Management & Leadership

Management and leadership are essential components of running successful organizations. While management focuses on the day-to-day operations and processes, leadership involves inspiring and guiding individuals and teams towards a shared vision and goal.

Team Leadership

Individual Needs and Team Dynamics: Lessons from Leading a Family Business

By Claude B. Kershner IV

Explore the nuances of Team Leadership in Diverse Environments. This insightful article delves into effective leadership strategies for managing functional and agile teams, emphasizing the importance of understanding individual needs, flexible leadership styles, and fostering team cohesiveness for organizational success.

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Crafting Vision in Organizational Change for Operationally Inclined Leaders

By Claude Kershner IV

Crafting a vision isn’t just a task, it’s a transformative process that guides organizations towards a purposeful future. Even leaders focused on daily operations can embrace this challenging but rewarding aspect of leadership. Dive into this article to uncover personal insights, practical tips, and a unique perspective on creating a lasting impact as a leader.

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Manager and Entrepreneur

The Manager vs. Entrepreneur

By Claude Kershner IV

Transitioning to a manager poses a significant challenge for entrepreneurs. Balancing creativity with structured organization is key. By empowering our team and implementing efficient systems, we ensure sustainable growth.

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Connect with others

Connecting With Others: The Importance of Authentic and Humble Communication in Leadership

By Claude Kershner IV

Research supports the idea that leaders who admit their mistakes and vulnerabilities are viewed as more authentic and trustworthy. According to a study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, employees perceived leaders who were open and transparent about their weaknesses and mistakes as more trustworthy and effective than leaders who were defensive or tried to hide their imperfections.

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Key Partnerships

Maximizing Business Success: The Importance of Key Partnerships and Key Activities in Your Business Model

By Claude Kershner IV

Key partnerships and activities provide businesses the tools to access vital resources, gain a competitive advantage, and ultimately create more customer value. However, identifying and leveraging these components can be a challenging process.

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Small Business Owner

Leveraging the Life-Cycle Framework: Helping Small Business Owners Transition from a Lifestyle Business to a Managed Growth Business

By Claude Kershner IV

As a consultant, I work with small business owners to help them achieve their goals and grow their companies. One common challenge I see is the transition from a “lifestyle business” to a managed growth business. This transition can be difficult, as the owners must shift their focus from their personal needs to the needs of the business, and implement new strategies and systems to support growth.

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Selling your business

Small Family Business Sales: Navigating the Exit Process

By Claude B. Kershner IV

Small family businesses play an important role in the economy, providing jobs and services to communities, and serving as engines of growth. However, as the owners age and consider retirement, they may face the decision of selling the business to a prospective buyer. This can be an emotional and complex process, as it involves not only the transfer of the business itself but also the financial and personal well-being of the owners and their families.

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Environment & Corporate Culture

The Environment & Corporate Culture

By Claude B. Kershner IV

What are the task and general environments, and why should organizational leaders care? How are managers shaping the internal culture to fit the needs of the external environment and company strategy? Corporate culture is critical in gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage. As managers, we must familiarize ourselves with these elements and change them when possible.

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Virtuosity in Pool Service: Fostering Long-Term Strategies

By Claude Kershner IV

As defined in gymnastics, virtuosity is “performing the common uncommonly well.” My fitness coach taught me to apply this in training by focusing on the fundamentals above sophisticated movements, i.e., air squats vs. squat cleans. Candidly, I can use this mindset in everything I do, i.e. safely driving my car vs. leading a company. Likewise, in the pool & landscape industry, our field service teams must perform the essential things well because our service quality is on stage.

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Kershner Family

Building People through Essential Business – A Family Story about Legacy

By Claude Kershner IV

Then a few months later, a global pandemic threatened our business. Once again God redeemed what was originally His. We were “designated essential”, supported by the American economy and our business never stopped moving. It gave us a unique posture of service for our customers and we were able to show a familiar face in a time of uncertainty. There is no “free lunch” in effective leadership and there is no YouTube video that can teach me how to be ethically congruent over decades.

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