Earlier in the series, we discussed traits and engaged leadership. In particular, we covered how traits show who you are, not just what you do. To add to the series, we’ll add traits of energetic leaders. When you think of an energetic leader, who comes to mind? John F. Kennedy? Maybe Walt Disney or Steve […] Read More
Retention Through Communication
When you run a small-to-medium business in the technology sector, high employee turnover is an expectation. A quick Google search brings pages of stories about tech workers job hopping all over Silicon Valley. If that’s the environment at perk-saturated technology giants, how are you to adapt? You don’t have the same resources to weather turnover, […] Read More
Yes Channel Partners are Valuable – Here’s Why
Are technology projects stressful? You bet. The mere thought of replacing legacy technology dampens the palms of seasoned small and medium business owners. We’ve all heard stories of botched installs, lengthy downtime, and employees struggling to learn ins and outs of new software. And that doesn’t cover the inevitable support calls. Is there a better […] Read More
Four Powerful Traits of Engaged Leaders
Take a scroll through popular leadership blogs and note the number of skills posts with similar titles. Boost productivity by rethinking your email sorting! Increase the meaning in your meetings! Five new ways to skyrocket conference attendance! Those posts have value, to be sure. We all agree skills are important. When leaders work on personal […] Read More
Make Your Customer Service Better Than Good
Customer service surrounds us in our daily lives. From the morning stop to order your coffee, to the person accepting your toll on the drive into work, customer service is an inescapable aspect of our day-to-day lives. Moreover, each experience we have plays a critical role in informing our opinion of the business or organization […] Read More
Strong Leadership Requires Empathy
With the first quarter of the year behind us, the middle of the second quarter 2015 is fast approaching. In light of the fast-paced and dynamic environments that we operate in today, I want to share thoughts on leadership and other insights on what is required for a business to succeed. Ask a random sampling […] Read More
Put The Spark Back In Your Business
This month’s previous article discussed the need for businesses to narrow the gap between their strategy for innovation and their ability to execute that strategy. In today’s post I’d like to dive deeper into the topic of how companies may kick-start their innovative drives and put the spark back in their business. How does your […] Read More
Leadership Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs
As is becoming better known nationally, Chicago is a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity, and RAY ALLEN is proud to be part of this community. In this post, I’d like to share some observations on what traits are often most apparent of those risk-takers I see working so hard to shape our future here in Chicago. […] Read More
Convergence and Big Data Cannot Be Ignored
In this first post of 2015, I’d like share with you some of my observations regarding two key trends that are becoming increasingly important to our customers and team here at RAY ALLEN. These trends are convergence and Big Data, important topics that observers of the IT industry all-too-often mistakenly treat as clichés. So, what […] Read More
RAY ALLEN 2014 Year in Review
Dear Friends, As 2014 winds to a close, I’d like to take some take to reflect on the successes and growth RAY ALLEN has experienced over the past 12 months, as well as direct all credit to the talented and driven team that surrounds me at RAY ALLEN. This past year was a big one, […] Read More