Burnout is currently at alarmingly high levels, and that can mean bad news for your workforce - and your bottom line. Burnout increases absenteeism, presenteeism, and attrition, resulting in lost productivity, brain drain, and weakened company culture. But by creating a workplace where connections and relationships are valued, you can ensure that your employees feel psychologically safe, valued, and supported.

Depending on where you're living, you might be tempted to think we're going back to business as usual. There are a lot of reasons for us to say this but if no one's told you yet, don't do it! 

Business as usual isn't around the corner and you don't want it to be. We've all been pushed in our businesses to stretch and grow our capability to adapt. There're so many things we've done of necessity that we now need to see what's actually innovative, providing opportunities for disruption. 

Just because you work virtually doesn’t mean you’re a robot. Nor are your coworkers... we hope! That means that social niceties like small talk and fun chit chat still apply, even when it’s through a Zoom call. The reality is that working virtually can be both challenging and lonely. We still need human connection.

With vaccinations well underway, office-based working has become a reality once more. But in the past year, how we work has changed dramatically, and so has what we've come to expect from our workplaces. And business owners must adapt accordingly. Whether you're downsizing to meet the needs of a hybrid or reduced workforce, or you're updating an existing space in line with new social distancing and flexible work norms, here's what your post-Covid office space needs.

Kermit the Frog might be on the record saying it's not easy being green, but these days nothing is further from the truth. With 60% of people gravitating towards green-minded businesses and a whopping 80% saying they respect these companies, being green is both good for the planet and for business. 

So what does it mean to be a green leader, and how can you make it happen?

“Pets understand humans better than humans do.” said Ruchi Prabhu, Indian Author. One thing for sure, our pets will miss us when we return to the office, but somehow they will survive. Pet party! The humans are gone!

When the pandemic is over or almost over, in whatever form that takes, where will workers go work? Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said, in referring to the growing sentiment of working remotely, "I do think for a business like ours, which is an innovative, collaborative apprenticeship culture, this is not ideal for us. And it's not a new normal. It's an aberration that we're going to correct as soon as possible."

The one commodity you can never get back is time, and boy does it fly! It almost seems as though the older you get, the faster it moves. It seems like just yesterday your first boss was handing out management tips like Halloween candy.

In business, time is money. That’s why it’s vital to learn how to manage your time efficiently, not just for your bottom line but for true happiness and satisfaction. 

As a wise person once said, "the harder I work, the luckier I get." That's good news for the driven and industrious among us. With St Patrick's Day here, we've got luck on the mind, so let's look at how to channel hard work into luck - and make sure that your business is swimming in (four-leaf) clover.

Diversity in recruiting and in the workplace is extremely important. It’s a crucial part of building a more just and inclusive world. It’s not acceptable to only avoid discrimination; it’s necessary to have conscious policies in place that actively prioritize diversity and inclusion. 

Why do employees care about their jobs? What makes them loyal? What makes an employee engaged enough to go the extra mile? 

If your employees' only motivation to show up and do good work is the paycheck coming, you're doing it wrong. The good news here is the best thing you can do for your employees is also the best thing for your company. 

Everyone wins when a culture of workplace accountability is implemented properly. Staff are able to take control of their work, there are clear lines of report, and managers can trust their employees to work without constant oversight. A culture of positive accountability also has a positive impact on morale and commitment. That's because you're trusting and empowering your staff to perform their roles at a high level, rather than trying to take the old-school top-down punitive approach.

Business is all about balance. And by that, we mean the ratio between management and creative has to be 1:1. We've all shaken our heads at those artsy, creative brands that look great but have no real business model under the hood. But we do the same when we encounter those ultra-smart, innovative businesses whose marketing is so dry we don't even bother to engage. At StellaPop, we think of these brands as "right-brain" (the Warhol) or "left brain" (the Spock) brands. All have promise. They just need to balance things out a bit by walking that middle line and becoming a "bridge brain" brand (the Da Vinci). Here's how. 

Even if you've explored virtual events or virtual, hybrid events in the past, chances are you're still entering a brave new world where virtual events are your ONLY option. This means you may need to beef up your event planning team. Ensure you include those with the talents and skills capable of navigating all of the technical aspects of a high-level virtual event.

Leadership and management are inherently linked and often grouped together or confused as one, but understanding their differences is essential to grow and develop your company. 

2020 brought workplace challenges no one could have foreseen a year earlier, and HR departments responded accordingly. With the introduction of remote work, HR departments have met this year’s uncertainty with grace and dignity. And that’s worthwhile. The skills learned in 2020 will be valuable in the months and years to come. Here are 4 ways the future of work will look different in 2021 and beyond.

In chess, you can play defense and try to keep the other player from pushing ahead, or you can go on the offensive and try to capture their pieces in a relentless pursuit of checkmate. In Netflix's smash, The Queen's Gambit, chess prodigy Beth Harmon was famously "all offense." And she sent every other player running as a result.

No matter how high or low you are in the workplace pecking order, there is no escaping difficult clients and customers. Unfortunately, they abound but don't tell anyone. Though dealing with one can be super frustrating, you do have a choice in making it an experience that’s a “pulling teeth” kind of painful, or… something a little less so. 

Operational inefficiencies can be costing your business 20-30% in revenues every year. If you've been struggling with complicated processes, hard-to-use systems, siloed information, or out-of-date tech, now's the time to seek out the problems and fix them before the losses add up. Here's how to find and deal with operational inefficiencies.

From hosting virtual family meals to dropping off presents on doorsteps, the holidays will look different this year. While the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink how we celebrate, that doesn't mean you can't make this season a special time for your team.

As we're coming into the last months of the year, it's an important time to take a look at your company and your teams and ask, "how are we thriving?"

Change is hard. It’s a challenge. That’s why so many people struggle with it. As humans, we all get stuck in ruts of comfort and resist change with all our might. This is especially true when the change feels big and scary, or you feel like things are “good enough” as is. Why change anything if it’s not broken, right?

2020 has been a year of shifts and changes. For too many brands it's also been a year of being on standby. We understand wanting to know where things are headed before diving back into doing business. There's risk in taking that leap. But there's also a risk in sitting out for too long - you don't want to be like those people who took their money out of the market after 2008 and missed out on the massive gains we've seen since then. If you try to wait until you have all the information, or until the uncertainty has passed, your brand will be left on the sidelines. 

The New Year is creeping up on it, making now the perfect time to turn over a new leaf and do away with any of those bad habits you've accumulated during this year. Whether you've been blindsided by the events of 2020 or you're still meeting your milestones, there's always room for improvement. To get ahead of the competition, try incorporating these trending business management concepts into your approach.

Human resources are often overlooked when starting a business or working in a small business. HR tasks always seem to fall as extra work for management until it gets to be too much. But having a talented human resources team behind your business deserves attention. It can lead to growth opportunities and help you strategically expand and reach success. Let's discuss a solution that provides exceptional human resources without breaking the bank.

As the economy begins to reopen, businesses are faced with a labor market with vastly different expectations. Flexibility, benefits, and work-life balance are still key draws. But the deciding factor for the current crop of job seekers is company culture. It's hardly surprising. With work-from-home life now the norm among almost half the nation, employees are worried about feeling isolated and out of the loop. A strong company culture gives them stability and community. Additionally, the events of 2020 have inspired many working professionals to re-examine their priorities. Where salary used to be the most important factor in taking a job, employees now want to feel that they're part of something meaningful and aligned with their goals and beliefs.

2020 has been a challenging year for most brands. Huge market shifts, dramatic changes in consumer behavior, ever-evolving rules and requirements, and belt-tightening across the board have upended our collective plans and projections. And we're not out of the water yet: there are plenty of unknowns to come! What this all means is that brands need to be resilient, adaptive, and transformative. This is where management consulting firms come in. Management consultants leverage extensive market and industry knowledge to help your brand move forward in a way that allows you to continue to meet your business goals - no matter what this year sends your way. 

Now, more than ever, online networking is necessary to maintain old relationships, build fledgling relationships, and seek out new relationships. That includes relationships between businesses and potential new hire candidates. It is estimated that 90+ percent of recruiters search daily to find potential candidates using the LinkedIn platform. Since it’s arguably the top networking tool for businesses worldwide, if you aren’t utilizing it effectively, you could be missing out on lucrative job offers and partnership opportunities.

As more companies confirm that remote work isn’t going away anytime soon, and others are indefinitely allowing the option, we continue to deal with the difficulties and new territory it comes with. In regards to human resources, this means virtual interviews and a virtual onboarding process. It’s especially important that you analyze the difference between in-person processes and virtual processes as the first few weeks are crucial to new hires' success at the company. Below is a how-to on successfully onboarding new hires. 

If there’s one thing you can be sure of, industries are continually evolving. When you throw AI (artificial intelligence) into the mix, you can bet on some pretty major disruptions, impacting everything like transportation, medicine, software, consumer goods, and yes, even HR.

Successful businesses don't just happen. Just like the world's enduring architectural icons, they're constructed according to painstaking blueprints, with the end goal being to bring a particular creative vision to life. Every great business rests on solid, time-tested foundations, and enjoys structural integrity on the ground floor all the way to the top.

Here's how you can build a business that stands tall for years to come.

In our constant push for convenience, optimization, and productivity gains, it's easy to lose sight of one of the most important factors in workplace success: being human. Sure, it may be faster to assign a task in Asana than it is to talk to someone, and knocking back a protein shake may be more convenient than having lunch with coworkers. Still, both of those choices mean missing out on an opportunity to interact, share, and empathize with others.

Just as it takes two to tango, it takes two to realize a successful recruitment effort. As the nation slowly reopens for business and organizations look to bolster their staff rosters, both recruiters and job-seekers are hard at work looking for that perfect fit.

Let's take a look at what a winning recruitment effort looks like from both sides of the interview table.

Working from home can be a catch-22. On one hand, freedom! It’s freeing not to have to commute to work each day, to be able to set your own schedule, and to work from your bed in your pajamas if you want. However, there are costs to working from home too. One of those costs is burnout. With the current COVID crisis, many are forced to work from home and have no idea how to do that in a healthy way.

Remote employees are on the rise. For some, this might be a temporary change in response to the Novel Coronavirus. Other's the increase in remote workers is an ongoing shift in direction, reaching for the advantages of a remote team.

Regardless of your reason to utilize remote teams, you'll need to prepare for the challenges that come with managing a remote team.

It seems like a simple question: Would you rather continually improve or hold yourself back from success? That may sound like a biased comparison, but that's essentially what's happening when you have a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset. Let's explore how that impacts your employees and business.

This entire past decade has been about the foregrounding of experience. Experience is key to how we interact with brands of all types, from these we shop with to those we work for. Brands that recognize the value of experience give us something to align ourselves with and something to get behind. They don't just have customers or employees: they have fans. Those that don't? They risk being relegated into the dustbin of "businesses" instead. 

Here's what will separate the brands from the businesses in 2020.

When a position needs to be filled, you recruit somebody to fill it. And when somebody leaves your organization, you recruit somebody to replace them. But you’d never stop selling once you hit your goals. So, don’t stop recruiting either.

It’s a competitive marketplace out there. And new talent needs a home. When you don’t nab the best people for the job, your competitors will. Today, I’m going to reveal to you how and why you should always be recruiting.

It's probably a safe bet to say that most business leaders want to be the best they can be — at the top of their game. Of course, that's easier said than done. Becoming a master at what you do can be intimidating. It takes time, patience, drive, and so much more.

But there are some strategies and tricks that can help you in your quest to become one of the best in the business.

With a new decade, brings a new wave of tech and I bet you are wondering what’s in store for 2020. On the rise is a wide range of tech that will affect businesses and consumers. We advise always staying updated on tech trends as they can help accelerate your business past your competitors.

Here’s a shortlist of what we think you should look out for in 2020.

Owning and/or managing a successful franchise requires you to stay on your toes and be constantly willing to learn, tweak, and re-evaluate processes to refine what works and eliminate what doesn’t. Not only are you managing your staff, but you’re also managing your franchisees. Obviously you want to do your best to help them succeed because their success is ultimately your success. Growing your franchise means implementing strategies that not only serve your customers well but also attract new franchisees for expansion.

These days, there are several core key areas every HR department should be in charge of in order for a business to be effective and successful. Without an HR department that knows what it’s doing, roles like recruitment, on-boarding, and managing compensation packages will fall on your managers, taking them away from their day-to-day operations and essentially hobbling your company’s ability to grow.

Transparency in the workplace is a tricky matter. As Glassdoor CEO Robert Hohman nicely stated, "it comes with tremendous responsibility, but also an enormous opportunity." This responsibility and opportunity lie mostly in the hands of management and human resources. It’s up to them how much information is shared with employees and in what manner. So what are the best ways to be transparent within your business? Are you doing enough? How can you foster an open work environment that drives everyone forward?

Your employee handbook is the cornerstone of your HR program. It’s the one fundamental requirement to keep your program sound. And it should have an impact. Take your time to build the right employee handbook for your company. Today, we’ll discuss what this looks like.

Your business, no matter the industry, is about problem-solving at its core. Your product or service answers a need; it solves a problem. Your company started because it saw a problem or need and wanted to fill that void.

You should approach every “problem” in your business with that same thinking. Strategic analysis is critical, though often skipped, step for every decision made in your business.

The rise of the gig economy and our societal shift towards entrepreneurialism has proven big business for the coworking world. Just last year more than 1000 coworking spaces opened across the US, and those figures show no sign of petering out.

With more than 3.9 million Americans spending at least some time working from home, there's still a huge market opportunity for those interested in moving into the coworking space. As coworking consultants, we've helped plenty of such companies go to market and capitalize on the market.

Thomas Jefferson was known for his philosophy that learning doesn’t stop after graduation. At The University of Virginia, students are known as ‘first years’ rather than freshman, ‘second years’ rather than sophomores, and so on, in honor of this idea— that learning never stops. TJ has made a great point. Learning does not stop, even when we grow up and become adults. But how does this apply to the modern workplace? Do you have policies in place that embrace this idea?

In 1958 the average lifespan of a business was 61 years. Today, the average lifespan is around 18 years, according to a study by McKinsey.

As we walked (and then ran) into the digital age, how, when and where we do business has completely transformed. In its wake, the business graveyard has grown and not many are pausing to mourn the losses of Blockbuster, Blackberry, Yahoo, or any other ghosts of businesses' pasts.

So you’ve successfully bootstrapped your way to a real company with great offerings and you’re starting to see some real growth. Congrats! Hopefully, people are spreading the word and the trajectory is trending nicely upward for the foreseeable future. Up next on the leadership todo list: Scaling your operations to handle this growing amount of work.

First, let's get this out of the way. Growth and scaling are two different goals, growth is about adding incremental growth percentages as a factor of turnover whereas scale is a process-driven approach to growth. Growth and scale require different management styles, below we’ll run through a few important questions you should be asking yourself before you start the process of scaling.

Company values are a collection of ideas and guidelines that establish your company culture and drive your employees to daily success.

These values are essential to a company overall, but in many cases, they are only found written on the office walls or inside employee handbooks. They aren’t being talked about daily or living and breathing within the company. So how do we transform values from plain text into a way of life?

Hiring is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. According to the SHRM, it costs an average of $4129 to hire an employee, and takes an average of 42 days to do so. These figures increase exponentially the more senior-level the hire.

Given the time and expense involved, executives and decision-makers need to make the right decision the first time. Hiring well can be a great investment for the company, as high-quality talent quickly pays for itself in terms of knowledge, efficiency and leadership potential.

There are plenty of reasons why companies hire from within. It's cheaper, offers natural progression for candidates, and shows that as a company, you nurture and develop the people who are already doing a great job - but is this always the right choice for success?

Not always. It's vital to assess the company's specific needs and goals when hiring, but if you are looking for a strong leader, new ideas, the right experience, or a fresh set of eyes on things, hiring outside your company could be the right direction. While managing change in business can be difficult, there are actually lots of benefits to external hires, especially when it comes to leadership positions.

Most of us today can readily admit we’re suffering from data overload. Information comes at us from all directions, even when we aren’t necessarily looking for it. When you’re trying to run a business, it can feel as though there is an endless tide of data and analytics to wade through, information that sometimes feels tough to make head or tails of.

Though measuring certain things is definitely beneficial to the growth and success of your business, it can be easy for the most important data to be lost amid all the noise. The only way to combat this is to stick to measuring what matters. Don’t just focus on the nitty-gritty, make sure you assess the big picture too. 

Everyone has a fantasy of who they want to be. And that often differs from who they are in reality. Companies aren't any different. We all have a vision of where we want our company to be. But to get there, we must know where we are. This is the purpose of gap analysis.

Gap analysis reveals the difference between your company’s goals and your present reality. It’s a valuable tool regardless of whether your company is currently succeeding, failing or treading water.

To each their own. To the same beat as Mitch Albom's The 5 People You Meet in Heaven – here are the 3 clients you'll meet in your career.

Every client comes with a different personality. Taking the time to recognize the type of client that you’re dealing with can put you ahead of the competition and make your life easier. Creating a strategic plan while keeping in mind who you're dealing with will eliminate problems down the line. Listed below are a few of the most common client personalities. We’ll go through how to spot them, the challenges they can bring, and some helpful tips on how to manage.

Being able to deliver a pitch that lands just right is a valuable skill to have in your arsenal. Pitching might sound daunting, but it's something we do all the time as part of our daily lives. We pitch ideas, stories, business strategies, and even dinner menus. The aim is to sell someone on something, whether it's a concept, a service or a product.  

Here's how to take that innate pitching ability and hone it to get the results you want.

Eureka! You've been trying to figure out the answer to a problem at work that seems to have no solution.

And then, you're drinking your morning coffee running your to-do list through your head and BOOM.

The sun hits the window seal and it's like that light bulb clicked on in your head and you know exactly what to do.

Since about 2010 we've been seeing articles about the increasing trend of mobile workforces and remote workers. More and more companies are offering remote work days. Some are moving towards hiring more contractors who work entirely from home, sometimes even from the other side of the country. Then we also have a fading away from restrictions on sick days or personal time. 

All of this relies on the idea that your employees are adults who get their work done and can handle their business. 

We're no longer seeing a new trend or expecting mobile workforces to become popular. It's here.

If you’ve ever tried to get multiple people to understand and implement new processes, you already know that it can be akin to herding cats. The cats only grow in size when you're trying to change the way your business operates. 

It's important for all team members to be on the same page because as your business grows, this only becomes harder. So, how can you begin to overcome this hurdle?

It’s no secret that change is hard. Times change, people change, and your business will definitely change.

There's this little saying among parents, "the days are long, but the years are short." It's often used to remind each other that while the tantrums can be draining, life moves and changes quickly. 

Whether you have kids or not, the sentiment that time passes and life changes quickly are relatable to anyone. It's probably even more poignant to business owners. 

Do you let business come to you naturally or are you constantly nurturing prospects? Trick question - you should be doing both. If you're good at what you do and you invest in ongoing marketing efforts then business will come to you naturally. But, it's also important to do some business development nurturing. 

It's like when you're decorating your house. You invest in a houseplant, but then you fail to invest in taking care of that houseplant. It needs nurturing care. Sometimes specialized care. Or it won't last. 

Meetings can be contentious things. Done poorly, they take time away from working hours and make participants feel as though their time isn't valued. Worryingly, some 67% of meetings a considered a failure - with these collectively costing the economy $37b a year. 

However, managed well, meetings can be a high-value endeavor. They can be a great way to share ideas, make progress on projects, oversee decision making, and bring the team together. With middle management spending some 35% of their time in meetings and upper management a huge 50%, leading effective meetings is a must for productivity and profitability.

Here's how. 

Ever asked a colleague about an email or task, only to get sidetracked talking about something else entirely? At StellaPop we call these moments "squirrel time," after Doug the notoriously distractible dog in the film Up.

Not all squirrel time is bad. We all need a break every now and then, and sometimes squirrel time can result in valuable discussions or insights about a client, a task or a process. But how do you control squirrel time so that you don't go nuts?

Here's how we ensure that we stay on task and meet our deadlines - while still allowing for occasional office chit chat and discussion. 

Every new project starts first with conception. Conception is when the germ of an idea is born. That idea is then brought to fruition by creativity, sweat, and a healthy dose of humility if you’re doing it right. You have to be humble because the path from first iterations to final approval is a dark road littered with twists and turns and peppered with umpteen revisions.

The beginning of the year is often flooded with goal setting. Goals are wonderful. They're motivating. They're often a way of tracking your success. Goals are great. 

But let's get one thing straight. A strategy isn't the same thing as a goal. A strategy is the how and the why. It's choosing what to do and what not to do. 

And a business without a sound strategy fueling its actions is sunk no matter how good you're at setting goals. 

The word resilient has two definitions in general use. The first refers to a person or entity that's able to withstand and recover from difficult situations. The second reference an object with the ability to spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed. 

It’s that time of year again. The time where we look back and assess where we’re at and what we’ve done. Evaluate what worked and what didn’t and make plans to do even better moving forward. With that said, the end of 2018 is closing in fast. Did you accomplish all of your business goals for the year? Achieve all of your business dreams? Or do you feel you’ve fallen short?

Savvy consumers are moving away from single-use products - and so are savvy businesses. After all, the easiest way to ensure customer retention is to build it into your business model. So how are they doing it? With the subscription model.

Gone are the days when subscriptions were only associated with newspapers and magazines. In 2018, 29% of the value of the top 100 brands is in subscriptions - up from 18% in 2009.  If you shop via Amazon Prime, watch TV through Netflix, cook using Blue Apron and pay for an annual Microsoft Office license, you're buying into the subscription economy. 

So why are subscriptions so great, and why should you build them into your business?

The vision many people have when they dream about running a business is often a far cry from the day-to-day reality. The freedom, flexibility and fine dining lunches don't necessarily materialize. In their place, many small business owners struggle with long days, stress and cash flow.

Though common, those issues don't need to be part of the experience. Often, they arise when small business owners need a stronger grounding in the basics of business operations and process.

Here's what you need to know to ensure that your business ticks along like a dream.

Strategic planning is used to define your company's priorities, direction and goals to ensure that everyone is working together towards the same outcomes. Done well, it gives you a roadmap of the actions you need to take to reach your goals - and a way of measuring success. 

There are many different frameworks and approaches for strategic planning. Our preferred approach involves 8 key steps across 4 phases:  

If there is one imperative for every business, it’s a stellar elevator pitch. You might want to consider developing one or re-thinking the current one, otherwise, it may be a sign you don't understand your brand, as well as you, think you do.

If you can’t communicate your message clearly and concisely in three minutes or less, then your messaging may need to be reevaluated.

There is, however, an art to creating your elevator pitch. Here are a few of our best tips to help you craft and deliver yours with panache and flair the next time someone asks you about your business. 

Many of us subscribe to the idea that, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." We all have a specific picture of how we want things done, and sometimes it's hard to sit back and watch other people try and bring our vision to life.

Today’s world is vastly different from the world even 10 or 15 years ago. And nothing has changed and continues to change faster than the ever-evolving job market.

Businesses that want to not just survive, but thrive, have to move fast, think fast, step outside the box, and be willing to go the extra mile to attract top talent to their team. 

A good coach would never send players onto the field without a strategy. And as a business leader, neither should you. It's your job to develop a game plan that sets you and your team up for success. But as many coaches know, you might have the perfect plan on paper, but it's worthless if it's not properly executed. Below are some tips for creating — and sticking to — a solid game plan that will push you to victory.

Running a business is a lot like sticking to a workout routine: you need dedication, focus, and grit. There may be times when you don't even know where to begin or how you'll ever reach your goals, but fear not! Our easy, one-of-a-kind management routine focuses on five critical business fundamentals to get your company in shape and fit to thrive in no time. 

Maybe it’s Not a Science Yet – But Progress is Being Made to Discover the Secret Formula …

Success is something that’s not handed out to just anyone — or any company.  Even if you come up with a ‘laundry list’ of elements, and all your ducks are in a row, this won’t necessarily equal success.

It happens. We lose confidence in ourselves, in our abilities. We wonder if we've got what it takes to really do this entrepreneurial thing. 

Doubt attacks even the best of the best, especially if you've been out of the game for awhile. After a hiatus, it can be easy to deceive yourself into believing that you're no longer up to snuff, that you haven't got what it takes.

 The world of office space has seen a whirlwind of change over the past 15 years. I’ve been at the executive-level of the shared office space industry, so I’ve seen a thing or two — and learned a thing or two. One key lesson I’ve taken away is the importance of striking a balance between staying ahead of the curve and continuing to observe tried-and-true business practices.

You know the old saying: innovate or die. It’s never too early to start creating an innovative work environment for your business to thrive.

Successful CEOs learn to anticipate business patterns, find opportunities in pressure situations, serve the people they lead and overcome hardships. To acquire and utilize such impressive skill sets, many top leaders apply seven strategies on a daily basis.

Entrepreneurs will totally get this analogy. Have you ever watched taffy being made? It’s a brawny ballet for the candy maker. Pushing and pulling the thickened ingredients into a sweet treat. It’s not pretty or easy, but the rewards are delicious. It's the same process for businesses, pushing and pulling toward innovation and change.
The best business teams stretch, wrestle and pull each other forward, leaving your organizational comfort zones at the door. It's better to struggle than to settle for easy. Lead by example. Mentor your team. Teach them to stretch and pull ideas from infancy to implementation. Allow them room to expand, discover and breathe. Encourage and reward risk taking. It’s all about the stretching.