The Business Continuity Plan is highly important for any business. Basically, it is the plan that helps direct the steps that should be taken in cases of business disruption, which can be manmade (i.e. a riot) or natural (i.e. an earthquake). Even in the cases of manmade or natural, it could be events that cause… Read more
So many times, when we are thinking about technology, social media, and modern day access to creative (and technological) innovations, we think of some of the common industries and their related businesses. In the case of this blog, it is often in the context of financial institutions. As the “News Spotter” for this blog, I… Read more
In the world of online retail, no digital competitor has been able to knock Amazon off its throne thus far. Although many have tried, Amazon seems to have the power to offer consumers the lowest prices while maintaining the highest quality. Their well-developed delivery network is comprised of warehouses around the nation and beyond. One… Read more
Ok, I admit it. I steered clear of politics this year (2016). I’m sure for some it was the topic of conversation for most of the day, most of the days and election day 2016 is no exception. However, I just wanted to do my civic duty and hey, we all have to find out… Read more
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Deborah was interviewed by John Benzick, of Venture Superfly. She was interviewed along with these other notable individuals and entrepreneurs: Guy Kawasaki (Speaker, Author) Brad Feld (The Foundry Group) John Lee Dumas (Entrepreneur on Fire) Brian Clark (Copyblogger) Ezra Firestone (Smart Marketer) Tom Kulzer (Aweber) Nick Francis (HelpScout) Neil Patel (Kissmetrics and Crazy Egg) Danny… Read more
The first time that I heard the term “flat organization,” I was sitting across from a C-Level acquaintance and couldn’t help but picture everyone in the company lined up across a table. Or, I would picture the traditional organizational chart being smashed down from a three-dimensional structure, to a two-dimensional view. Hmmm, it would seem that I would rather be on the outskirts of that smash, so I wouldn’t be the squashed! I was actually thankful that I was not a part of the organization.
Wikipedia describes a flat organization in a pretty straight-forward manner. I know, it is Wikipedia, but hey, I wanted to give it to you in an easy-to-understand format. No insults intended!
Flat Organization In Theory
The concept, as this gentleman explained it, was that no one was more important than any other person. Ok, sounds good, but, in reality, does it work that way? I mean, the part that he seemed to miss was that it sounded good in his office, but when we walked out of his office, it was evident that everyone seemed to be so afraid of losing their jobs that they would respect his role because of the very title that showed up on his business card, regardless of what his views on management were. So, that squashed flat organization may have the underlings creeping to hide and respect those above them until the whole two-dimensional process became an organization chart again, and everyone bowed down to the authority figures at the top.
At that point I thought the concept of a flat organization sounded good, but, in reality, it may not be possible, certainly not if the “team” were hiding in fear.
He walked into my office and said, “You hurt her feelings last week!” I looked up from my work with a question mark clearly on my face. Hurt her feelings? The reference was to a situation where I had actually helped the employee in another department, at least in my view. I served as director… Read more
I am a big believer in respecting people and treating people with equality, and sometimes (especially in the marketing field) there is so much hype and teaching about how to persuade someone they need something that they do not need. It is refreshing to read about building trust instead of manipulating people’s emotions. And, that is what I did this week, while reading “Flawless Consulting” by Peter Block.
I remember, years ago, before it was “cool” (or necessary) to have a fully functional home office, shopping for “just the right phone” to cover all of our business needs. At the time, we were running a domain registration and hosting site and were quite popular with our “high quality, affordable services” rates. However, this motto required that we use the phone to be available to our customers 24/7 and, in our own home, with what would work like a commercial phone. It was nearly an impossible feat to find one that had ALL of the features we needed, without changing our motto to “high quality, NON-affordable services.”