As special opportunity for readers of my blog – we are giving away 9 free copies of Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book, Twelve and a Half. This new book is an essential read for CEO’s and human resource professionals. In the book, Gary explains why “soft skills,” often referred to as emotional intelligence, are critical
management
Five Key Insights From My Interview with Madelyn Alfano, Owner of Maria’s Italian Kitchen
I was joined by restaurant owner and entrepreneur Madelyn Alfano to discuss how she built Maria’s Italian Kitchen, a successful restaurant with multiple locations in the Los Angeles area, her perspective on entrepreneurship and leading a business, and how she navigated COVID-19. Madelyn and I have very similar outlooks on the entrepreneurship mindset, competition,…
Fomites in the Workplace
“Fomite” is a medical term that refers to inanimate objects that can carry infectious agents to a new host. The concept of a fomite in the medical context is a valuable concept that can be applied in management, human resources, and employment context. It is critical for companies and managers to apply the lessons from…
Five best practices to recruit, retain, and manage a workforce in 2019
I was honored to moderate a panel discussion on best practices for employers to manage their workforces. On the panel was Andrea Borgen, owner of Barcito, Edith Quintero, West Cost People & Development for Soho House & Co., and Jamie Boalbey, Director of Operations for Pitfire Pizza. While the discussion had a…
Five key lessons for entrepreneurs from Nolan Bushnell and Jason Crawford
Recently I had the opportunity to interview Nolan Bushnell and Jason Crawford, co-founders of Modal Systems, a LA based virtual reality start-up company. Nolan is a serial entrepreneur who has founded many companies, but you probably recognize Atari and Chuck E. Cheese as his most notable. My full interview is available on iTunes here.…
Five keys to managing a successful business in California
Recently I had the honor of moderating a panel discussion on issues facing restaurant operators in California. The panelists were Joseph Pitruzelli owner of Wurstküche, Francis Drelling General Counsel at Specialty Restaurants Corporation, Naz Moin former director of Human Resources at PizzaRev, and Madelyn Alfano owner of Maria’s Italian Kitchen.
You can listen to the…
Problems facing human resources
I recently read an article from the Harvard Business Review published in 1981, Managing Human Resources, by William Skinner. The article raised great points about the lack of respect human resource departments receive in companies at the time. The article is as timely as when it was published nearly 40 years ago. Skinner’s article…
Gary Vaynerchuk on the workplace: a 2016 perspective
If you know Garyvee, you may be asking yourself how could an employment law blog rely upon advice from someone who has not only admitted, but takes pride in, the fact that he checked out of school in the third grade, does not read books, and uses language that makes most standup comedian’s performances seem…
Five areas of employee compensation or off-work conduct that cannot be regulated by an employer under California law; plus: Ben Horowitz, the Shmoney Dance and How to Manage
I just discovered How to Start a Startup, which is a series of videos published by Stanford University on YouTube with some outstanding speakers. The problem is that the class videos are so great, I have a hard time turning them off. Case in point, this week I watched Ben Horowitz’ lecture: How to…
Why Start-up Managers Cannot Afford To Be Like Steve Jobs
I don’t have any personal knowledge of how Steve Jobs was as a manager, but every account I read of him was that he was demanding and in your face. While this can be an effective management style of some, it does come with some associated costs.
Increased litigation costs
Unless your start-up has a…