Just the mention of budgeting can conjure up thoughts of scarcity and cutting out fun, enough to have even the most seasoned entrepreneurs shaking in their boots. But it's time to reframe how you think about budgeting for your business. Your financial numbers represent the reality of your company's performance, regardless of whether you know them or monitor them. Can you confidently answer if you have sufficient funds to expand into a new office space, hire additional staff or launch a new product line? How can you make informed decisions if you don't know your numbers? Without a clear understanding,…

Hint: Effective communication isn't just about talking. With the increase in flexibility in how and when individuals work, people are reporting higher levels of burnout and difficulty in finding work-life balance. To combat this, leaders and employees alike will have to focus on increasing their empathic social skills. One skill, in particular, increasingly separates average leaders from great ones: Active listening. Activating Your Active Listening Skills Effective communication isn't just about talking; it's having the ability to listen intuitively to the other person's story, ask questions and search conversations for depth, meaning and understanding with their needs in mind. This…