Tag: problem solving

Employee for a Day, Employee, Staff, Foundational Staff, Management, Managers, strategic planning, strategic risk

What Happened When I Became an “Employee For a Day”

Published on by Grace LaConte11 Comments

Do you ever go through an “a-ha moment” that suddenly makes you aware of a totally new perspective?

That happened to me a few years ago. Like many top-level leaders, I had slowly and imperceptibly developed “Corporate Ladder Bias” during my transition from employee to executive. This subconscious change occurs when our field of vision is consumed with all the problems and headaches at the management level. We become blind to the day-to-day frustrations of what I call the “Foundational Staff.” These are employees at the lowest levels of an organization, including:

  • Housekeeping
  • Direct Customer/Patient Care
  • Food Service (or Dietary)
  • Maintenance (or Physical Plant)
foundational staff, organizational roles, organizational chart, housekeeping, direct care, food service, maintenance
Grace LaConte’s 4 Types of Foundational Staff
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blind spots, define, definitions, blind spot, vulnerabilities, unknowns, management

Let’s Define… What are Blind Spots?

Published on by Grace LaConteLeave a comment

What are blind spots, and why do leaders struggle with them? In this Let’s Define episode, I will explain the 3 types of blind spots and how to overcome them.

Read my definition of Blind Spots

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What is Transaction Avoidance Syndrome? Part 3 of 3

Published on by Grace LaConte3 Comments

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Evaluating your own professional worth can be very difficult. As mentioned in previous posts, our underlying discomfort with transactions can cause us to make long-lasting mistakes.

Even outwardly “successful” business owners often struggle with Imposter Syndrome: the fear that eventually, someone will find out we were faking it all along. As a practitioner, you may feel uncomfortable discussing costs with your customers. You might wonder when you’ll get paid but take extreme measures to avoid discussing the topic of money.

These are all signs of Transaction Avoidance.

Practical Solutions

If you are having trouble charging what you’re worth, here are some tips:

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What is Transaction Avoidance Syndrome? Part 2 of 3

Published on by Grace LaConte2 Comments

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

A transaction is what happens at the end of a business exchange. The word comes from the Latin: trans- (“through”) and -agere (“to drive”).

As discussed in Part 1, many things can go wrong when we exchange payment for a service or product. A lot of us feel an underlying discomfort when we receive money.

This discomfort can look harmless at first. As a practitioner, you might spend “a few extra minutes” with each patient, or put off discussing payment options until the end of the visit. But the subconscious avoidance can have a very damaging effect on our business profitability.

Let’s take a look at why this happens.

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dollar signs, Euro symbol, Yen symbol, Dollar symbol, Pound symbol, payment

What is Transaction Avoidance Syndrome? Part 1 of 3

Published on by Grace LaConte10 Comments

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Profitability is a huge problem that keeps many small businesses from growing. In an ideal sales process, here’s what happens:

  1. The customer becomes aware of a need.
  2. The customer determines what options exist by asking around, doing online searches, or walking into a store.
  3. The customer decides (perhaps with the help of a friendly sales rep) to invest in a particular service.
  4. The seller explains the investment that is needed for the service.
  5. The customer provides payment.
  6. The seller completes the service and makes sure the customer is satisfied.

Some companies wait until after the service is completed before they request payment.

Either way, a good transaction is based on trust: a strong belief that your initial problem will be fixed, and that the value you receive will exceed the cost you’re paying.

But sometimes, this process doesn’t go the way it should.

Continue reading “What is Transaction Avoidance Syndrome? Part 1 of 3” →