Allied Executives Blog

Change Sucks, But Irrelevance Is Worse 

I get very concerned when I hear a colleague or client say, “It's how we’ve always done it.”  It’s a gateway drug to irrelevance. 

Why do we say it? Because change is uncomfortable. It feels risky, like stepping off a ledge without knowing what's below. But ...

Bad Apples Make Bad Seeds

It is difficult to let go of a caustic high performer, especially in a small business where productivity is paramount.

But people underestimate how much lousy behavior spreads. It’s comforting to think it’s isolated—a bad apple in a group, a single exception. But bad apples ...

Address Behaviors, Not People

I often hear the mantra, “Behind most issues is a person.”  I think that is miscast.

Yes, when something goes wrong, the instinct is often to point at a person. "So and so is the problem," we think, or worse, say. It feels satisfying, as if we've identified the root cause ...

Don't Make Easy Things Hard

I am admittedly an on-the-road-to-recovery perfectionist.  I have a talent for making things more complex than they need to be. It’s a version of creativity, a desire to build for quality, but one that can work against me.

The funny thing is that making easy things hard ...

We Fall to the Level of Our Systems

I am a massive fan of James Clear’s book Atomic Habits.  It’s a textbook for me. One I revisit every year between Christmas and New Year’s. An excellent time for reflection. 

For me, goals have always been intoxicating. They promise transformation—better performance ...

Over the years, I’ve collected little bites of wisdom—short phrases from clients, mentors, friends, parents, books, office walls, and life itself. Some are funny, some profound, and all of them memorable. They’re the kind of reminders that keep me focused and clear, picking me up when I need it.  

I ...

In Minnesota, I jokingly refer to September as "back to business month" due to our short summers – and our propensity to try and pack the schedule to take advantage.

During the summer, making the monthly peer group meeting can be challenging while trying to run your business, lead your team, and ...

Some people are born to be entrepreneurs and own companies, others just get lucky.  I am one of the lucky ones and remain forever grateful to Dodd Clasen – the founder of Creatis – who took a chance on this corporate-gal-turned-wannabe-entrepreneur and allowed me to join Creatis as a minority owner ...

While we don't deliver or offer formal executive coaching engagements within Allied Executives, clients often ask us to help them determine whether they should pursue this method of help.

The request for help often comes in the form of questions such as:

• Should I hire a coach to work with me?
• H ...

Done well, acquiring another business can be an effective way to grow, improve the value of your business over time, and help you meet your long-term goals as a business owner.  That said it can be fraught with risk. 

When considering an acquisition, there are several important initial questions ...