A Look in the Mirror
By Sheri Philips (Board Member) When one thinks of the gifts that come from holding leadership positions, one generally thinks of the triumphs of…
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Storm Clouds: Are they on the Horizon, or over your Head?
By Mark Klein Many small business owners are quite successful. They came up with a great idea and grew it into a thriving business.…
The Scary Truth About Family Succession
By Scott Philips The decision is always scary – ‘who in the family is capable of effectively assuming and running the family business, keeping…
5 Powerful Starting Points for Connecting With Your People
By Scott Philips We have found that successful organizations have a number of elements in common, including a clear vision, matched values, strong leadership,…
Time to Think, Act, and Engage Differently: Courageous Leadership
By Scott Philips I’m often asked what makes a great leader; it’s one of the foundational elements of my practice. There are a myriad…
Is it Really About the Money?
By Mark Klein Family run businesses are often quite successful. One or both spouses comes up with a great idea and together they build a…
The Basics of Strategic Planning
By Scott Philips If you are a regular follower of the TNP blog, you are likely familiar with our strategic planning “lingo” because…
The Most Important Trait That We Don’t Talk About Enough: Grit
By Stefanie Stern An Interview with TNP Founding Partner, Scott Philips Grit – a newer installation to the business world vernacular, is not likely…
Great Leaders Serve
by Jay Hull Who Could Object? There is a lot of great discussion these days about “servant leadership.” It sounds so generous and kind;…
How We Grow
By Jeff Mattson In her book The Outstanding Organization, author Karen Martin uses her 20+ years working with hundreds of successful businesses to identify four…
Two Critical Mistakes Executive Leaders Make with Their Time
By Erik Chilian Everyone has an idea of what “leadership” is or what “leaders” are supposed to do. Though all leadership has commonalities, executive…
Where is There
By Scott Philips “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where…
Planning for the New Business Environment
By Scott Philips We are in a new era, giving each of us significant pause to consider the consequences. The Coronavirus has changed our…
When You Have to Rock the Boat: Managing Transitions
By Scott Philips Change is hard. It is often the harbinger of stress, confusion, aimlessness, and at its worst – anarchy amongst employees. Change can…
Calming Fears in the Workplace – #coronavirus
By Scott Philips What a crazy time in our world! With global health concerns, international wars and turmoil, domestic unrest, and localized mental illness…
Not so Basic Sales Basics!
By Scott Philips Why is revenue generation complicated? It’s complicated because every company is unique, and because there are a million marketing “tips and…
Introducing the TNP Diagnostic for Workforce Engagement and Motivation (DWEM)
By Stefanie Stern Over the years, Scott Philips – TruNorth Partners Principal and Founder, has developed several diagnostic tools that support teams in…
5 Signs You Are Not Connecting with Your Team
By Scott Philips “So what?” That is my favorite question. When a leader tells me that something is important to them, my next question is,…
Telling the Hard Truth
By Stefanie Stern An interview with TNP Principals Scott Philips and Ed Johnson on the importance of having the hard conversations. Confrontation. For…
Back to the Future (Planning Your Way Back to Normal)
By Scott Philips Coronavirus… enough already! We are all tired of the interruption, stress and negative impacts that this pandemic has presented for…
Letting Go of the ‘I am What I Built’ Syndrome
By Scott Philips I’m often asked, “what is the hardest aspect of generational transition in a family-owned business?” It doesn’t take long to come…
Do What You Love
By Jay Hull We often hear statements like this: “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life,” or, “Follow your…
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. (Part One)
By Jay Hull My mentor and friend, Mike Schmeer, is a lawyer and a pilot. I am not a pilot. I’m not at all…