CSR Latest Articles

What’s In A Name? Part 2: Solutions

Thanks for checking out my second installment. We’ve covered that C is for Consulting, or the need for experts that know what they’re doing in order to help resolve an issue. S is for solutions – pretty straightforward, right? Hands raised – who likes to work with an expert (could be the know-it-all in school, a high-priced consultant, a plumber, painter, auto-repair mechanic, etc.) who will look over your situation, charge you for their time (by the hour, of course) and then

What We Care About: Lifecycle Building Center

You hear us talking about Mission, Vision and Values a lot at CSR. – it is a key part of us eating our own cooking. Within our core values, we have one that is delicate in nature: caring. I say ‘delicate’ because it seems hard to quantify and measure. However, caring drives our commitment and ability to deliver to our clients and selves. On the personal side of the equation, we also care externally. Because we are good at what we do (!) we want to share that goodness with

I’m Not A Doctor, But I Play One On TV

Okay, I’m dating myself here… “I’m not a doctor, but I’m still going to give you medical advice” For those of us that may be children of the 80’s (or was it 70’s?), the phrase “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV!” may bring back memories of cheesy commercials on TV and some vague references to SNL. With the work that we do with professional service providers, I find myself prefacing many of my statements with variants of the above phrase. We work with experts—people who

Company Values: Do’s And Don’t’s

At CSR, we have learned over time how essential the execution of a strategic planning session is to kick off our client engagements. I have my discussion points almost in autopilot as I review how the mission/vision/values aspect of the session can then function as the GPS or guiderails to the business. Many companies come into the session confidently explaining that “We’ve already done work on that and won’t need to spend time on it.” I’ve learned to not outwardly wince wh

Ask The Right Question, Get The Right Answer

I remember hearing the following riddle as a child: Q: How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? A: Guitar Though I initially had absolutely no idea what this meant, I would gleefully repeat it until a sympathetic adult (probably my Dad) took me aside to walk me through it. I experienced a similar sensation recently when I read a Harvard Business Review Article: Q: How do you increase the speed of an elevator? A: Hand sanitizer. So today, I want to talk about

The Other 1%

What is our 1%? No, don’t roll your eyes—this 1% doesn’t relate to any political discussions. I am referring to the nugget, the kernel, the seed…the essence that any interaction that requires effort should yield. Looking at our own mission, CSR exists “…To create greater happiness and wealth for businesses and their owners.” This infuses everything we do (or at least it should) and is our metric for success. Whether it’s a kick-off strategic planning session, our ongoing cor

The Company Mission: Your Filtration Device

Continuing in our series on strategic planning, we come to the next section in our process: the focus on the Company Purpose. Within the Company Purpose, we have the Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and Company Values. This week, we’ll explore the Mission Statement. We believe that the Mission Statement is a powerful tool in a business’ arsenal. It’s not just a pretty phrase for the website, business card, or frosted glass in the reception area. We push for it to be used

What’s The Magic Number?

“What’s your Magic Number?” As part of our approach to strategic planning, I offer the above phrase as the key motivator for many of our clients. Though money should never be the primary reason anyone does anything, undeniably, it serves as a yardstick for progress, achievement and movement. In many cases, our clients will say “I want to do this for X more years and pocket $Y when I leave.” We support our clients in their desires to achieve their dreams and thrive. As part

Begin With The Owner In Mind

The last blog post about strategic planning discussed the ‘why’ of strategic planning and our philosophy in general terms – this installment is the next in a series that breaks the process down into easily understandable chunks that enable the business owner to engage and derive value. With the end in mind, CSR kicks off strategic planning sessions with a solid understanding and grounding of the needs and motivation of the owner(s). We go over current and ideal time managemen

Why Start With Strategic Planning?

We didn’t always do it this way. Playing to my strengths and desires, CSR used to come galloping in to save the day. Lots of adrenaline, exhausting, sometimes unsustainable, and – ultimately – not in the best interest of the client. Here’s what I’ve learned: Much like a child who has to eat his veggies and meat before getting to dessert, doing the planning piece HAS to preface the glory part; No one (at least no one should) gets into their car and randomly drives around and “

It’s Too Much. I Give In.

As a small business owner, how many times have you thought this? “There’s just no way I can continue to not only provide services but also do what’s necessary to grow – and that’s if there is no curveball that comes from out of the blue to upend my very delicately balanced applecart…” I hear you and understand. There is an awesome book written by Doug Tatum called No Man’s Land that talks to a lot of these issues. For us at CSR, we have used it in our client work as well as i

When It’s Time To Get New Digs

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] “Okay, I’m getting out of Corporate America and we’re going to do things the right way. I’m going to work when I want, how I want, and deliver incredible value to my clients. Instead of wasting time and energy moving into a stuffy office, w

3 Reasons Your Company Will Fail Without A Mission Statement

Did that grab your attention? Maybe. Maybe not. A few years ago, I would have been in the ‘maybe not’ category—let me tell you why. A mission statement? Why do I need that? I was in Corporate America forever and the only time I ever bumped into mission statements was when I saw them in etched glass over the receptionist’s desk or on the back of our business cards. I come in to do my job—that’s my mission. Au contraire mon frère! A truly well-thought-out mission statement is a

Making Time For Change

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] One of the biggest concerns I hear from our clients (and prospective clients) is: How am I going to be able to find the time necessary to engage with you and your company when I don’t already have enough time just to get the basics done in

Why Participate In Alumni Functions?

I attended Georgia Tech (Go Jackets!) for my undergrad and Georgia Washington University (Go Buff and Blue!) for my graduate degree. If coaxed, I might be able to rattle off a few names of folks with whom I went to Tech. With GW, I truly can’t remember ANY of my fellow alumni. During my time at Tech, I would go to work a few blocks away and then buzz (pun intended) back and forth between class and work through the day. I really didn’t have much time for “the college experien

Taking Time Off: El Camarón Dormido Se Lo Lleva La Corriente

For you non-Spanish speakers out there that are going to Google Translate the title of this post, don’t. It will come back as “Shrimp Asleep takes him Stream.” If translated less literally, it’s actually “A sleeping shrimp is swept away by the current.” However, that’s not what it means. What it means is, basically, “You Snooze, You Lose.” Okay, great, we got that straightened out – but what does it have to do with taking time off? Isn’t the moral of the story the antithesis

Ripping Off The Bandage

Okay, to what could I possibly be referring? Well, as pleasant as removing a large, bloody, hair-ripping Band-Aid is (comparable to getting your knee drained after an ACL repair – thanks Atlanta Old White for that rugby memory), many people think terminating an employee ranks right up there. Like with a Band-Aid, you can fire someone slowly or quickly. My preference is to not get “cut” at all, if possible (to avoid having that Band-Aid to begin with, right?), but if the situa

Million Dollar Consulting Convention: Review And Reflection

I recently (and I’ll admit, with great reluctance initially) attended an Alan Weiss Million Dollar Consulting Convention. Why? One of my clients, who is a MASTER at business development/relationship management, had raved about it and this seemed like an opportune time. I am not a flashy guy; I don’t purchase big fancy cars or flash bling – the money I spend is based on different priorities – so I tend to cringe when I hear and see people flashing slides of themselves posed ne

When Caring Is A Mistake

At CSR, we talk about the importance of being patient when mistakes are made – and to try to minimize the impact of the potential mistake. Most importantly, we talk about the need to only make mistakes once. One of these critical “gotta-learn-it-but-don’t-let-it-happen-again” mistakes is that of caring too much. Caring too much? Aww, how sweet… Wait a minute, wait a minute – caring is a big deal. In fact, it’s such a big deal that it is one of our core values. Caring means g

Mission Possible

My family got rid of our TV 22 years ago and we’ve never looked back. With the advent of Netflix, we have returned to some degree of TV watching, but on our schedule and our terms. I recently exposed the kids to episodes of Mission Impossible—we get a laugh every time in the intro when the lead of the team is going through the portfolio of pictures. Inevitably, the same people of the core cast are “selected” each time over and over—what a shocker! What does this have to do w