There is likely a lot of background to this question, so it's difficult to answer online with one specific solution. To begin, "control freak" and "abuse of power" can be quite subjective terms. Objectively, in what ways do you feel he is overstepping his authority? Is this a recent event, or a...
Hello, Great question! I went from a large firm to a small business and became the manager quickly. I ran and managed the entire office and that is how my experience relates. There are multiple ways to keep the manager enticed to stay in your organization. Here are a few ideas that have worked...
I read your story and I feel your pain, but I have bad news. The problem is not your people, the problem is you. You have a responsibility that goes way beyond developing great products that wow customers; you have the responsibility of leading! Leadership is one of those subjects that most peop...
In my business, positive bottom line equals bonus for everybody. Percentage of salary to employees - same for all, up to three months salary. That is simple and works well, and is aligned with overall goals. And it is easy to report where we are. We don't have sales targets, which we maybe should...
There is inherent risk to running a business and building a team of folks to help you grow it. That said, hiring the right people is paramount to your success and reducing the risk of theft or abuse. Hire people for their integrity rather than their skill set. Almost anyone can be taught skills...
There are good approaches for Elance/Upwork/oDesk if you approach the job req. correctly. There are also private agencies. I've hired account reps more often via virtual assistant agencies directly than from Elance and it's ilk, but many times I'll use that platform to isolate good candidates and...
Hi there, I did this in my last company. If you are a c-Corp then you can issue traditional shares to consultants. For other forms such as LLC or s-Corp it’s much more complex. So assuming you are a c-Corp, then you need a legal document called an option plan that reserves the shares for options...
A great structure is having an internal champion present on each team, unit, office, etc. that can easily provide answers to benefit questions. This structure is particularly important if the company is spread across several locations without HR on the ground in each locale. On the more proacti...
TL;DR; Yes it's bad, without understanding context. Doing this, or any other organization rule needs to be considered based on the culture of the company and the goals. It's dangerous to take this one action out of context as to Buffer's purpose in building their organization. Is it good? For ...
I think that it would be important to answer the following questions. * Who comes up with the "thoughtful questions"? And are they new every week? * Who is responsible for the answering of these questions? * What is the pace of the start-up? * Will every team's concerns / progress / roadblocks...