Tag: Small Business

  • Stop Waiting on HR—Execution Is Your Job

    Stop Waiting on HR—Execution Is Your Job

    Why execution is stalling—and who’s really responsible

    A client recently described a situation that I’ve heard dozens of times before. A team that kept missing deadlines, bumping into each other, and generally feeling stuck.
    The owner leaned back and said:
    “We’ve asked HR to step in.”
    I asked, “How’s that going?”
    He paused.
    “Well… I don’t know. Honestly, we don’t really have HR. It’s just part of what our payroll company provides.”

    Exactly.

    The Myth at the Heart of the Matter

    In companies between 50 and 150 employees, I see this all the time:

    • At 50–75 employees: HR doesn’t really exist. Maybe you’ve got someone running admin. Maybe you’ve outsourced to a payroll provider. Either way, you’ve got no one to actually own people performance, team alignment, or execution clarity.
    • At 75–150 employees: You’ve likely hired one or two HR professionals. And they’re trying but they’re swamped. Their focus is benefits, onboarding, compliance, employee issues. Not operational decision-making. Not execution velocity. Not leadership development.

    And yet in every version of this setup, one dangerous assumption shows up:
    “HR will handle it.”

    But Here’s the Truth:
    Most of what’s broken isn’t HR’s to fix.
    It’s your operating system.
    The people on your team aren’t failing because your HR person isn’t doing enough.
    They’re failing because the system they’re in is unclear, reactive, or owner-dependent.
    The real issue?
    Somewhere along the way, you—the business owner or operator—stepped out of the driver’s seat, and handed execution off.
    To HR.
    To a vendor.
    Or to no one.

    Who Owns Execution?

    This isn’t about blaming HR.
    This is about reclaiming what’s yours.
    When people issues, performance gaps, or team friction show up, what system catches that?
    What structure defines expectations?
    Who holds the line?
    If your answer is HR—or worse, if it’s no one—then you don’t have a people problem.
    You have an operational leadership vacuum.
    That’s where People OS comes in. But we’ll talk about that soon.

    For Now, Ask Yourself This:

    • Where have I unknowingly outsourced leadership?
    • What issues are I hoping HR (or someone else) will just… fix?
    • What parts of my business are stalling because no one truly owns execution?

    IIf these questions hit close to home, it’s probably because you’ve outgrown the way things used to work.
    Let’s talk about what it might look like to reclaim the levers of your business, without putting everything back on your shoulders.

    Send me a note.
    Or let’s grab 30 minutes to brainstorm your business.

  • “Do I Have a Good Company?” — A Conversation That Got Me Thinking

    “Do I Have a Good Company?” — A Conversation That Got Me Thinking

    We were two business-owners chatting over coffee.

    The conversation wasn’t planned. It just wandered, the way good ones do—through hiring headaches, a big win from last quarter, a client we’d both had trouble with at some point. Then, in a quieter moment, he asked me something I didn’t expect:

    “How do I know if I have a good company?”

    The question in the context did not seem to be about success or profitability. He was just wondering whether he had a company that was good.

    So I asked, “What does a good company look like to you?”
    He thought for a moment. Then shrugged.

    What “Good” Actually Means (and Doesn’t Mean)

    As I considered how I would share my thoughts, the word “good” really sat with me for a while. Good is a lot like the word quality: a bit slippery. It’s not a scorecard metric. It’s not listed on your dashboard. There is no universal answer. Each business, and each business owner, will have their own definition of quality, and of what makes their company “good.”

    And yet, it’s the word many of us might use, if we were to finally slow down enough to wonder if what we’re building is really working the way it should.

    In my mind, a “good” company isn’t one that just performs, it is a business that performs on purpose. It doesn’t rely on hope, heroics, or the owner as a bottleneck. It runs well, because of the people in it, and it returns something meaningful: to clients, to employees, and to the owner.

    That day, I shared five dimensions he could use to scan his business and ask, “are things working the way we hoped they would?”

    These five dimensions offer a simplified but high-level view of how your business is functioning. They are not a test or a list of checkboxes. They are a tool for reflection. When these dimensions are healthy and connected, the business tends to feel right. When one breaks down, they can point to an area of business where the owner needs to pay attention or take corrective action.

    Here’s how I described them:

    1. Marketing and Sales

    Is your business consistently attracting and keeping the right customers?

    • Is there a rhythm to how people find you or does every new customer feel like luck?
    • Are the right kinds of clients reaching out, or are you always chasing the wrong ones? Do you know the difference?
    • Does your team know how to turn interest into trust… and trust into action?
    • When someone asks what you do, is the answer clear and compelling?

    A good company doesn’t sell harder. It connects more clearly, and more consistently.

    2. Operations

    Can your business reliably deliver what it promises and without chaos?

    • Do things get done without your direct involvement in every detail?
    • Are projects and services predictable or are they always a scramble
    • Is your team constantly putting out fires, or do they have the tools and structure to succeed?
    • Are clients pleasantly surprised by how smooth things feel, or surprised that things got done at all?

    A good company operates well, even when the owner steps out of the room.

    3. Finance

    Is the business financially designed to last and to reward the people building it?

    • Do you understand when money is coming in, where it’s going and why?
    • Is the business generating healthy, sustainable margins or are you just hoping for the next big deal?
    • Are you paying yourself what you’re worth?
    • Can you invest in the future with confidence, or are you stuck in short-term survival mode?

    A good company creates the financial breathing room to grow, reward, and endure.

    4. People

    Do the people in your company feel like they belong and are better for being here?

    • Are you attracting people who raise the bar or just filling seats?
    • Do employees understand what success looks like in their role?
    • Are people thriving, growing, and staying or quietly checking out?
    • Is the culture healthy… or just polite?

    A good company doesn’t just retain people; it helps them become more of who they want to be.

    5. Total Experience

    Have you defined what kind of experience you want to deliver and are you delivering it?

    • What do you want customers to feel when they receive goods and services from you?
    • What do you want employees to say about working in your business?
    • Is there consistency in how your brand shows up across touchpoints or is it hit or miss?
    • Are you creating an experience that builds loyalty, or just meeting the bare minimum?

    A good company is remembered for how it made people feel, not just what it delivered.

    You won’t ace every dimension. That’s not the point.

    Most owners I talk to aren’t crushing all five of these. Some are strong in a few, struggling in others. That’s normal

    But if you can look at these dimensions honestly and start making small choices to improve them, you’ll have a company that isn’t just profitable, but meaningful. Something “good.”

    Something you can be proud of. Something that feels like yours.

    If the question “Do I have a good company?” has ever crossed your mind, I’d love to hear what it means to you.

    Leave a comment. Send me a note. Or let’s grab a coffee.

    We’re all trying to build something that lasts. We might as well talk about it.