Tips and News Archives - Connor Business Resources

What does Happiness mean to you, and how can you truly create this as your theme of the Season?

Is this your scenario?

You know the drill. You are trying to “do it all”- meaning, you need to work to earn your living, your family needs attention, you are supposed to eat right and exercise and go to all your self-care wellness, and you are just barely holding it together. Most of the time, food is in the fridge and you are going where you need to go when you need to get there.

9 Steps to Improve Your Listening

Act on It! by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman has some great information for tough management challenges. Most Managers truly believe that they are good listeners…but their employees would disagree.

Questions to Ask Before Starting a Business

By Ann Connor

With today’s television filled with entrepreneurial type shows such as The Shark Tank, The Benefactor, The Job and even The Profit, individuals assume its quite easy to leave a regular paycheck behind, and begin working for oneself by building a start-up. And while for some, those few individuals who posses the creativity, the drive, often the connections, and of course business acumen, this is a golden road to career and personal success, others need to ask themselves quite a few questions before starting a business.

Best Hiring Practices

What You Can and Can’t Ask a Job Applicant

In the course of your search for your next employee there are federal and state rules you will want to keep in mind…

According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), 62% of small businesses recently reported hiring or trying to hire employees. Many small businesses are stressed to find qualified job applicants and are scrambling to fill positions. If you are in the market for a new employee, there are many considerations: Does the applicant have the skills to do the job? Will he or she fit into your company culture? Can you afford the cost of a potential new employee? Great questions to ask. But in the course of your search for your next employee, be sure you don’t run into conflict with federal and state rules. If you go about it the wrong way, you not only can lose out on hiring the next best employee but can be exposed to possible legal action against you. Here are federal and state rules to observe so you can hire wisely.

The Most Revealing Interview Questions

by Ann Connor

So you just received a stack of resumes for a role you’re trying to fill in your company. Now what? While these resumes will detail the applicants college education, past employers, skills and possibly even interests, the piece of paper doesn’t truly tell you about the interviewees personality and if they will mesh well with your team and organization.

Your Pain Points

By Jeff Saari

Effective Leadership

In a session this morning my client told me that the reason he has become more effective in his leadership is because he had a ‘humbling’ experience last year. This manager almost didn’t make it in his organization as his behavior over time had become toxic. He first came to me after this humbling experience and he and I have done some really great, challenging and fun work together. The humbling experience was getting 360 feedback in the organization which was largely critical, as well as being put on the chopping block if he didn’t turn around. I like his story so much because it illustrates that 1. we can turn around, and 2. we need to know what our blind spots or pain points are in order to grow.