic have exactly the same content for any two groups. The needs of your specific audience are used to create the best information, style and examples for your group.

What types and sizes of businesses do you coach?

I’ve worked with businesses as small as 3 family members in the entire business, to those near 1000 employees.

My clients are producers of all types of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and livestock producers as well as consulting firms, law offices, training companies, schools, hospitals, factories, non-profits, universities, churches and many others.

Many are small to medium-sized family businesses with unique challenges.

Businesses going through restructuring, management succession, difficult business environments, generational transition or upcoming liquidity event preparation.

Very stable businesses that need to take their current good productivity to greater success.

Multi-generational businesses that need assistance navigating the challenges of a wide variety of opinions, values, priorities, needs and aspirations.

Businesses preparing for a liquidation event where they will sell to a non-related investor, a family member, strategically transition the business to a family member, or some other creative process for strategic transfer of assets, customer base and intellectual property. In these situations, I work with other professionals to ensure that at the time of transfer the business is at its maximum value to the seller, and the maximum potential for the buyer.

What topics do you cover in training?

Human Behavior: Basically, my work focuses on the varying aspects of human behavior—i.e. why people do what they do and how we can help them master current strengths, enhance their self-awareness, improve on their weaknesses and reach their full potential.

Communication: Communication is an issue in every operation. The best businesses know that they can always improve in this area and want to constantly enhance these skills, while those that are struggling in this area need all the help they can get.

Tough People Issues: Regardless of your role in a company, there can be difficult issues to address with people. Unfortunately, far too many people think they are a qualified psychiatrist today and feel capable of giving other people advice—even though they can’t manage their own feelings, thoughts and behaviors. In my 25 years of observation, research, evaluation and coaching I’ve developed practical, common sense strategies for dealing with nearly every issue including gossip, drama, family conflict, dysfunctional relationships, low self-awareness, emotional immaturity, big egos, insecurity, low self-confidence, fear of success, superman syndrome, etc.

General Topics: There are many topics that I’m often asked to provide training. Some of them include:

• Increasing Accountability
• Motivating Ourselves and Others
• Family Business Communications
• Strategic Planning
• Management Succession
• Understanding Personality and Behavioral Styles
• Reaching Challenging Production Goals (Going from Good to Great)
• Sales and Human Behavior
• Leadership vs. Management
• Managing Across Multiple Generations
• Reducing Turnover
• Onboarding and Training New Employees
• Improving Company Culture
• Preparing for Estate Planning

What other basic services do you provide?

Documentation Development and Review

• Employee Handbooks
• Policy Manuals
• Job Application Forms
• Standard Operating Procedures
• Job Descriptions
• Performance Improvement Plans
• Organizational Charts
• Accountability Charts
• Hiring Manuals
• Animal Welfare Pledges

Staff Audits

• Visit with all staff personally and glean their preferences, concerns, motivations and desires.
• Create a report of those findings that includes a step-by-step strategy for achieving your goals.
• Follow up coaching with individuals to ensure that everything possible is done to reach your objectives.
• Continually work on enhancing your desired company culture.

Strategic Planning

• Developing Your Long-term Strategic Plan
• Developing a Strategic Plan for Labor
• Developing Business Plans

Writing/Development

• Articles for Business and Professional Magazines
• Custom Blogging
• Podcasts
• Webinars

What makes you unique?

Run Towards the Fire: I hear from clients that of all the services I provide, they most appreciate that I’m willing and capable of solving problems that have plagued them for many years. I don’t avoid the tough conversations, the difficult topics or the "Elephant in the Room."

I Care: When people are dealing with difficult issues, even if they are purely business issues that may not seem to have an emotional component, I make certain that we persevere to the end. It can’t be done without a high level of empathy and sincere care for everyone’s personal welfare.

Personal Attention: Everything I do is customized to your needs. Even though the topics and situations from one business to the next are often similar, their solutions are very unique and must be addressed as unique challenges.

No Cookie Cutter Programs: I’m a plow horse, not a show horse. If you want a slick, glossy, pre-designed program, a pre-determined solution that’s forced into every situation regardless of the circumstances, or training that’s been done a hundred times exactly the same way for every business in the industry, I’m not your guy. I offer customized approaches at budget prices.

How do I know your strategies will work for us?

The key is that we develop a strategy together and each step of the way we monitor progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure we meet your objectives.

In nearly every situation, challenges are revealed that we were unaware of, that need to be addressed before we can move forward. We incorporate that into the strategy and continue forward.

For more information from clients and others I’ve worked with, check out the testimonials tab.

What if our business is very unique with difficult challenges?

Well... That makes you my typical client...

What does it cost?

This one can be a challenge because I don’t want to have you think that I’m avoiding the topic, but I also don’t want you to look at some prices and arrive at an incorrect assumption that they are not within your budget.

The bottom line is that I’ll work with you to fit the cost to the need and stay within your budget.

As you can see from the wide range of work that I have done effectively with clients for the last 25 years, there would be prices for each area.

In addition to the wide range of services, my clients are all over the country and include every type of business. Trying to establish consistent prices, or even a range of prices, would be ineffective and confusing.

When you want to consider these opportunities, just send me an e-mail, call or text me, and we’ll work out an investment strategy that fits your budget and needs.

How do we know if we are getting a good ROI?

Prior to any investment in my services, we’ll talk about your goals and budget. Along the way we’ll make sure that you are comfortable with the results for the investment and make any adjustments necessary.

Where do we go from here?

Call me or e-mail me using the contact information at the bottom of the home page.