Every management team has its own dynamics. Some operate in a fully transparent environment, other keep information strictly on a "need to know basis." But what impact does the sharing of information have?

We're frequently surprised by how little financial information some management teams are privy to. The CEO reckons they don't need to know and the CFO reckons they wouldn't understand the information even if they had it.

Doublet is a French family business that provides signage design, production and installation services to customers, like the Tour de France. They are at the top of their game in delivering visual impact. Everyone wants their signage, flags and services - corporates, retailers, public bodies, local public bodies and sports associations.

In our last blog post on feedback we talked about how to elicit more feedback and avoid the feedback vacuum.

Now we share some insights into giving feedback. We have all experienced line managers who give poor feedback. They focus on the negative or what they call ‘constructive criticism’. This type of feedback is hard to digest, difficult to accept and generally not actionable.

Savvy leaders have a knack of detecting when their business is about to hit a speed bump. They have inbuilt early warning systems. Like pilots in a cockpit, they know when it’s time to change course.

Get the transformation timing right and you are a hero!

Get the timing wrong and your business is fatally damaged.

I seem to be having a lot of conversations about feedback recently. I’ve been struck by how many people work in a feedback vacuum. Despite a growing ‘feedback’ culture, for many, the only real feedback they get is at their annual performance review. For others, particularly leaders in a business, they don’t even get this.

The thing is – we all need feedback. None of us are perfect and we all have things we could be doing better. But if there is no feedback, how do we know? Equally, when we are doing things well, we also need feedback on that too.

Buyers have access to more information than ever before. They are well educated on what they need. Most are well down the buying process before they meet a salesperson. Their eyes glaze over as another powerpoint deck is opened.

Sales people have lots of technology based sales tools. They have tools to find new prospects, keep information on those prospects, send targeted emails, forecast sales etc. However, many are rooted to their technology rather than engaging buyers. They lack the most important sales tool – the ability to tell a great story.

The role of marketing is to fill the top of the sales funnel with leads that might be interested in buying your product. Traditionally marketing used a variety of ‘tools’ like conferences, PR, keynote speeches, database building and email campaigns.

There is something special about a company of twenty people. In particular, one that has reached a key milestone like product market fit and has a viable financial model.

There is optimism in the air. Some move to new office space, while others buy a few plants to signal that they have become a real business. They are no longer a scrappy startup. They feel like a new garden in springtime. However, the hard work is only beginning.

When I was in college I had particular lecturer who had a reputation as a bit of tyrant. One term we were unfortunate enough to have a weekly tutorial with her which started at 8.00am. That’s pretty early for a student. Imagine our horror the first week when we rocked up at 8.05am to find the door locked! Yes that was her rule – turn up on time or you don’t get in.

We all love the certainty of the solid revenue that comes from a big customer. It gives us credibility with other prospects. It pays a lot of salaries. Occasionally we reflect on the risk to our business if they left us...most of the time we don't.

Yet the tyranny of the major customer can help us hide from the real foundations of creating a repeatable sales process or building products that many customers want. It can keep us too focused on the needs of that major customer.