"Open my books to my employees? Are you crazy? If they see how much profit we make around here, they’ll want a raise!” If that’s your sentiment about sharing numbers, I have a news flash for you: They already want a raise. There is a flip side to this argument. It goes something like this: “Open my books to my employees? Are you crazy? If they see how much money we’re losing around here, they’ll leave!” Regardless of your position on financial transparency, here are some tips for making this transition smooth and worthwhile.

We hear it all the time. So much, in fact, that we made it the tag line for the "Experience It" portion of the Great Game® process. Open-book management might sound like common sense, but let's be honest, the fastest way to make any project go haywire is to assume it's too simple to mess up. As a victim of the 'do-it-yourself' complex, I've learned the hard way that sometimes there are tasks that aren't quite as easy as they look (specifically anything that involves a blow torch or a chainsaw).

Over the past few months, the team at Great Game has had the opportunity to chat with several different folks in the Open-Book community. During my own conversations, I made a surprising finding; on more than one occasion, the person let me in on one key activity they were neglecting: forecasting. Many of you would agree that forecasting financials in business is a vital part of your Huddle meetings and annual planning. However, there are probably others that would share that you don't forecast at all.

The year-end employee bonus ... it’s an American tradition. But it’s easy for a bonus to turn into an entitlement. While your employees no doubt appreciate the extra money, once it becomes automatic and expected it may as well be considered part of their regular pay. Here are 4 tips to put your incentive program on the right path, and to turn it into an investment in improved performance.

How many times as a child (or even recently) have you been given the advice to ‘face your fears’? Surely we’ve all received motivational advice from someone who urged us to conquer our fear by actually looking it right in the eyes. With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss three little words that are known to scare business-people all over the world: Open-Book Management. There, I said it; are you scared?

"Should You Do It Yourself?" - Bill Collier, St. Louis Area Coach There are two conflicting schools of thought about running a small business: - Do as much as possible in-house and keep your expenses down. - Subcontract everything except your core money-making activities so you aren’t distracted. As in anything, moderation is the key. An over-zealous attitude about either method is a formula for disaster. Do everything yourself and you will kill progress as you agonize over a million details.

At The Great Game of Business we have the opportunity to meet lots of interesting and passionate people. Some time ago I had the opportunity to have a conversation with someone interested in Open-Book Management in a very unique business: outfitting new museums and airports with their final architectural finishes.